We could obsess this week about yet another survey indicating Michigan's next generation can't wait to hit the road for seemingly better lives and paychecks someplace else.

But we won't.

Instead, we'll contrast those poll results with the steady stream of hot "new economy" news generated every week by the Great Lakes IT Report and Metromode. Consider their headlines this week...

At MSU, researchers are creating "grassoline" for future cars. At Michigan Tech, student-run companies are building better communications devices for cars and high-tech hospital mattresses, among other things. In Metro Detroit, big-time law firm Bodman, LLC is growing quickly, IT consulting firm CBeyond will hire 100 new employees in the next six months, and software firm NetLink is adding hundreds more.

Sombody's got to be wrong here. Either the downcast young people don't know how to find the new economy jobs, or the new economy buzz is more hot air than reality.