This is a real dream I had, about four hours ago:
I was with a friend in a shop of gadgets and curios – the sort of place that has soap dispensers attached to D-ring clips, or electronic scales with keyboards – when I spotted a odd device on the bottom shelf. It looked like a fax machine with a big bowl on top, and it had the New York Times logo on it.
“What does that do?” I asked, picking it up – it was surprisingly light.
“It prints out issues of the New York Times every day,” said my friend.
“Sweet!” I turned it around, looking for the specs. “Is it a laser printer or an inkjet?”
“Laser printer,” he replied, peering at the shelf label.
“How much does it cost?”
“$300.”
“Wow! We totally have to get this!” Even with the weak pound, $300 was clearly a steal. “But what’s this bowl for?”
“Oh, that’s where you put the pulp in.”
“What, you mean you have to make your own paper?” I asked.
“Yeah, but think about it, you can change the consistency, leave bits in, use different colours…”
“I don’t know…” I said doubtfully. It seemed like a lot of effort to get the paper every day. I put the New York Times machine down, regretfully, and left the shop.
The dream was probably inspired by a quote I saw by Clay Shirky that said “But will the New York Times still exist on paper? Of course, because people will hit the print button,” and this video:
mssv 