When Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson made his predictions for 2014 , he included a “new Microsoft that no one expected.” With the promotion of Satya Nadella to CEO and Bill Gates as technology advisor, Mark says his prediction is about halfway to fruition.

A new and improved Microsoft. Lower prices for smartphones and tablets. A big emphasis on data encryption. These are just a few of the developments Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson sees happening in 2014. Mark shared 3 of his 10 predictions on the air with KPLU's Dave Meyer. With his permission, we present the entire list below: Siris into silos. Internet Assistants display their importance as a category by spreading out into a large number of new Siri-like products, many of which

T he holiday season will be great for pads and tablets, but not so great for smartphones, says Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson.

Scientific breakthroughs and profitable businesses all start the same way: someone comes up with a bright idea. Our education system teaches people what to do with that idea. Scientists will test it with experiments. Entrepreneurs will develop business plans. Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson says what’s missing is teaching people how to come up with the right ideas in the first place.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will retire sometime in the next 12 months, and there’s plenty of speculation about who will succeed him. But Strategic News Service publisher and KPLU technology commentator Mark Anderson says there are more important issues at stake. Before making that new hire, Mark says Microsoft needs to do two things: refocus its brand, and restructure its top level of management.

For years, Strategic News Service (SNS) publisher and KPLU technology commentator Mark Anderson has been warning of the dangers of intellectual property theft. Initially, Mark focused on how IP theft is affecting the technology sector. But now, he sees it wreaking havoc throughout the entire economy. His recent SNS article, "The Big Shift," which has also been posted at Forbes , explains how "we're moving from an era where inventions paid off to an era when copying and theft makes more money."

Have smartphones, tablets and the Internet changed the way you watch TV? Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson says TV is undergoing a revolution, and you can expect even more changes in the coming years.

First released in 2004, NASA’s World Wind is an open source, 3-D model of Earth generated from satellite imaging data. It’s not just a fancy globe. The model is designed to accommodate all kinds of information about our planet that can be updated in real time. Strategic News Service publisher and KPLU technology commentator Mark Anderson says World Wind is sparking a revolution in planetary data visualization. Anderson is so impressed by the technology that he made “Digitizing the Planet” the

When computer sales declined 14 percent in the first quarter of this year, fingers immediately began pointing at Microsoft. The release of a new version of Windows is supposed to stimulate PC sales. But Windows 8 has received a lukewarm reception. Strategic News Service publisher and KPLU technology commentator Mark Anderson doesn’t mince words. He thinks Windows 8 is a bomb.

Back in 2007, Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson warned KPLU listeners about the dangers of "cheap money" from Japan, which helped fuel the subprime mortgage debacle. Mark advised investors to put more of their money into cash, rather than stocks. The following year, the bottom fell out of the stock market. Is history about to repeat itself? Mark believes Japan and other nations are printing too much money again, making conditions ripe for another meltdown. With Mark's permission, we