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Dreaming Is a Private Thing
"Dreaming Is a Private Thing" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, first published in the December 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1957 collection Earth is Room Enough. Asimov's original title for the story was "A Hundred Million Dreams at Once", but F&SF editor Tony Boucher changed it, and Asimov liked the new title so kept it.
Jesse Weill is founder and owner of Dreams Inc, a company that produces dreams for the individual's private use, just as films used to be viewed, although they've been superseded by 'dreamies'. Dreamies can be viewed in private at home by anyone with the equipment and cash to buy or rent them (like present day videos or DVDs). They are produced by specially trained individuals, often social loners or eccentrics as a result of their intensive training over many years.
Jesse Weill is founder and owner of Dreams Inc, a company that produces dreams for the individual's private use, just as films used to be viewed, although they've been superseded by 'dreamies'. Dreamies can be viewed in private at home by anyone with the equipment and cash to buy or rent them (like present day videos or DVDs). They are produced by specially trained individuals, often social loners or eccentrics as a result of their intensive training over many years.
20 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1955
1 person is currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,341 books27.9k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 15, 2018
In this universe dreaming is not a private thing at all.
While i enjoyed all the adjoined perspectives on Dreams Inc. it felt more like a slice of life than one of Asimov's usual short stories. I missed the surprising ending but nonetheless adored the world he created.
3.5
While i enjoyed all the adjoined perspectives on Dreams Inc. it felt more like a slice of life than one of Asimov's usual short stories. I missed the surprising ending but nonetheless adored the world he created.
3.5
February 16, 2025
that’s so sad, the ending.
but still, it’d be nice to make money just from existing as a maladaptive daydreamer. it would be freeing, I think, since it’s basically the dystopian equivalent of a freelance artist.
but still, it’d be nice to make money just from existing as a maladaptive daydreamer. it would be freeing, I think, since it’s basically the dystopian equivalent of a freelance artist.
November 5, 2021
Collected in Earth Is Room Enough. The story takes the form of a day in the life of protagonist Jesse Weill, the head of Dream Inc., a company that sells dreams created by dreamers to the general public. In his eyes, Dreamers are the talent, that needs to be signed young, so they can be taught, and developed into full fledged Dreamers, that he will then have to fight to retain. His associate, Belanger, wants the company to pivot from individual taste dreams to simpler dreams that can be consumed by the masses together. Like movies.
From this story, we get a fully fleshed world. Dreamers, who dreams are made for, what Dreams are used for and the ones who profit from keeping this system going. This could be replaced with any one of a dozen products, and it would be a business management book, with appropriate hints and stratagems. There's a few profound philosophies in this story, so grab them fast before they dissipate in the night, like ephemeral mist.
From this story, we get a fully fleshed world. Dreamers, who dreams are made for, what Dreams are used for and the ones who profit from keeping this system going. This could be replaced with any one of a dozen products, and it would be a business management book, with appropriate hints and stratagems. There's a few profound philosophies in this story, so grab them fast before they dissipate in the night, like ephemeral mist.
December 21, 2024
La venta y capitalización de la imaginación, los estímulos y las experiencias vívidas a precio de mercado según Asimov, quien nos narra el día de una empresa dedicada a contratar y a entrenar a soñadores. Esta idea luego fue muy utilizada en el género del cyberpunk, pero como casi siempre, el maestro de la ciencia ficción sentó primero las bases, adelantándose a todos los escritores.
ENGLISH
The sale and capitalization of imagination, stimuli and vivid experiences at market prices according to Asimov, who tells us about the day of a company dedicated to hiring and training dreamers. This idea was later widely used in the cyberpunk genre, but as almost always, the master of science fiction laid the foundations first, ahead of all the writers.
ENGLISH
The sale and capitalization of imagination, stimuli and vivid experiences at market prices according to Asimov, who tells us about the day of a company dedicated to hiring and training dreamers. This idea was later widely used in the cyberpunk genre, but as almost always, the master of science fiction laid the foundations first, ahead of all the writers.
January 27, 2024
Si sos escritor de ficción tenés que leerlo. Supongo que hay plasmado algo de sus situaciones de vida, de la vida de Isaac, en editoriales. Como escritor me ha tocado la médula del cautivo en este oficio/pasión.
La historia transcurre en un futuro donde existen máquinas para grabar sueños (claramente es una analogía del escritor de ficción) y en donde el dueño de la editorial de sueños debe enfrentar un día ajetreado.
Hermoso cuento.
La historia transcurre en un futuro donde existen máquinas para grabar sueños (claramente es una analogía del escritor de ficción) y en donde el dueño de la editorial de sueños debe enfrentar un día ajetreado.
Hermoso cuento.
July 29, 2022
Un futuro en el que existen empresas que pueden sacar las ensoñaciones de algunos para venderlos y venderlos a aquellos que no tienen esa capacidad de imaginar o crear esas ensoñaciones, muy buen cuento.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2021
Tal cual, una pequeña historia de algo que me ocurre a mí, como soñador. Un verdadero Genio, Asimov.
May 30, 2022
A beautiful story that contains many fascinating themes like the immersion of future's entertainment and entertainment commercialization.
April 24, 2023
sencillo cuento sobre las personas que pueden soñar y tienen una ventaja sobre las que no porque eso lo venden, asi como hoy en forma de libros, series, peliculas, etc, buena analogia
January 12, 2026
This is really cool. Can dreams be made, sold? Probably in time. Got me thinking.
March 13, 2015
''Когда я ложусь спать, я не могу уснуть, потому что у меня в голове теснятся идеи,когда разговариваю, то забываю, о чем говорю, когда я сижу за рулем машины, я ежеминутно рискую жизнью.И все потому, что у меня в мозгу непрерывно формируются идеи, ситуации, диалоги.Я не могу сказать тебе,откуда у меня все это берется. Может быть ты поделишься со мной, каким образом тебе удается этого избежать? И тогда я мог бы немного передохнуть... ''
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews