Toto Recall July 8, 2007

Dare I warn, “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” Lame, I know, but nonetheless a perfect introduction to a Toto pimped-out toilet recall.

Their Z-series toilet featuring a bidet attachment has recently been recalled due to a wiring problem that caused three toilets to catch fire and twenty-six others to have smoke pouring out the back of their units. Toto recalled 180,000 of these toilets and rest assured I didn’t receive notice because I’m not fortunate enough to have one.

In fact, the closest I’ve come to having any luxurious amenities in my bathroom is the little plastic tub of personal hygiene pads on the shelf above my toilet.

Still, this recent recall wouldn’t deter me from ever having one of these high-tech toilets. If fire and smoke is the price I have to pay for a little extra splash of water after I’m done doing my business then sign me up. I want one of these toilets regardless of the hazard of catching on fire while on the potty. I live life on the edge anyway.

Inax’s Satis Asteo Washlet Toilet July 8, 2007

Toilets are getting so geeked out these days and I completely love it.

This toilet from Japan’s Inax has many advanced desirable features:

An SD card that contains pre-loaded music from Bach, Chopin and Mendelsohn. (Or you can insert your own SD card to listen to your personally selected music.) The toilet has a built-in sensor that begins to play music as you approach your porcelain throne. I wonder if it has a volume-control button to crank up the tunes to mask your potential not so personal sounds?

It has a smooth design exterior that makes for easy cleaning. No more hidden places in and around the toilet that are havens for vomit-splashes and other grimy residue.

This high-tech toilet has another sensor that can determine if you’re going to need to seat up or down and when you’re done doing your business, it defaults to putting the toilet seat in the down position. This should save all those future marital tiffs over seat position preference, huh?

And finally it has a built-in night light in the bowl for when you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. But as one reviewer said, you may not want this feature if you’re tossing your cookies from a night of partying.

Presently this toilet is only available in Japan. But if you’d like to learn more, you can visit the Google-translated corporate website here.

TPER July 8, 2007

TPER would very much upset the environmentalists-especially Sheryl Crow’s assertion that we can all get by with one square and none to spare. I came across this little device that appears homemade and is marketable to disabled people who might have trouble ripping off toilet paper from the roll.

How many other mindless activities do we perform throughout the day that we ‘abled’ people take for granted? I think this is a great device, but my only concern is it should have a tolerance level setting so you can cut down on the number of squares it dispenses because it really does seem to provide an excessive amount of toilet paper in (ahem) one sitting.

The Bathroom Diaries July 4, 2007

I discovered yet another great search engine about my favorite subject. The Bathroom Diaries was created in February 2000 and it rates 12,000+ public bathrooms in more than 120 countries. This database is also hooked up with Vindigo which provides navigational services for cell phones and various other mobile devices.

The site is very, very easy to use. First you find a bathroom based on the country. I went with the United States so all I had to do was select the state and finally the city. For example, I drilled down to Worcester, MA and the first entry returned was for The Sole Proprietor restaurant. Two other entries were also given which makes me wonder why in the second largest Massachusetts city I’m only seeing three entries…but you at least get the idea. Note: Users are given the option of submitting a good bathroom if you know of one.

For shits and giggles, why not click on The Golden Plungers to see the world’s best bathroom? No shit, the pictures are gorgeous.

Dyson’s Hand Dryer June 27, 2007

I know EVERYONE is checking their calendars and clocks waiting for June 29th at 6pm because that’s when the iPhone goes on sale. But for me, something more exciting has already launched this past Tuesday and I’m wondering why nobody cares?

Perhaps that’s a bit too harsh, but let me tell you about the Dyson Hand Dryer.

Forget those annoying hand blowers that are in bathrooms in place of the automatic paper dispensers that always jam up. Mr. Dyson has created a new gadget for us to love.

It’s simple. You wash your hands and then insert them into the hand dryer which is mounted on a wall waist high. There are infa-red sensors built into the dryer that starts up these jets of air that travel 400 mph which draws the water away from your hands in the blink of 12 seconds. The air isn’t heated so it saves about 80% in electricity, too. Worried about what happens to the air after your hands are dried? The Dyson Hand Dryer in pulled back in and filtered to remove bacteria and then it comes out the bottom.

What will this genius think of next?

I am fortunate to own the Dyson Root 6 vacuum. It was pretty expensive for a hand-held vacuum, but overall I’m disappointed because the rechargeable battery takes too long to charge and can’t hold a charge long enough to sustain its powerful suction. But I still own one Dyson product. Of course, I want the yellow vacuum regardless and I hope to someday own one.

But knowing how particularly annoying those blowing machines are in the corporate bathroom, I would love for our office to have this Dyson Hand Dryer. It’s not going to happen, but I just couldn’t wait to tell you about another gadget this week that should be getting as much attention as the iPhone.

