NETWORKING 2009

"e;What a di?erence a year makes - 52 little weeks"e; This variation of the ?rst line from Dinah Washington's famous song, which originally reads, "e;What a di?erence a day makes - 24 little hours,"e; brings it to the point: Accordingtoallexperts,thepress,andmostpeople'simpressionwearetoday in a serious economic recession. Less than one year ago, we practically lived on the "e;island of the blessed"e; (namely, at Networking 2008 that was held on the island of Singapore), or in the famous country where "e;milk and honey ?ow"e; (or "e;where wine and liquor ?ow"e;). This convenient situation has changed abruptly within less than 52 weeks. It looks like the same kind of problems has emerged in all areas - and the "e;Networking"e; area has, of course, been a?ected, too. Looking into the 2009 proceedings, however, you will immediately notice that the manuscripts are largely una?ected by any aspect of the economic c- sis (which should be a bit of a consolation). Apparently, research directions are dictated by a process that is all too sluggish in order to be quickly and radically changed by a "e;tsunami."e; Likewise, the conference itself was prepared in spite of such a crisis.