[Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!

[Aziza]

What blows me away is the fact that this was invented/created. Our 
scientists and engineers must be really bored. I mean, a computerized 
toilet, come on now... If we're going to have bathrooms that clean 
themselves all around soon, who knows what will happen next. And, another 
thing, they keep inventing stuff like this, what will we as the human race 
have left to do?
My second point, is, why can't we, blind people demand that Bralle labels be 
put on these rainbow buttons, like in elevators? It makes sense to me, I 
mean we've got braille on the ATM machiens, elevators, why not in a crazy 
computer active bathroom. Although I must agree, it sounds a little creepy 
and to good to be true if you ask me...
Aziza
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <blindtlk-request at nfbnet.org>
To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 7:37 AM
Subject: blindtlk Digest, Vol 19, Issue 18


> Send blindtlk mailing list submissions to
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> blindtlk-request at nfbnet.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> blindtlk-owner at nfbnet.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of blindtlk digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Recording off TV (Jim Portillo)
>   2. technological toilet, this is for real! (Sherri)
>   3. Re: technological toilet, this is for real! (Jamie Rhoads)
>   4. Re: technological toilet, this is for real! (GMail)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:46:43 -0800
> From: "Jim Portillo" <jp100 at earthlink.net>
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Recording off TV
> To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID: <055201c854a3$d84bd530$6500a8c0 at toshibauser>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi there,
>
> Here's my situation.  I am a Dish network subscriber and currently have a 
> VCR; however, I tape several shows for watching later and need a more 
> efficient way of keeping up with the shows and being able to tape them 
> without worrying about video tapes and such.
> People talk avout DVR's or TVos or things like that.
> I am totally blind, and don't really know my options as to what I can use 
> and what would be the most accessible.
> What are your suggestions?
> Jim
> -------------- next part --------------
> Hi there,
> ?
> Here's my situation.? I am a Dish network subscriber and currently have a 
> VCR; however, I tape several shows for watching later and need a more 
> efficient way of keeping up with the shows and being able to tape them 
> without worrying about video tapes and such.?
> People talk avout DVR's or TVos or things like that.
> I am totally blind, and don't really know my options as to what I can use 
> and what would be the most accessible.
> What are your suggestions?
> Jim
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:38:05 -0500
> From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
> To: "Multiple recipients of NFBnet Blind-Talk Mailing List"
> <BlindTlk at nfbnet.org>, <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID: <003301c85531$87660df0$6701a8c0 at sherride6f1cc5>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Okay, just another device that's going to be user unfriendly to the blind.
>
> Sherri
> Subject: Technology?
>
> FACILITIES REVIEW. Greetings, Earthlings.
> Your New Restroom Is Ready.. NY Times Metropolitan Desk2008-01-11
> By MICHAEL WILSON. When New York City's open-armed embrace
> of tourists finally extends beyond the boundaries of Earth to creatures 
> from
> outer
> space, these visitors will find themselves right at home in Madison Square
> Park's
> sleek, shiny new public toilet.
> Indeed, the toilet calls to mind not a port-o-let, but rather the sort of
> room one
> imagines adjoined the personal quarters of Capt. James T. Kirk on the
> Starship Enterprise.
> It is a 25-cent journey to the future -- and, almost secondarily, a not
> unpleasant
> restroom.
> The restroom was unveiled on Thursday, the first of 20 planned for the 
> city
> after
> more than 30 years of false starts and frustrations. It faces Madison 
> Avenue
> just
> north of 23rd Street, and at first glance looks like a bus stop shelter.
> There are two architectural flourishes, both on the roof: a small pyramid 
> of
> glass,
> like a little model of the Louvre, and an anachronistic metal stovepipe,
> reminiscent
> of a cozy shanty or an old outhouse with a crescent moon carved into the
> door.
> But no one goes to a bathroom to look at it. When the green light marked
> 'vacant'
> is lit, 25 cents -- coins only, no bills -- starts the visit.