(I first read about this new device in Business Week. You can click here to read the very same article if you want to know more details.)

BOSE Graffiti June 16, 2007

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BOSE, originally uploaded by Seetwist.

It’s kind of dorky that I’m excited about finding BOSE graffiti on a rail car, but I can’t help myself. This is pretty cool. I wonder if this was referencing our superior Home Audio & Entertainment products or it’s just some person’s last name that they decided to tag?

America’s Best Bathroom Contest June 16, 2007

It’s time to vote for the Best Restroom in America. Deadline is July 31st.
There are five finalists to choose from and you can click here to cast your vote.

What I’d really like to see is a contest featuring the Best Bathroom in Target or Wal-Mart because that’s more of an indication of a Retail chain that pays attention to the details. Why does it have to be the classy establishments like Macy’s that consistently has that little daily bathroom check list properly filled out by the employee? You know the one I’m talking about, right? That 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper that features the initials of the person who last cleaned and inspected the bathroom per the management’s standards?

Regardless, it’s nice that the good folks at Cintas created a contest for the Best Bathroom in America. I think of Cintas as the uniform people, but who knew they provided bathroom hygiene services? If you’re interested, you can watch their informational video by clicking here.

Restaurants aside, if I find a dirty bathroom in a store I’m not going to run up to the manager on duty and report it. That manager isn’t doing their job if they don’t know about a dirty restroom. I’m their customer and it’s not up to me to report a blow out in Stall 3.

But I do encourage you to cast your vote. It’s time to let Restaurants know that not only is the atmosphere important while fine dining, but the pleasantness of their bathrooms is equally important to a job well done.

MizPee June 16, 2007

Jerry: Anywhere in the city?
George: Anywhere in the city. I’ll tell you the best public toilet.
Jerry: Okay. Fifty-Fourth and Sixth.
George: Sperry Rand Building. Fourteenth floor. Morgan Apparel. Mention my name, she’ll give you the key.
Jerry: Alright. Sixty-fifth and T
George: Are you kidding? Lincoln Center. Alice Tully Hall, the Met. Magnificent facilities.

~The Busboy, Seinfeld Season II 1990-1992~

Have you ever been walking about your city and quite suddenly have to go? You don’t know how long you can hold it, but one thing you do know with certainty is you have to GO NOW! And isn’t it always the case that the more you think about it, the stronger the urge to potty kicks in and you fear an international incident on Sixth and Broadway?

Fear not City Dwellers. MizPee has got you covered as long as you have a cell phone with an Internet browser. Simply type in “mizpee.com” and click ‘find toilet’ and you’re mere moments away from sweet relief.

This Beta service is quite sophisticated and makes me wish that I wasn’t so cheap to not have signed up for a browser on my cell phone. Not only does it provide an address and distance from the closest facilities, but it also returns important information such as rated cleanliness from other MizPee users and if the loo is for customers only. For all the Mom’s out there-fear not. MizPee also notes if there is a diaper changing station, too.

But I must confess that aside from this useful application, I’m a little ticked off that they launched a section on their website called The Toilet Paper.

This is their little blog of sorts where you can read Notes From The Loo which is a place to share overheard conversations while sitting on the public porcelain throne or the ability to post interesting bathroom stall graffiti. That’s what this blog is supposed to be about and they beat me to it. Damn them and their cleverness.

Never You Mind. I’ve still got tons of interesting bathroom observations to share because I’m a Corporate worker filled with anecdotes of nether region turmoil. Corporate America is a gold mind and I’m just the girl to observe it.

Limited Editions June 12, 2007

I love Limited Edition candy. I like to think that I was way ahead of the whole Dark Chocolate trend because I bought bags and bags of Dark Chocolate M and M’s all the way back to May 2005 with the premiere of Star Wars: Phantom Menace when they were still in their limited edition phase.

But where does it end? When do the candy makers just give up because they’ve invented every combination possible? For example: I’m a huge Skittles fan and have tried every concoction they’ve dished out, but Mars went a little too far with the Carnival flavor.

So when I came across this blog post from Cotton and Sand bemoaning the very same thing, I just had to share their invented images of limited edition candy concepts. Believe me when I say that all you need to do is print out these pictures, pin them up in your cubicle and you’ll curb your desire for a quick energy pick-me-up at 3pm in the afternoon.

It’s all Apples and Oranges for me now:

Chocolate Bubble Wrap June 9, 2007

Feast your eyes on Chocolate Bubble Wrap. It does really exist and you can order it from Delessio Market.

As Lil Mama would rap, “I’d be lovin’ it. I’d be…I’d be lovin’ it. ” And then she’d finish up with, “It’s Poppin” OK-I really need to get that Lip Gloss song out of my head.

But seriously-what DON’T they make out of chocolate anymore?