The International Center for Bathroom Etiquette » Cool Bathrooms and Technology

Urinal Gaming All Over Again

msykes — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:51:50 +0000

What do you get when you mount some Windows 7 powered tables above urinals? A pee powered collection of video games for guys that get bored really easily. My first thought when I saw this was: Hang on, other guys are going to touch their junk, then touch the screen, and them I’m supposed to touch the screen? Why don’t I just go ahead and touch their junk directly?

The good news is that you don’t appear to need to touch the screen to play, as it automatically senses your activity. Still, I spotted a screen with high scores – how did those get in here?

Read the full article and watch at video at BBC News (via bah)

PS: Your-rye-nal?
PPS: Previously

This Is How You Do Urinals

msykes — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:16:23 +0000

Check out these urinals in the newly-remodeled bathroom at Del Mar Plaza shopping center:

Look at that nice, deep, full-height wall between them. Now that’s how you do urinals!

Four Seasons Aviara Has Crappy Toilet Paper

msykes — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:58:21 +0000

So Dr. and Mrs. ICBE spent 24 hours without ICBE Jrs #1 and #2 this past weekend, and had the pleasure of spending it at the Four Seasons Residence Club, Aviara. I am not one for meritless praise but quite frankly the Four Seasons really kicked ass – except for the toilet paper.

All that stuff did was scratch my ass. Seriously, why would a luxury hotel chain stock bathrooms with the cheapest possible one-ply toilet paper they could find? Look how thin this stuff is…

Not sure how that stuff got past QC, but it really stuck out as a glaring flaw in an otherwise lovely stay.

Men: Please Piss In Urinal…

msykes — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:42:18 +0000

Saw the following sign at Ciao Restaurant on Balboa Island:

Men
Please piss in the urinal…
Keep it clean for everyone.
Thank you

The sign was placed above the toilet – there was a urinal on the adjacent wall. My first instinct was that they were simply reminding people to aim carefully (in the urinal as opposed to on the floor), but on reflection I realized this was specifically directed at convincing men to use the urinal rather than the toilet.

I’ve got to say, when performing a #1 I’m a fan of urinals over toilets for a couple of reasons:

Easier to aim properly
Less water usage

Cleaner and more environmentally sound – got to agree with the sign on this one!

P-Tree: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em

msykes — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:21:47 +0000

The Roskilde Festival in Denmark used to have a little bit of a problem with people peeing on the sides of trees.

Now they simply have the P-Tree:

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Or at the very least provide them with some urinals, and improve the situation for everyone. No word on what the full-bladdered female is supposed to do…

via Metafilter

The Loowatt is One Ugly Supertoilet

msykes — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:49:17 +0000

When you start talking about developing nations, access to clean water and reliable energy are two major problems. The Loowatt takes a crack at both of these problems at once by providing a toilet that converts human waste into natural gas and fertilizer. It doesn’t waste water, it creates fuel, and it takes care of processing human waste – what’s not to love?

The hideous, hideous looks.

Now it’s not clear if every Loowatt is going to look like this (the pictures on the site suggest not), and I understand it is made from human feces, but does it really have to look like a gigantic cylindrical poop? Yuck!

Loowatt Page
More pics of the toilet over at Inhabitat
via mhh5th

Toepener vs. StepNpull Battle!

msykes — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 06:02:36 +0000

A couple of days ago I posted about the Toepener. Well that generated a flurry of responses, or at least what we call a flurry around the ICBE. One of those response was from StepNpull, a similar product:

Great option but it’s not a new idea. StepNpull came out in 2007 which is the same concept. http://www.stepnpull.com/ Thanks

Hang on, two competing door opening solutions for your feet? I love me some sweet obscure bathroom-related products competition! Let’s see how they stack up in a series of completely arbitrary categories…

And it’s the StepNpull by a hair! Tough to argue with that price, though Beth in the original post suggests the Toepener may be easier to use in certain situations. Any volunteers to install one of each in the ICBE offices so we can torture test them?

The Toepener

msykes — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 23:14:46 +0000

The Toepener. It’s a door handle. For your feet. Which frankly sounds like a perfectly reasonable idea.

But you know somebody’s stretching it when this is featured prominently on the product page:

Each Toepener includes:

1. Signage for mirrors and doors
2. Four stainless steel screws per Toepener
3. One machined etched and powder-coated American aluminium Toepener

Yay for screws?

via Metafilter

Urinals at The Elms

msykes — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:19:49 +0000

If you’re ever in Newport, you can visit some historical mansions. And if you visit The Elms, then you can take a gander at these fantastic urinals:

Now generally speaking, bad urinal etiquette aside I’m a fan of urinals. They are more efficient than toilets in terms of space occupied, time taken and water used. But urinals like those pictured here – yikes! Why don’t you just go ahead and stand in the middle of the room and pee in a cup? I’d get a serious case of shy bladder trying to empty into one of those…

Gentlemen, Wash Your Hands!

msykes — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:10:05 +0000

I was out for dinner the other night, and in the time it took for me to use the urinal, I witnessed no fewer than two people walk straight out of stalls and out of the bathroom.

Gross.

With that in mind, here’s one approach to solving the problem of men not washing their hands:

From Moggit and DailyHaHa