> What follows is possibly the longest and most awkward 20 to 30 seconds of 
> a
> person's
> day. The door slips open like an elevator, but then it stays open, to
> accomm    odate
> those who need extra time getting in. Meanwhile, men and women in suits 
> walk
> past.
> It is very difficult to look inconspicuous in a bathroom on a sidewalk in
> New York
> with the door open. There is just nothing to do but stand there. And the
> delay will
> not please those who are in distress.
> Finally, the door closes, and the first surprise is the quiet. The walls 
> are
> padded
> to dampen street noise, leaving just the hum of a little fan overhead.
> Six little lights and the skylight in the pyramid cast a neutral glow over
> the user's
> home for the next 15 minutes, the maximum time limit.
> This toilet, which cost more than $100,000, is very spacious, large enough
> to accommodate
> a wheelchair. One cannot touch the side walls with arms outstretched.
> The floor is rubber and, more strikingly, very wet, but not in a
> bus-station-men's-room
> way. There is an antiseptic, fresh smell to the place.
> Sadly, these little surprises are forgotten with the first look at the
> toilet itself,
> an imposing, metal, cold-looking receptacle in the corner. There is no
> little stall
> around it, and so it looks exposed, like the facilities available in many
> prisons.
> It, too, is quite damp, for perfectly good reasons explained later, but 
> the
> image
> first evokes a dungeon or a scene from one of the 'Saw' pictures.
> There is no seat to raise or lower, just the wide rim of the bowl, with
> covers made
> of tissue available in a dispenser to the side. Sitting down is a leap of
> faith,
> like falling backwards into a stranger's arms at a corporate team-building
> retreat.
> Turns out, it is cold. But once settled, the visitor finds the seat the
> perfect place
> to take in the room's other amenities.
> There seem to be as many buttons as on Captain Kirk's bridge. Red buttons,
> blue buttons,
> yellow buttons, black and green buttons. The red ones near the door and
> toilet call
> the company for help in an emergency. The yellow calls for 'assistance,'
> presumably
> something less dire than an emergency, but nonetheless, a situation. Blue
> flushes.
> Black dispenses toilet paper. One will quickly familiarize oneself with 
> that
> button,
> because the designers have deigned a little 16-inch strip the standard
> helping of
> paper. A word to the wise: There is a maximum of just three helpings.
> Another tip:
> Do not tarry. A grim yellow light turns on when there are just three 
> minutes
> remaining,
> and after that, the door will open.
> The sink is across the room. The big shocker here is the soap dispenser,
> which actually
> emits not a little squirt of soap, but a jet of warm water, with the soap
> already
> mixed in. Everything is motion-activated. No knobs anywhere. The warm-air
> hand dryer
> seems somewhat slow and weak, especially with that yellow light blinking 
> by
> the door.
> Assuming one finishes before the 15 minutes are up, the big green button
> opens the
> door. The horns and sirens and chatter of the city return, jarringly.
> When the visitor steps out, the door shuts again, but the 'occupied' light
> stays
> lit. Strange hisses and spraying sounds come from within -- did someone 
> slip
> past?
> No, actually, the room is cleaning itself. A robotic arm swings out over 
> the
> toilet
> bowl and hits it with disinfectant, while similar jets spray across the 
> sink
> and
> the floor. Then, dryers fan hot air over everything, but like the hand
> dryer, they
> seem to need more juice.
> This is all taken at the designer's word, for it is impossible to see. The
> cleanup
> cannot happen with someone in the room, with sensors below the floor to
> detect any
> weight.
> After 90 seconds of cleaning, the green light outside comes back on. Next?
> . PHOTO: Three officials, Janette Sadik-Khan, Adrian Benepe, center, and
> Daniel L.
> Doctoroff, consider the city's new toilet. There's no seat to raise, just
> the bowl's
> wide rim, with covers of tissues to use. (PHOTOGRAPH BY G. PAUL 
> BURNETT/THE
> NEW YORK
> TIMES) .
> Sherri
>
> sbrun at cfl.rr.com
>
> TO DONATE YOUR USED CELL PHONE AND CHANGE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLIND IN 
> CENTRAL FLORIDA go to:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Whether we succeed or fail in what we do is not the essential thing.
