A dream that seemed…so…wheel!

Do you ever have those hyper-real dreams, where you’re convinced what you’re experiencing is real? Not a lucid dream — that’s when you are aware that you are dreaming — just one that’s so good that it convinces you it’s reality. At least, until you wake up to bitter disappointment (or to utter relief, depending on what you were dreaming about!).

Last night I had a great dream. Not unlike a flying dream, because I felt so free. But instead of flying, I was…skateboarding! No, I’m not a “boarder” these days (full disclosure: I did go through a brief phase twenty years ago). Anyhow, this was great, because I had this motorized device, a Segway crossbred with a skateboard. I was going to say a “Segway on steroids” — because that’s a fun expression — but in fact it was more like a “Segway on Atkins“, because this thing didn’t weigh 40kg! In fact, you could carry it under your arm (though why would you want to?). It was nothing like this. (Aside: you can make the AIRBOARD as “easy or as difficult to ride as you like” — now why would you want to make it difficult? Imagine marketing cars this way!)

My dream-ride looked like a thick skateboard. It had four wheels, a tilting platform and you didn’t have to lean to go in the direction you wanted to. I never figured out how it worked (in dream or real life), but it truly seemed that you merely had to think about where you wanted to go and it managed to go there. You couldn’t fall off; you’d step on with one wavering foot and it would adapt. And super-light, sans vertical handle, with a long battery life and all the rest that would make Dean Kamen green with envy.

Oh yeah, to show how whacked-out my brain is, here’s the dream-name it came up with for the device: The NetSkate Navigator (not to be confused with…well, you know!).

May 2006 be a year of dreamy, light-footed freedom for all! And may all your connections be tenuous! Hmm, on second thought: Hopefully some of your connections be solid and enduring. But others should remain delightfully tenuous…as Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) said:

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells . . . and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.
   – Theodor Geisel

We need to remember (how) to do that, since sometimes there is way too much “reality” out there! Have a great year; even better — make it a great year!