She was especially taken by statuettes of Astrada; transparent material filled with coloured gas that swirled and glowed, spinning visions of ancient fields and Arcadian mountains.

Edward E. Whitacre Jr. is as far from flashy as anyone gets in the communications business: laconic, unflappable and largely uninterested in spinning visions of the future.

But there is something that happens, at least to us, when you put the word "high" together with the word "Sierra," spinning visions of jagged silver cliffs above sapphire waters.

Let other New York designers spin expansive visions of dressing rooms with chaise longues.

I asked her to come north with me, spun visions of breakfast in Sausalito, good theater, the Palace of Fine Arts, hiking on Mt. Tamalpais.

"Human beings are headed into the cosmos," he said last month, spinning visions of Moon bases and Mars explorers.

Mr. Case called Mr. Levin in October not simply to spin visions, but also to float a specific proposal.

That may be the question for Microsoft and Sony, which are spinning competing visions of the tablet computer.

Mr. Gulotta touted the crackdown as a boon for public safety and spun visions of a windfall from the resale of seized cars.

At another moment, he spins literate, compassionate visions of how he would gently but firmly lead the country.