"The way people interact with computers is going to dramatically change in the next five years, Microsoft chief Bill Gates has told BBC News," says the BBC. Is it? Is it really, Bill?

We all know Bill Gates' infamous track-record with predictions, from pooh-poohing the Internet to claiming that we'd all be talking to our PCs by now, instead of simply swearing incoherently every time they break. Rich and successful as he unquestionably is, he's a better businessman than futurologist, and that's a field that routinely comes out with nonsense like breast implants coming with built in MP3 players, just to give everyone a chance to joke about the control system.

This time around, his claims are that interfaces will move towards speech (again), touch (no kidding...) and psychic commands, currently being tested in a desperate attempt to make anybody want a Zune.

But why stop there? Surely we all know the eventual destiny of all computer interaction? That's right. I'm talking about taste. Remember to save your document by licking the screen, be rewarded by a generous salvo of strawberry flavoured attaboy. Instantly identify bad sectors during drive operations by the horrific taste of tamarind, slowly fading to peach as your system comes under control. Turn those family pictures into a cocktail of caramel and icing, making your memories all the sweeter.

As for the taste of Vista? Lemon, of course.

Bitter, bitter lemon...

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Everybody knew it was going to turn out this way. Warner officially confirmed their worst kept secret, that they were going down the Blu-ray route and leaving HD-DVD behind.

The HD-DVD representatives at CES have apparently cancelled their press conference and 1:1 meetings with journalists, left sulking in the corner of some Las Vegas hotel. So what does the announcment mean? Well the majority of high definition films in the future will be on Blu-ray, and hence that is the better format to invest in for the long term.

HD-DVD isn't buried yet though. Who knows how long the Universal, Paramount and Dreamworks exclusivity deals will last? While those are in place, there are still two formats, and there is still the problem that unless you get a dual format player, your choice of HD content is still limited. This still a big divisor, Planet Earth in HD looks great. So do the Matrix, Transformers, and Children of Men, and can't be had on Blu-ray yet.

Is this the last we will hear from the HD-DVD group? Don't bet on it. Microsoft and Toshiba aren't likely to go down quietly. Some commentators have even suggest Microsoft want both formats to fail, so HD on demand services take off quicker (which the Xbox 360 is capable of delivering.)

But here's a prediction: by Christmas 2008 (I bet you don't want to think that far ahead right now) high definition disc sales, on Blu-ray, will only just be gaining momentum, two years after they launched and perhaps too late.

And right around the corner another pointless competition over standards is brewing, HDMI vs Displayport. Yup, the battle over which lead to plug into the back of your TV is just around the corner.