One side of the story:
“These jobs aren’t coming back,” said John E. Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia in Charlotte. “A lot of production either isn’t going to happen at all, or it’s going to happen somewhere other than the United States. There are going to be fewer stores, fewer factories, fewer financial services operations…”
The other side of the story:
The United States has been neglecting job training programs for decades, argues Andrew Stettner, deputy director of the National Employment Law Project in New York. In current dollars, the nation devoted the equivalent of $20 billion a year on job training in 1979, while spending only $6 billion last year.
The stimulus spending bill includes $4.5 billion in additional monies for job training. But under current programs, many of those eligible for training are given vouchers that cover only a semester or two at community colleges, while careers in growth industries like biotechnology and health care typically require two-year degree programs.
Jobs for the future? How about green mining?
ScienceDaily (Mar. 6, 2009) — To slow global warming, scientists are exploring ways to pull carbon dioxide from the air and safely lock it away. Trees already do this naturally through photosynthesis; now, in a new report, geologists have mapped large rock formations in the United States that can also absorb CO2, which they say might be artificially harnessed to do the task at a vastly increased pace.
The report, by scientists at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the U.S. Geological Survey, shows 6,000 square miles of ultramafic rocks at or near the surface. Originating deep in the earth, these rocks contain minerals that react naturally with carbon dioxide to form solid minerals. Earth Institute scientists are experimenting with ways to speed this natural process, called mineral carbonation. If the technology takes off, geologic formations around the world could provide a vast sink for heat-trapping carbon dioxide released by humans…
A good place see the possible future of work is the fantastic art of Jed Dunkerley. 
This worker is in the rain industry.
The bumper-sticker “I LOVE SPOTTED OWLS FRIED” will not be found on the electric pickup trucks of these forest workers.
I thought Lando Calrissian already cornered the market on cloud mining?
where’s the real Mudede, with the boobs and such?
Carbon sequestration would be great, except for the small problem of entropy. How do you collect up all that carbon dioide? How do you transport it to the storage site and pump it down into the rock formations? How much energy does it take, and how much carbon dioxide is produced as a byproduct?
@3 – Shhh your science is hurting the philosopher’s head.
what if they unlocked the vast engery contained in THE SUN greg? or even the ATOM ITSELF!!!!
I love “Mid Altitude Raingrid”. Is that Slartibartfast up in the catwalk?
Back in the 70s people knew certain types of logging practices were disruptive.
If they haven’t figured it out by now, they deserve to get their heads smashed in by a lemon-wrapped gold brick.
This is crazy. Next thing you know, Charles will be telling us people will be flying around in heavier-than-air craft or communicating over long distances with devices the size of a deck of cards. Insanity!
I hear that the future is zeppelins and zero-emission electric cars …
Awww, they don’t get a free biotechnology degree? SO sad.
I have those on our website still and in the hall here but most are sold.