I've decided to go into the futurist business. It's where all the money is. And if you turn out to be wrong, there's a chance your clients will die before they find out. So I consulted The Oracle (no, not that Oracle), gazed into my Magic 8-Ball, and sifted through My Pet Goat's entrails. Here's what I saw: ... Google will split itself into two divisions, one good and one evil, who then will battle for Web I’ve decided to go into the futurist business. It’s where all the money is. And if you turn out to be wrong, there’s a chance your clients will die before they find out. So I consulted The Oracle (no, not that Oracle), gazed into my Magic 8-Ball, and sifted through My Pet Goat’s entrails. Here’s what I saw: … Google will split itself into two divisions, one good and one evil, who then will battle for Web domination. (I’m putting my money on evil — they always have the cooler costumes … Dell will go on a major enterprise acquisition spree. But instead of buying up companies they’ll just purchase Larry Ellison. It’s so much faster. … Apple will announce the iShield, a portable force field that protects its owner from exterior threats — like SEC investigations. Unfortunately it will only work for Steve Jobs. … In an effort to halt the Googlization of everything, two major Web rivals (MSN and Yahoo? AOL and MySpace? Amazon and eBay?) will swallow hard and merge their operations. The process will look like a train wreck in slow motion. There will be no survivors. … The White House will locate printouts of the 5 million emails it has misplaced — stuffed inside mattresses at the DC Madam’s digs. Investigators will be allowed to view a list of the messages, but reading them will cost $275 an hour with a 90-minute minimum. Got your own visions of what the future will hold? Drop me a note or post them below. Top prognosticators may receive a special prize (and if you can really see the future, I won’t need to tell you what it is). Software DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business