I remember when the new library opened at Macalester College, my alma mater—it must have been 20+ years ago now—I went to explore the building soon after it opened. It was equipped with all the latest technology. For instance, several parts of the building—the "stacks" and the rest rooms for example—were equipped with motion detectors so that the lights would be automatically turned off if no one appeared to be using the facilities in those areas. Faucets would turn on automatically when you put your hands under them. To save space, some bookshelves were suspended from tracks in the ceiling, so they could be moved closer together or farther apart as needed. I had never seen such things before.

On the wall above a urinal, I saw a very official-looking metallic-colored sticker that said something like this:

"Warning! Any urine deposited in this facility is subject to immediate and automatic chemical analysis. If traces of cannabis or other illegal drugs are detected, an alarm will go off, and officers will be summoned…(etc.)"

Remember, this was in the days before most people had access to word processors, laser printers and so on, and therefore, if a sign looked official, it probably was.

I had to think about this quite a while before became convinced, "Nah, this can't be real." I then decided it was a very good practical joke, perhaps the best I had ever seen.

The part that I have a hard time conveying—because I can't remember the actual wording of the sign—is that it was written in very convincing legalese or bureaucratese, whatever you call it.