The Old New Thing

Dreaming up strange inventions: The combination urinal/bidet/washing machine

February 25, 2013 Feb 25, 2013 02/25/13

Raymond Chen

I dreamed that a friend of mine was showing me her new appliance: A combination urinal/bidet/washing machine. As we loaded clothes into it, she said, "You okay in there, Stephanie?" A muffled voice emerged from within: "Just let me know when you're ready...

I speak German better in my dream than I do in real life

February 18, 2013 Feb 18, 2013 02/18/13

Raymond Chen

I dreamed that I was at a large trade show, where everybody had cleared the center of the main floor to make room for an impressive real-time holography demo. After the demo was over, everybody moved their chairs back, but the German delegation had difficulty returning their chairs to the exact position they took them from, because everybody...

Let me take this shortcut across Lake Saskatchewan

February 11, 2013 Feb 11, 2013 02/11/13

Raymond Chen

I dreamed that I had to drive from Los Angeles to Berkeley to catch my flight home. To do this, I used a product from a local startup company: A computerized map of the Bay Area. There were two routes across Lake Saskatchewan. The southern route is highway I-70, and the northern route is an elevated highway that goes right past the head of ...

Please hold your head perfectly still while you write up that memo

January 28, 2013 Jan 28, 2013 01/28/13

Raymond Chen

I dreamed that the original Volkswagen Beetle factory was so cramped that the office workers had to move their desks to the factory floor, with heavy equipment swinging around just inches from their faces. To prevent serious injuries, a template passed through every so often to make sure nothing was out of place...

State law requires you to watch this video of a singing hippo

January 14, 2013 Jan 14, 2013 01/14/13

Raymond Chen

I did it briefly a few years ago, but I'm going to make it a regular Monday feature, at least for this year: Blogging my dreams. I dreamed that I was back in my high school English class, and due to some new state law, everybody was required to watch this video of a singing hippo. The hard part was walking four miles to the nearest viewing ...