>
> What is important is the heart with which we live our lives.
> -------------- next part --------------
> Okay, just another device that's going to be user unfriendly to the blind.
> ?
> Sherri
> Subject: Technology?
> ?
> FACILITIES REVIEW. Greetings, Earthlings.
> Your New Restroom Is Ready.. NY Times Metropolitan Desk2008-01-11
> By MICHAEL WILSON. When New York City's open-armed embrace
> of tourists finally extends beyond the boundaries of Earth to creatures 
> from
> outer
> space, these visitors will find themselves right at home in Madison Square
> Park's
> sleek, shiny new public toilet.
> Indeed, the toilet calls to mind not a port-o-let, but rather the sort of
> room one
> imagines adjoined the personal quarters of Capt. James T. Kirk on the
> Starship Enterprise.
> It is a 25-cent journey to the future -- and, almost secondarily, a not
> unpleasant
> restroom.
> The restroom was unveiled on Thursday, the first of 20 planned for the 
> city
> after
> more than 30 years of false starts and frustrations. It faces Madison 
> Avenue
> just
> north of 23rd Street, and at first glance looks like a bus stop shelter.
> There are two architectural flourishes, both on the roof: a small pyramid 
> of
> glass,
> like a little model of the Louvre, and an anachronistic metal stovepipe,
> reminiscent
> of a cozy shanty or an old outhouse with a crescent moon carved into the
> door.
> But no one goes to a bathroom to look at it. When the green light marked
> 'vacant'
> is lit, 25 cents -- coins only, no bills -- starts the visit.
> What follows is possibly the longest and most awkward 20 to 30 seconds of 
> a
> person's
> day. The door slips open like an elevator, but then it stays open, to
> accomm??? odate
> those who need extra time getting in. Meanwhile, men and women in suits 
> walk
> past.
> It is very difficult to look inconspicuous in a bathroom on a sidewalk in
> New York
> with the door open. There is just nothing to do but stand there. And the
> delay will
> not please those who are in distress.
> Finally, the door closes, and the first surprise is the quiet. The walls 
> are
> padded
> to dampen street noise, leaving just the hum of a little fan overhead.
> Six little lights and the skylight in the pyramid cast a neutral glow over
> the user's
> home for the next 15 minutes, the maximum time limit.
> This toilet, which cost more than $100,000, is very spacious, large enough
> to accommodate
> a wheelchair. One cannot touch the side walls with arms outstretched.
> The floor is rubber and, more strikingly, very wet, but not in a
> bus-station-men's-room
> way. There is an antiseptic, fresh smell to the place.
> Sadly, these little surprises are forgotten with the first look at the
> toilet itself,
> an imposing, metal, cold-looking receptacle in the corner. There is no
> little stall
> around it, and so it looks exposed, like the facilities available in many
> prisons.
> It, too, is quite damp, for perfectly good reasons explained later, but 
> the
> image
> first evokes a dungeon or a scene from one of the 'Saw' pictures.
> There is no seat to raise or lower, just the wide rim of the bowl, with
> covers made
> of tissue available in a dispenser to the side. Sitting down is a leap of
> faith,
> like falling backwards into a stranger's arms at a corporate team-building
> retreat.
> Turns out, it is cold. But once settled, the visitor finds the seat the
> perfect place
> to take in the room's other amenities.
> There seem to be as many buttons as on Captain Kirk's bridge. Red buttons,
> blue buttons,
> yellow buttons, black and green buttons. The red ones near the door and
> toilet call
> the company for help in an emergency. The yellow calls for 'assistance,'
> presumably
> something less dire than an emergency, but nonetheless, a situation. Blue
> flushes.
> Black dispenses toilet paper. One will quickly familiarize oneself with 
> that
> button,
> because the designers have deigned a little 16-inch strip the standard
> helping of
> paper. A word to the wise: There is a maximum of just three helpings.
> Another tip:
> Do not tarry. A grim yellow light turns on when there are just three 
> minutes
> remaining,
> and after that, the door will open.
