h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

But how will you remember these last ten years?

As a time of change for me really.

The 1980s had its Yuppies, the 1970s had punk and glam rock, while the 1960s will be remembered primarily for swinging. What will be the legacy of the noughties?

Reality TV stars and the dumbing down of the population generally.

Which single individual do you think embodies all that the decade will be remembered for? Obama? Tony Blair? Or how about Bin Laden? Or Jade Goody?

Well, going from my answer to the question above, it will have to be Jade Goody. However, Bin Laden has been pretty memorable as well.

And which of the technological advancements that we've gained in the last ten years do you think will have the most far-reaching effects? MP3 players? iPhones? Or how about the hybrid car?

Hopefully the hybrid car. I think the other technology has done all it can do to transform society. Never again will public transport be quiet as everyone is subjected to the thump thump thump of some one elses favourite bassline.

Or more personally, which life-changing events do you see as being the highlight of your decade? Marriage or the birth of your children? Something more career-based? Or maybe some other personal achievement or milestone?

Well, in one decade I have found a job I am happy with, passed my driving test (finally!) got a professional qualification and married the man of my dreams. Yeah, all in all, pretty damn good!

Lovely to hear you've found the man of your dreams, Crickett. Nice to see a bit of romance among these threads...

And interesting point about dumbing down. Do you think celebrating famous folk who have been fast-tracked into celebdom without any real talent gives out the message that you don't necessarily have to work hard and be good at what you do to get on? Is this going to be seen as the decade that championed underachievement?

The thing with trying to rely on becoming a household name without any marketable talent is that thousands of others are trying to do the very same. I remember watching the Big Brother hopefuls videos back in the day (they could be quite entertaining in a cringeworthy kind of way).

It's like a celebrity lottery, y'know? Throw in your ticket by submitting an entry form or a video and pray that you can be included with people to create an interesting enough combination. Having an over the top personality seems to help, I guess.

Talking about underachievers
George H.W.Bush fits that category.
someone has been collecting his dumb sayings ever since 2001
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/dna/h2g2/classic/F15546583/ext/_auto/-/http://www.dubyaspeak.com/

Zelmo,

Yeah, I think you have a point there. Maybe underachievement and a sense of overwhelming entitlement to a free ride.

I certainly notice that with the youngsters coming into the world of work. Seriously, they all expect that they are going to be the Chief Exec by the end of their first year. Whatever happened to working through the ranks?!

There's nothing wrong with confidence but, I think you're right, there's a point where confidence becomes over-confidence and a certain self-centeredness takes over. As consumers, we're always being told to assert our rights - there are programmes and publications dedicated to it - and make claims where we feel we have been slighted.

And anyone experiencing delays as they travel the length and breadth of this great land - snow-related or otherwise - will have experienced fellow passengers getting exponentially angry as their progress is hampered. Has this decade encouraged us to believe that we really the centre of the universe?

Money's the thing for me. If you pay for a service, you expect that service to be delivered to you. Personally, I'm happy to wait for half an hour or so given the current weather, but if you've an urgent appointment to meet (work, family, whatever) then it's harder to understand the other person's predicament. Especially at this stressful tmie of year and if you're told to expect delays but not necessarily told why (not that I'm point the finger, these are certainly exeptional circumstances).
I suppose people expect the transport companies to be prepared to deal with this kind of predicament.

Zelmo,
On confidence: >>there's a point where confidence becomes over-confidence and a certain self-centeredness takes over.<<

Agreed. I'd make similar comment on ambition (which we couldn't do without)... There was a time when it was (usually) fairly well hidden behind Public Service. Now, the disguise is pretty thin.

The decade will be marked by a noticeable change of direction of the pendulum.
Of course it will. Mark my words. Trust me, I'm a prophet maker.

I have notebooks so I can put an exact date to events of my life.
Here are some samples:
April 2001 Peta helped open my h2g2 page I became shagbark.
July 24,2001 the city of Lansing re-appoints me to the Memorial Review Board( pre34vious appointment had expired.
December 12,2001 city activists (including me)featured in Newspaper article.
July 22,2002 Car I was driving rear-ended two blocks from home.
musing on the World wide web- whereever it is available privacy becomes like a 19th century paradigm in a 21st century world.
January 7,2004 Began Herbalife business (which over the next twelve months lost more that it earned)
June 8,2004
Early morning I set up my telescope and watched the transit of Venus on the wall of a shopping center.
June 25,2005 Gave away car and went to using Public Transportation.
August 25,2006 I become an only child when my married sister is killed in a plane crash.
August 7,2007 I run (unsucessfully) for city council.
February 6,2008 Began publishing newsletter of Churchill Downs Neighborhood assn.
November 4, 2008 Stood in line for an hour and a half to cast a ballot for Obama.
July 19,2009 I turned 62 and applied for social security ( but kept working)
September 6,2009 Walked across Mackinaw bridge
December 24,2009 h2g2 article on Bridge makes edited guide.