The amount of “year-that-was” reviews readers around the world are being subjected to right now are bound to be mind-numbingly long.  But this column won’t waste your time reminiscing about what went down this year. I will only say that for the majority of players in Kenya’s ICT field, 2010 will probably be most remembered as the year the country’s software development community finally broke into the global marketplace.

But enough about the past —what can we expect for the future? Serious investors like to have their pulse on what is going to be hip in the next five years, here’s a list of what could be attracting dollars in the coming five years. Well, if a group of Cornell scientists have their way, your printer could become the centre-piece of your kitchen. Flavoured inks and creative mash-ups of your favourite food items could soon be streaming through your printer.

To use the 3D home printer, all you have to do is load food “inks” in the top, upload a recipe, and enjoy. For now, the “inks” must be liquid enough to be pushed through a syringe. If it takes off, you would need very little actual skill to become a master home chef. So far, the lab has had small successes, making cookies with embedded letters and even making sushi.

Those behind the project say its customisable recipes and quantities will cut waste and help dieters control their calories. But perhaps you would like to share your printer-food with your friends. IBM says by 2015, you shall be able to share special moments like the time your printer masters your favourite dish by inviting their hologram over to join in the moment.

In the next five years, 3-D interfaces — like those in the movies — will let you interact with 3-D holograms of your friends in real time. IBM says since movies and TVs are already moving to 3-D, and as 3-D and holographic cameras get more sophisticated and miniaturised to fit into cell phones, you will be able to interact with photos, browse the Web and chat with your friends in entirely new ways.