> The sink is across the room. The big shocker here is the soap dispenser,
> which actually
> emits not a little squirt of soap, but a jet of warm water, with the soap
> already
> mixed in. Everything is motion-activated. No knobs anywhere. The warm-air
> hand dryer
> seems somewhat slow and weak, especially with that yellow light blinking 
> by
> the door.
> Assuming one finishes before the 15 minutes are up, the big green button
> opens the
> door. The horns and sirens and chatter of the city return, jarringly.
> When the visitor steps out, the door shuts again, but the 'occupied' light
> stays
> lit. Strange hisses and spraying sounds come from within -- did someone 
> slip
> past?
> No, actually, the room is cleaning itself. A robotic arm swings out over 
> the
> toilet
> bowl and hits it with disinfectant, while similar jets spray across the 
> sink
> and
> the floor. Then, dryers fan hot air over everything, but like the hand
> dryer, they
> seem to need more juice.
> This is all taken at the designer's word, for it is impossible to see. The
> cleanup
> cannot happen with someone in the room, with sensors below the floor to
> detect any
> weight.
> After 90 seconds of cleaning, the green light outside comes back on. Next?
> . PHOTO: Three officials, Janette Sadik-Khan, Adrian Benepe, center, and
> Daniel L.
> Doctoroff, consider the city's new toilet. There's no seat to raise, just
> the bowl's
> wide rim, with covers of tissues to use. (PHOTOGRAPH BY G. PAUL 
> BURNETT/THE
> NEW YORK
> TIMES) .
> Sherri
> sbrun at cfl.rr.com
> TO DONATE YOUR USED CELL PHONE AND CHANGE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLIND IN 
> CENTRAL FLORIDA go to:
> ?
> http://www.wirelessfundraiser.com/WFR_Quickship.aspx?customerid=2010&LocationID=1223
> http://www.wirelessfundraiser.com/images/vd-button.gif
> ?
> Whether we succeed or fail in what we do is not the essential thing.
> What is important is the heart with which we live our lives.
> -------------- next part --------------
> A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
> Name: not available
> Type: image/gif
> Size: 3621 bytes
> Desc: not available
> Url : 
> http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/blindtlk/attachments/20080112/97cfecf6/attachment-0001.gif
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:48:05 -0500
> From: Jamie Rhoads <jrhoads284 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID: <00f701c85532$862003f0$b75b6ba4 at user69812a70c9>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> OH...my....goodness......not only does it sound inaccessible, but creepy. 
> I
> cannot even believe people put that much work into designing a toylet....
>
> Jamie
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
> To: "Multiple recipients of NFBnet Blind-Talk Mailing List"
> <BlindTlk at nfbnet.org>; <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:38 AM
> Subject: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>
>
> Okay, just another device that's going to be user unfriendly to the blind.
>
> Sherri
> Subject: Technology?
>
> FACILITIES REVIEW. Greetings, Earthlings.
> Your New Restroom Is Ready.. NY Times Metropolitan Desk2008-01-11
> By MICHAEL WILSON. When New York City's open-armed embrace
> of tourists finally extends beyond the boundaries of Earth to creatures 
> from
> outer
> space, these visitors will find themselves right at home in Madison Square
> Park's
> sleek, shiny new public toilet.
> Indeed, the toilet calls to mind not a port-o-let, but rather the sort of
> room one
> imagines adjoined the personal quarters of Capt. James T. Kirk on the
> Starship Enterprise.
> It is a 25-cent journey to the future -- and, almost secondarily, a not
> unpleasant
> restroom.
> The restroom was unveiled on Thursday, the first of 20 planned for the 
> city
> after
> more than 30 years of false starts and frustrations. It faces Madison 
> Avenue
> just
> north of 23rd Street, and at first glance looks like a bus stop shelter.
> There are two architectural flourishes, both on the roof: a small pyramid 
> of
> glass,
> like a little model of the Louvre, and an anachronistic metal stovepipe,
> reminiscent
> of a cozy shanty or an old outhouse with a crescent moon carved into the
> door.
> But no one goes to a bathroom to look at it. When the green light marked
> 'vacant'
> is lit, 25 cents -- coins only, no bills -- starts the visit.
