Stockbrokers, auto dealers, mail carriers, insurance and real estate agents: the internet will eradicate middlemen by the millions.

Teachers: distance learning is becoming more popular, and through the miracle of online classes and electronic grading, today's faculty lounge could become tomorrow's virtual help desk though a complete conversion is unlikely.

Prison guard: Microscopic implants will restrain convicts from engaging in criminal activity. The sensors will require lots of fine-tuning.

Truckers: There will be “smart” lanes that enable computer-driven vehicles to travel bumper to bumper at high speeds.

Printers: Magazines and newspapers will switch to digital paper. Xerox and other visionaries are racing to produce a material that's as flexible as regular paper and as versatile as a computer screen.

Housekeepers: If fridges today can decide to buy you more milk (online), then self motivated vacuums don' t sound so far afield. Perhaps self-cleaning home will use a central vacuuming system or dust-eating robots.