I thought of many ways to look back at the last ten years and reflect. Everything from a version of "We didn't start the fire" to a chronological analysis was on the cards. Then I decided to go back to the basics - the alphabet. So I present to you the 33 things I best remember the last decade for:
Airports: Remember when you didn't have to take your shoes off before getting on a plane? Remember when you could bring a bottled drink on board? 9/11 changed all that and airports will never be the same.
App: There's an app for that! The phrase comes from Apple iPhone advertising, but could apply to the entire decade's gadget explosion, from laptops to GPS systems. If you don't own an iPhone you ain't cool!
Blog: I blog, you blog, he blogs ... How did we spend our time before blogging?
Blackberry: In 1999 a blackberry was a mere summer fruit. Introduced in 2002, the smartphone is now considered essential by corporate CEOs and moms planning playdates. Cell phones have almostl replaced land lines. On the downside, they've made cheating on a spouse more difficult — just ask Tiger Woods.
Columbia: the space shuttle that carried Kalpana Chawla and never came back...or came back in pieces.
DVRs: Suddenly, DVR-ing is a verb, and what it means is this: There's no reason to know anymore what channel your program is on, and what time....wait a minute, you still need that to program your DVR.
Eight: 8 Olympic gold medals at Beijing, 6 more from earlier editions, people still wonder if Michael Phelps was the result of a genetic mutation!
Florida: Elections were the fairest way to decide in a democracy. All that changed when George W. Bush claimed the presidency over Al Gore, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Florida Supreme Court's decision requiring a statewide recount was unconstitutional.
Google: This was the decade that Google became a part of our brain function and vocabulary. If you don't know something - Just Google it.
GPS: We can't get lost anymore — or at least it's pretty hard, with the ubiquitous GPS systems. But you'd better type in your location carefully: One couple made a 400-mile mistake this year by typing "Carpi" rather than "Capri."
Harry Potter: The West never really had rich mythology to boast of...until JK Rowling decided to change that. 7 books and 8 movies later...yeah the last book is now made into 2 movies..., Mr. Potter is the world's greatest wizard, ahead of David Copperfield!
iPod: An icon of the digital age, it's hard to believe this portable media player was first launched in 2001. Six years later the 100 millionth iPod was sold. To me it will always be the precursor to the iPhone.
Jackson: Michael, of course. The trials, tribulations and the end. He will always be remembered for Thriller and the millions of children he touched...I meant their lives!
Karim: Jawed Karim, founder of YouTube. Seriously, let's end this list and go kill some time by watching ... YouTube videos!
Lance: Armstrong - The ultimate sportsman.
Mumbai: Terrorism was not new to India nor to Mumbai, but 26/11 was exponentially, a new chapter. The Taj, Leopold Cafe, Victoria Terminus - historical landmarks and hubs of public activity in India's financial capital were targeted and homeland security was exposed.
Netflix: The DVD by mail service that brought prices down and gave me one more thing to procrastinate.
Oscars: 2009 will also be known as the Year of Rahman. His best music arguably was in the 90's but his legacy was defined in 2009 with twin Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire...and he is from my high school.
Peace: or the lack there off. Started with the war on terror, fought in the wrong place, of course. Terrorists were in Afghanistan and there were no WMDs in Iraq. So much for intelligence! Don't get me started on the Nobel!
al-Qaeda: (Ok, I cheated a bit with the phonetics.) The group that symbolized world terror with an event that proved that none was immune to terrorism.
Reality TV: As a nation, we became addicted to reality TV, from "American Idol" to "Survivor" At decade's end, the Salahis of gatecrashing fame give reality TV some unwanted attention.
Recession: We saw it at the beginning of the decade and much to our own bewilderment we saw at the end too. Dot Com burst followed by the Wall Street wiggle.
Starbucks: It's a cliche that there's one on every block, but sometimes it seemed like it — and millions now consider it normal to spend $4 or so on a coffee in the morning, ridiculous!
Texting: R u still rding this blg? Hp u r. E-mail is so '90s.
TV: Television screens became bigger and flatter. At the same time, though, people were watching movies and videos on the tiniest screens imaginable. Gosh I miss the old set with an hourglass figure and a nice rear!
Twitter: The new social network introduced tweets, retweets, follows and trending topics — as long as it fit in 140 characters.
Usain Bolt: You cannot find a more aptly named athlete. Speed redefined. Just don't fall down from grace, please!
Victory: Sen. Barack Obama's forefathers dreamed of becoming free. He became the leader of the free World. Tried to avoid this cliched mention, but can't. Too big of a moment.
Wii: In a sea of ever-more-sophisticated video games, this simple console became the decade's breakout hit by appealing to the non-gaming masses. Wiis became a center of family gaming, home fitness and even senior socializing.
Wikipedia: time to sell those big volumes adorning book shelves. Encyclopedia Britannica? Is that Latin for a British bicycle?
X-rated: Superbowls used to be PG13. They still are. But half time shows are a different matter altogether. Wardrobe malfunction became Janet Jackson's greatest contribution to the English language.
Zuckerberg: and co-founders Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes and Eduardo Saverin, launched Facebook from their Harvard dorm room. Can you believe this social networking site was once limited only to Harvard students? Silly Geeks! Now it's a time-sucking obsession for more than 300 million users globally and a whole new form of social etiquette: It's not official unless it is on FB.
