It was only about a century ago that Jules Verne fantasized about people travelling around the world in only 80 days. Much of what we take for granted today results from technology that has been developed only within the last century. Before then, change occurred slowly. In recent years, however, the pace of technological advances has accelerated at a fast rate. Travellers commonly fly from New York to London in six-and-a-half hours, and communications are almost instantaneous.