9/11....11

This year was the 10th anniversary since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. Any anniversary of this sort is quite moving and I suppose the decade-long memorial was more special than usual. I will not go into the whole 9/11 affair but will only think about the whole thing from another (if shallower) perspective. On the day, I am remembering how life was one decade ago. This is not one generation ago or one century ago but only a mere 10 years. Thinking about it, I was amazed at how different the world was. Not only due to the real threat of terrorism worldwide, but on a day-to-day basis.

Ten years ago, there were no iPhones or iPods or iPads. Not even Facebook. There were only primitive mobile phones; to be honest, I did not even have my own mobile phone and we had just 1 for all the household's needs. It is amazing at how these electronic devices have changed the world. Alongside the internet which is no longer limited to the ancient dial-up or then advanced DSL technology of 2001 but is now available virtually all over the place in the form of wireless waves transporting bits and bytes all over the globe via computers, laptops and mobiles.

A decade ago, photography was limited to film technology whereas today film is obsolete and everything is digital. And everybody has become a photographer. The same can similarly be extrapolated to the existence of 3D TV, HD TV, BlueRay and all the advances of the multimedia world. I think in 2001 I was still doing my backups on 1.4 MB floppy disks; today companies give you complimentary 2 GB (some 1400 floppy disks' worth) USB sticks during Careers' Fair.

Ten years ago, the idea of building anything more than 0.5km was a dream; today the 800m+ Burj Khalifa is on its way to be superseded.

Ten years ago, there was no Harry Potter; now the series is concluded. I think there were 7 in all; I never bothered reading any of them.

Ten years ago, there were no low-cost air travel phenomena. Today, these budget airlines have changed the whole idea of travel, from something which is quite an expensive commodity to a quasi daily totally affordable affair.

Ten years ago, the Euro was in its infancy as the single currency of the E.U.; today, the Eurozone is facing a serious crisis, almost on the verge of collapse, with many countries bailing out millions, in the aftermath of a persistent world recession.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the world's public enemy #1 was Osama Bin Laden; today the man is dead. Or so they say, anyway. And on a quasi similar note, the president of the U.S.A. was Republican George W. Bush and now the White House hosts Democrat Barack Obama. In Malta, nothing changed in terms of government - the conservatives are still in power, since 1987.

A decade ago, Saddam Hussein was still in power (he is now dead), Fidel Castro was still reigning Cuba (he is now retired), Muammar Ghaddafi was still controlling Libya (he is now on the run). Queen Elizabeth II is however still the U.K.'s ruling monarch and fast approaching her diamond jubilee.

On a more personal level, ten years ago, I was just about to start my undergraduate and now I am starting my final year of my Ph.D., my ultimate stop in my formal education journey. Back then, I was not even aware that there existed the option of me doing a masters degree, let alone the possibility of enrolling on a doctorate.

Ten years ago, I was quite happily living as a bachelor on a rock of 0.4 million and now I am happily married and living in a metropolis of 7.5 million and open to so many new ideas, cultures and meeting people from all over the planet.

I am concluding here. Definitely not an exhaustive list, but this is what I could think of in a few minutes. I am sure that if I had to write all that has changed between 2001 and 2011, then I would probably be writing an encyclopedia. Oh yes, that is another one: encyclopedias do not exist anymore; today there is Wikipedia.