> What follows is possibly the longest and most awkward 20 to 30 seconds of 
> a
> person's
> day. The door slips open like an elevator, but then it stays open, to
> accomm    odate
> those who need extra time getting in. Meanwhile, men and women in suits 
> walk
> past.
> It is very difficult to look inconspicuous in a bathroom on a sidewalk in
> New York
> with the door open. There is just nothing to do but stand there. And the
> delay will
> not please those who are in distress.
> Finally, the door closes, and the first surprise is the quiet. The walls 
> are
> padded
> to dampen street noise, leaving just the hum of a little fan overhead.
> Six little lights and the skylight in the pyramid cast a neutral glow over
> the user's
> home for the next 15 minutes, the maximum time limit.
> This toilet, which cost more than $100,000, is very spacious, large enough
> to accommodate
> a wheelchair. One cannot touch the side walls with arms outstretched.
> The floor is rubber and, more strikingly, very wet, but not in a
> bus-station-men's-room
> way. There is an antiseptic, fresh smell to the place.
> Sadly, these little surprises are forgotten with the first look at the
> toilet itself,
> an imposing, metal, cold-looking receptacle in the corner. There is no
> little stall
> around it, and so it looks exposed, like the facilities available in many
> prisons.
> It, too, is quite damp, for perfectly good reasons explained later, but 
> the
> image
> first evokes a dungeon or a scene from one of the 'Saw' pictures.
> There is no seat to raise or lower, just the wide rim of the bowl, with
> covers made
> of tissue available in a dispenser to the side. Sitting down is a leap of
> faith,
> like falling backwards into a stranger's arms at a corporate team-building
> retreat.
> Turns out, it is cold. But once settled, the visitor finds the seat the
> perfect place
> to take in the room's other amenities.
> There seem to be as many buttons as on Captain Kirk's bridge. Red buttons,
> blue buttons,
> yellow buttons, black and green buttons. The red ones near the door and
> toilet call
> the company for help in an emergency. The yellow calls for 'assistance,'
> presumably
> something less dire than an emergency, but nonetheless, a situation. Blue
> flushes.
> Black dispenses toilet paper. One will quickly familiarize oneself with 
> that
> button,
> because the designers have deigned a little 16-inch strip the standard
> helping of
> paper. A word to the wise: There is a maximum of just three helpings.
> Another tip:
> Do not tarry. A grim yellow light turns on when there are just three 
> minutes
> remaining,
> and after that, the door will open.
> The sink is across the room. The big shocker here is the soap dispenser,
> which actually
> emits not a little squirt of soap, but a jet of warm water, with the soap
> already
> mixed in. Everything is motion-activated. No knobs anywhere. The warm-air
> hand dryer
> seems somewhat slow and weak, especially with that yellow light blinking 
> by
> the door.
> Assuming one finishes before the 15 minutes are up, the big green button
> opens the
> door. The horns and sirens and chatter of the city return, jarringly.
> When the visitor steps out, the door shuts again, but the 'occupied' light
> stays
> lit. Strange hisses and spraying sounds come from within -- did someone 
> slip
> past?
> No, actually, the room is cleaning itself. A robotic arm swings out over 
> the
> toilet
> bowl and hits it with disinfectant, while similar jets spray across the 
> sink
> and
> the floor. Then, dryers fan hot air over everything, but like the hand
> dryer, they
> seem to need more juice.
> This is all taken at the designer's word, for it is impossible to see. The
> cleanup
> cannot happen with someone in the room, with sensors below the floor to
> detect any
> weight.
> After 90 seconds of cleaning, the green light outside comes back on. Next?
> . PHOTO: Three officials, Janette Sadik-Khan, Adrian Benepe, center, and
> Daniel L.
> Doctoroff, consider the city's new toilet. There's no seat to raise, just
> the bowl's
> wide rim, with covers of tissues to use. (PHOTOGRAPH BY G. PAUL 
> BURNETT/THE
> NEW YORK
> TIMES) .
