By Karna Small Bodman

While newspapers are looking back and featuring stories about the best inventions, movies, books and happenings in the year 2021, I would rather look ahead and see what is predicted for 2022.  First of my list is what will be discovered by the new James Webb Space Telescope launched to study the universe and, as some have speculated, hunt for Aliens! Just last week the $10 billion observatory hurtled to its destination 1 million miles away on the back of an Arianne 5 rocket and is a testament to NASA’s unmatched ingenuity.  To accomplish such an ambitious science mission, ten entirely new technologies were successfully developed with applications for us here on earth as well, where many predict new medical breakthroughs, among other things.

While that telescope is looking for life on other planets, the new Astro Robot will be looking at you right there in your home (if you let it). This new gizmo, Amazon’s Alexa-integrated Household Robot is predicted to do so much more than clean your floors, it will use its cameras to monitor your home, check on specific rooms or specific people (!), and follow you playing your favorite music, podcasts or shows wherever you go.  But now think about it: do you really want that little machine following you around and possibly sending those images to whomever might hack into your system? I imagine that upon hearing about this one, my wonderful (late) father might utter one of his favorite phrases, “Now that’s the most unheard of thing I ever heard of!”

Here’s another item that’s been around for a while to entertain and take photos, but will perform a new service in the New Year. I’m talking about drones, of course. The new ones coming in 2022 are predicted to start delivering packages, even medicine and food orders, right to your doorstep. Once you place an order on a mobile app, the drone flies to pick up the package at a delivery facility, then climbs to a cruise height of 150 feet above ground, flies to your house in just a few minutes, slows down, hovers and descends to 23 feet above your house. A tether automatically lowers and releases your order. The drone then climbs back to cruise height and returns to its own home site. They say it “won’t make too much noise,” but I predict it will drive our dogs nuts.

Here are a few more predictions I just read about: NASA will try to divert an asteroid out of its orbit; planes will use sunlight for fuel; and get this – US military food researchers will develop pizza that can last up to three years. (They didn’t speculate who would want to eat it though). 

While there may be all sorts of technological advances in this new year, there are several more new items that I can safely predict will be big winners. They are new novels being released in the coming months. The first is Red Flags by one of our talented Rogues, Lisa Black, a forensic scientist. The story is about a crime scene analyst called to investigate the heartrending case of a missing baby belonging to her own cousin, a woman who is married to a wealthy lobbyist and living an opulent life. But is the kidnapping tied not just to a ransom but to regulations involving a billion-dollar gaming empire? This intriguing thriller will be released on July 26.

Another Rogue, Tracy Clark, has a new thriller, Hide, which focuses on Chicago Homicide Detective Harriet Foster and her team as they race against time to stop someone bent on killing women with red hair and bright blue eyes.  The police learn that no one is safe, not even one of their own.  This book will be released in December. I can safely predict that this one along with Red Flags will once again put these authors on the New York Times Bestseller list.

The last novel to watch for is by old friend and former neighbor, Janet Evanovich, whose romance, adventure and mystery series have sold more than 90 million copies and been translated into 40 languages. This new, soon-to-be blockbuster is The Recovery Agent which is the first of a new series that, according to The New York Times, “blends wild adventure, hugely appealing characters, and pitch-perfect humor, proving once again why Janet Evanovich is the most popular mystery writer alive.” In this book, coming out on March 22, Gabriela Rose is a recovery agent – hired by individuals and companies seeking lost treasures, stolen heirlooms or missing assets of any kind. One can safely predict that this treasure of a book will also become an instant bestseller.

Now, you might (reasonably) question some of the predictions listed above, but I have a question for you? Is there an item you wish someone would invent in 2022? I have a wish – and that is that someone, anyone, will come up with a way to stop all the spam calls that inundate not only my cell phone but land line as well.  We all know that blocking those cell numbers doesn’t work because the spammers simply call from a different number next time, and signing up with the “Do Not Call” government list is also useless, I predict that IF someone could figure out how we could hit a button and erase those operations once and for all, they should win a Nobel Peace Prize (as it would bring peace to all of our households).

Do you have your own predictions (or wishes) for this new year 2022? Please share them with us. And thanks for visiting us here on Rogue Women Writers.