i like how i've met all these people on the internet from all sorts of different parts of the world. i think it bodes well for us collectively understanding each other a little better, and could make the world a more peaceful place.

i like how aids has gone from being a debilitating fatal illness to being a manageable disease, at least for people who can get the drugs.

although i don't much like the war on terror, i like how people in america care about the country again and aren't, i don't think, quite as cynical and apathetic as they were before 9/11. at least i know i'm not.

i like how death metal is still around! and acid jazz! i like how you don't have to be a good dancer to dance, like you did in the 70s and 80s.

lol. i like all the ecstasy i apparently just took.

joke! don't do drugs, kids.

I think that perhaps the global war on terror, the crisis in the US automotive industry, ...... have overshadowed most of the more positive developments.

Not all of us see the predicament that GM has gotten itself into in a negative light.

For years they have bullied suppliers and more than one company has been driven into bankruptcy due to GM's behavior.

I see their failure as proof again that what goes around comes around.  :)

I'll admit, there's times I have a Why bother? attitude with trying to get attached to the present, because I know someday I will miss this time too. It'll just be memories building on top of more memories.

Even simple everyday things that are "no big deal" when they're going on become kinda nostalgic/special a few years later. In 2010 or 2012 I'll probably miss the mid '00s.

But yeah, there's some things about the present I'm probably more attached to than I think:

-The Internet (it would be hard to live without it, LOL)
-CD burning
-DVDs
-Even though the 80s are twenty years past (and the 90s are ten, etc), it's still somewhat "within reach" and not that different in the long run. Many many things from then are still easily available on Ebay/thrift stores. In 2020 or 2030 they probably won't be. :(
-Though I'm older than I'd like to be, in the long run I'm still a relatively young guy and still can afford some more time before I have to really settle down/be a "grownup" etc.
-Cellphones (for every way they can be annoying, they're also a conveinence)
-Advances in medicine and other technology.

yeah, cellphones! i forgot; cellphones are pretty handy. although i wish they were cheaper.

oh yeah! ebay! and i love how on the internet you can find a group of people who like exactly the same thing you like, no matter how obscure. i'm a member of the ike eisenmann online fan club! there's like 13 people in it.

Tony Stewart repeating as Nextel Cup champion in 2005!!

The Daytona 500, and the beginning of Nextel Cup season 2006 coming next week...

And me starting college.

All things I'm happy about.

Technology has certainly improved. I gots me plenty of cool new toys.

The internet is certaintly more faster.

People respect intelligence more today.

This decade hasnt been all bad some good things have come out of it. Its just that for every good news headline, you get a tragic one like 9/11 or Katrina last year. But like you guys said there have been advances in things like the internet and medical science so its not all bad.

On a personal level...

1. It's the decade I graduated from college
2. Both my parents are still alive

Let's make a list of things that have improved since 2000. Then, that way, we aren't so bitter about the present.
What I really liked was that The Lord Of The Rings was finally made into a movie and thats an improvement over the incomplete animated movie.
The RED SOX finally beat the curse!
Mortgage rates were down at the lowest in early 2000's
car prices dropped to invoice or below if you did your homework.

The intentions for this list are good, but generalizing that we're so bitter is inaccurate. It comes and goes. health, prosperity, war, peace, technology, inflation. the sad thing is that if you did an opposite list of the negative things, the list would fill up quick. I'm taking the bitter with the sweet and glad for the positive when it's there.
Is this really DonnieDarko that started this thread?  ;D  if you read this Donnie, you know I'm teasing.

something that's cool IMO is Dale Earnhardt Jr. has Tony Eury Jr. back as his crew chief! Which means lookout for that red Budweiser Chevy at Daytona and Talladega! And you bet Dale Jr. will be in the Chase this season...

Cell phones are so cool and compact now

Most printers can now print in colour

Some great movies

The Canadian economy is doing really well

Organic fruits and vegetables

People are more respectful and accepting to one another

More concern over the environment (ie. smart cars, recycling bins on sidewalks)

Cool clothing, jewelry, and shoes

Smoking is becoming banned everywhere

Lots of fundraising projects for medical research

People are finally doing something about dogfighting and cockfighting...and educating people on what it really is..CRUELTY, with nothing fun or glamourous about it!

Sorry if I ranted, it's just that I care for creatures just as much as fellow humans..

The coolest jetliner ever built, the Airbus A380 Superjumbo, enters into service this year with Singapore Airlines and I think also Qantas...

I aim to be a passenger on the A380 sometime in my life. If you don't like airplanes and flying, you might not understand my fascination with this jet and the Boeing 747-400...

How about the Daytona 500 tomorrow...hell yeah! Racing's back!!!Well, at least that's something for me to be happy about.