It seems only a short time ago that parties were thrown to welcome in this century.  And here we are almost at the end of the first decade of it.  Crazy.  Where did all that time go?  And how will it be remembered?

It will no doubt be remembered like most decades before it for the landmark happenings that occurred:  September 11^th 2001; the Madrid and the London bombings; the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; 2007’s economic downturn and the current world recession to name but a few.

It may well be remembered as a decade of technological advancement, but in my view most of the new-fangled technology of the 2000s only really helps us to do what we could already do, but at a faster speed or by using an alternative method.

It could go down as the decade in which the masses really did become aware of how vulnerable our planet is.  You’d have to live in a cave not to have heard of “climate change” and “global warming” and “carbon footprint”.

And what name tag will be given to the first decade of the 21^st century?  Don’t think it will be “swinging” as in the Sixties, or “hungry” as in the Thirties.  The decade has already been labelled the “Noughties” – a terrible name, which will no doubt, God help us, be followed by the “Teenies”.

For this midlife writer the “Noughties” have passed too quickly; I’m finding that as I get older time just keeps on speeding up.  We’ve moved house three times.  My children have gone from kids to adults.  Our business has developed, grown and diversified.  And life just keeps whizzing along at one hell of a pace, dragging me with it albeit as a willing and active participant.  It’ll be interesting to see how historians eventually label this small slice of time – “breakneck” or “lightning” spring to my mind.

Over the coming decade I’d like all geeks involved in technological development to ease up looking at how things we already have can be improved further, and concentrate instead on new inventions please.  I’d give good money for a proper, full-on, time machine.  One which goes only backwards in time will be fine; I’m not too bothered about seeing into the future because I’ll get there sooner than I want to anyway.  Even a simple, easy to use, time-pausing gadget would do me.  Just so I can fully savour and enjoy time, and maybe slow it down a tad.