Sunday Reading: Going out with a Bang

The end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 are just a few weeks away.This will be a moment that marks the close of a decade which began with fears of Y2K and ended with a global recession. Talk about an uplifting way to begin the 21st century. In the last Sunday Reading of 2009, I give you some of the better moments of 2009 and the big ideas and trends that will move us into 2010.

Best of 2009 (and the decade):

• Pop Culture Moments: Once again, a year of Comedy Central and the Internet. (Wired)
• Top TV Shows: Half of them actually started in the 90s and are now dead, leaving plenty of room in the future for Modern Family. (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Best Websites and Blogs: My how Facebook has fallen. (Time)
• Stages of the Hipster: Are you a stereotype? (Paste)
• Biggest Thinkers: Money, crystal balls and the environment. (Foreign Policy)
• Mrs. Obama in Pictures: A new kind of First Lady. (The Daily Beast)
• Best Movies of the Year and the Decade: Proof that public opinion is funny sometimes, because some were clearly missed. (Rotten Tomatoes, Paste)
• Best Gadgets: I want one. (Gizmodo)
• Awesome Albums of the Year and the Decade: 2009 was a great year for American music. (Spin, Paste)
• Best places to Live: Hint, you won’t find Atwater Hall A or B on this list..or Dubai for that matter. (Business Week)

Trends for 2010:

• MUSIC: Google + Apple + Lala = No downloands. No synching. The most comprehensive music experience yet.
• PRINT: Interactive Tablets (pioneered by Sports Illustrated) and skimmable online interfaces for mags and online news.
• FASHION: New books, art, Tom Ford, Web 2.0 and underwear.
• ENVIRONMENT: Traces of Copenhagen.
• STANDARDIZED TESTING: Bye Bye SAT?
• TV: Soon, TV will be everywhere.
• JOBS: Technology Technology Technology.
• MOVIES: The 80s are going to rein.
• MUSIC: Editors, OK Go, Beastie Boys, Cake, Meatloaf, No Doubt…the year of “sophomore” debuts.
• POLITICS: To be a Republican, you’ll have to pass a (purity) test.
• PRENUPS: Everyone wants to be Tiger Woods
• MAUREEN DOWD: First she plagiarized, then she wrote today’s op-ed. What will she insinuate next?

Website of the Year: Google Zeitgeist. The biggest trends, words, ideas of 2009 tracked city by city, topic by topic. See how big Michael Jackson really was…and just how much Google knows. Entertain yourself.