Dear PropellerHeads: What do you see in our techno-future for 2015?

A: It's time for our annual predictions column already? My, how time has flown. I have been so busy trying to binge listen to Serial, I must not have been paying attention.

So, without further ado, our 2015 predictions....

Cable TV is dead! Long live streaming TV! Last year we predicted that many of you would be cutting the cable cord. Well, many of you did (http://usat.ly/1zoByMj). By this time next year, cable boxes will be akin to LaserDisc players and land lines. If you are a bit behind, read this (http://bit.ly/1rRLhCe) and then subscribe to one or two of the great streaming services like Amazon Prime (http://amzn.to/16NsEYT), Netflix.com, or Hulu.com/plus. With HBO subscription service expected in spring 2015, you will quickly notice your cable is obsolete.

Gear is dead! OK...maybe we got this one wrong in 2014. Wearable tech has gotten much better, very fast. While Google Glass may not be in your future, it's time to take a serious look at the Android-based Pebble Steel (getpebble.com), the Moto360 (moto360.motorola.com) and the Apple Watch (apple.com/watch).

Beacons Beckon! Apple's iBeacon protocol has legs (http://bit.ly/1CoXfgk). Using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) capabilities your phone most likely already has, your phone can start doing very cool things. Like unlocking your car as you approach, arming your home security system as you leave, bringing up the latest Starbucks coupon as you order that latte, or basically just augmenting your reality in lots of convenient ways. Google and Microsoft are a bit behind on this, but in 2015 they will catch up.

Listening trumps watching! I don't know about you, but after the endless sweatpant-wearing, pizza-delivery-eating, showerless, days of Breaking Bad, Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Alpha House, The Americans, not to mention all the HBO and Showtime content, I just need to get out more. Like many, I find that podcasts allow me to leave my cocoon and still get my drama on. The quality and variety of podcasts from Serial, Stuff You Should Know, This American Life, The Moth, and any many others (http://bit.ly/1DZ876y) is your new fix. Wow! It's bright out here.

Net Neutrality - Not likely! Our spring 2014 coverage (aka rant) on Net Neutrality did little to move the debate toward a rational discourse in today's fractured political climate. This is a serious, impactful subject that seems doomed to find little substance in D.C. until our elected officials decide the country is more important than their jobs or their party. Hmmm...maybe one of the PropellerHeads should consider running? Is your Internet down?

Where did all the hardware go? A spring ritual for us is to take last year's tech garbage and have it recycled as we replace hardware. It's not hard to notice that the pile has been getting smaller. Sure, those CRTs were massive, but it's more than that. Even if a few are a bit reluctant, we are all moving to the cloud. We are renting out computing and applications using Amazon's AWS, Google's Compute Engine, Microsoft 360, Zoho, Trello, QuickBooks, and thousands of other choices that all say the same thing. You just don't need a server room anymore.

Happy New Year from the PropellerHeads at Data Directions!

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. Email them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.