William Knoke

To discuss the future sensibly, economist William Knoke has been forced to create new phrases. Sometimes, they sound like "Alice in Wonderland": "We are entering the age of Everything-Everywhere," he announces. At other times, he assumes a science-fiction tone: "Our inexorable movement away from the Corporate Form toward a free-flow Amoeba Form will call for new skills in the job market," he writes.

To discuss the future sensibly, economist William Knoke has been forced to create new phrases. Sometimes, they sound like "Alice in Wonderland": "We are entering the age of Everything-Everywhere," he announces. At other times, he assumes a science-fiction tone: "Our inexorable movement away from the Corporate Form toward a free-flow Amoeba Form will call for new skills in the job market," he writes.

An upcoming conference at Cal Lutheran University will focus on how workers should prepare for the jobs of the 21st century. Students, faculty members and community leaders will discuss how new communication technologies and other developments will affect the work force of the future at the 27th annual Mathews Management Forum from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Round-table discussions in the university's gymnasium/auditorium at 60 W.

The claim sounded too fantastic to be real: a record album with a playing time measured not in minutes, but in hundreds of hours? And one that can be played on all conventional record players with no additional special equipment? That phenomenal assertion for the new "Interactor" phonograph record developed by Harvest Time Inc. of San Clemente both is and isn't true.

The claim sounded too fantastic to be real: a record album with a playing time measured not in minutes, but in hundreds of hours? And one that can be played on all conventional record players with no additional special equipment? That phenomenal claim for the new "Interactor" phonograph record developed by Harvest Time Inc. of San Clemente both is and isn't true.

For 10 years, the idea of place has taken a beating. Once the world seemed to be made up of special, nonduplicable locations--Texas cattle towns, old New England villages, relaxed beachside cities. Yet, many now believe that technology, industrial change and globalization are rapidly transforming places into little more than anonymous territories competing for the attention of largely indifferent capital markets.

Joseph Coates has described himself as a futurist for 17 years and knows that the label now gets more respect than when he started out. "I rarely get the damn fool irritating question 'Where do you buy your crystal ball?' anymore," says Coates, whose Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Coates & Jarratt helps major corporate clients like Dow Chemical, Coca-Cola and AT & T do long-range planning. "It's a business-like thing now when they call us. The snickering is all history."