As of 9 May 2009, the current solar minimum has been (quoting other sources) LONGER and LOWER than expected.

Currently the sun has no sunspots again!, no real surprise there but at this time there have been (in this minimum) 486 spotless days, the longest in recent history were the years around 1913 with a total of 1013. Which is the year of the 20th century with the MOST, and longest streak in a row of spotless days, so at this time we are not quite halfway to that point.

Again it looks like Dr. Hathaway at NASA has missed the predictions yet again, and if the max is still supposed to be in 2011 we are less than 2 years from it. I would expect that the sun must (if this is true) begin to get more active!

Other surprises on the solar front include the fact that the sun ins NOW 0.02% dimmer in Visible light and 6% dimmer in extreme ultraviolet, supposedly not significant to global warming, but significant in one fact the earths outer atmosphere is cooler and smaller giving spacejunk and LEO sattelites a greater lifetime. but again it has been stated  it has no effect on global  warming.....

The sun is ALSO undergoing a 50 year low in radio emissions, lowest since 1955 in fact, significance ? your guess is is as good as mine. Some speculate the gravitational field of the sun may be weakening and this is the cause for the 10.7cm flux dropping so low.

More and more it is beginning to look like there will be a late max maybe that's what the Maya expect for 2012 some sort of SUDDEN increase in solar activity! (personal theory on that is a reverse polarity major sunflair that will take out most of the current electrical devices we rely upon ---- get your tube type radios fixed up!, shield the radio room and generators!), get ready to be the only one with working electronics of any sort!