> Sherri
>
> sbrun at cfl.rr.com
>
> TO DONATE YOUR USED CELL PHONE AND CHANGE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLIND IN
> CENTRAL FLORIDA go to:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Whether we succeed or fail in what we do is not the essential thing.
>
> What is important is the heart with which we live our lives.
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindtlk mailing list
>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:50:17 -0500
> From: "GMail" <davidb521 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID: <004e01c8552a$73689400$0801a8c0 at dsbouchard>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> I imagine that we could use this ridiculous contraption. I mean, who's 
> going
> to be in the bathroom for fifteen minutes, and someone could tell us about
> which button is which beforehand, but this is just astounding on what some
> people will design.
> David
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
> To: "Multiple recipients of NFBnet Blind-Talk Mailing List"
> <BlindTlk at nfbnet.org>; <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:38 AM
> Subject: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>
>
> Okay, just another device that's going to be user unfriendly to the blind.
>
> Sherri
> Subject: Technology?
>
> FACILITIES REVIEW. Greetings, Earthlings.
> Your New Restroom Is Ready.. NY Times Metropolitan Desk2008-01-11
> By MICHAEL WILSON. When New York City's open-armed embrace
> of tourists finally extends beyond the boundaries of Earth to creatures 
> from
> outer
> space, these visitors will find themselves right at home in Madison Square
> Park's
> sleek, shiny new public toilet.
> Indeed, the toilet calls to mind not a port-o-let, but rather the sort of
> room one
> imagines adjoined the personal quarters of Capt. James T. Kirk on the
> Starship Enterprise.
> It is a 25-cent journey to the future -- and, almost secondarily, a not
> unpleasant
> restroom.
> The restroom was unveiled on Thursday, the first of 20 planned for the 
> city
> after
> more than 30 years of false starts and frustrations. It faces Madison 
> Avenue
> just
> north of 23rd Street, and at first glance looks like a bus stop shelter.
> There are two architectural flourishes, both on the roof: a small pyramid 
> of
> glass,
> like a little model of the Louvre, and an anachronistic metal stovepipe,
> reminiscent
> of a cozy shanty or an old outhouse with a crescent moon carved into the
> door.
> But no one goes to a bathroom to look at it. When the green light marked
> 'vacant'
> is lit, 25 cents -- coins only, no bills -- starts the visit.
> What follows is possibly the longest and most awkward 20 to 30 seconds of 
> a
> person's
> day. The door slips open like an elevator, but then it stays open, to
> accomm    odate
> those who need extra time getting in. Meanwhile, men and women in suits 
> walk
> past.
> It is very difficult to look inconspicuous in a bathroom on a sidewalk in
> New York
> with the door open. There is just nothing to do but stand there. And the
> delay will
> not please those who are in distress.
> Finally, the door closes, and the first surprise is the quiet. The walls 
> are
> padded
> to dampen street noise, leaving just the hum of a little fan overhead.
> Six little lights and the skylight in the pyramid cast a neutral glow over
> the user's
> home for the next 15 minutes, the maximum time limit.
> This toilet, which cost more than $100,000, is very spacious, large enough
> to accommodate
> a wheelchair. One cannot touch the side walls with arms outstretched.
> The floor is rubber and, more strikingly, very wet, but not in a
> bus-station-men's-room
> way. There is an antiseptic, fresh smell to the place.
> Sadly, these little surprises are forgotten with the first look at the
> toilet itself,
> an imposing, metal, cold-looking receptacle in the corner. There is no
> little stall
> around it, and so it looks exposed, like the facilities available in many
> prisons.
> It, too, is quite damp, for perfectly good reasons explained later, but 
> the
> image
> first evokes a dungeon or a scene from one of the 'Saw' pictures.
> There is no seat to raise or lower, just the wide rim of the bowl, with
> covers made
> of tissue available in a dispenser to the side. Sitting down is a leap of
> faith,
> like falling backwards into a stranger's arms at a corporate team-building
> retreat.
> Turns out, it is cold. But once settled, the visitor finds the seat the
> perfect place
> to take in the room's other amenities.
> There seem to be as many buttons as on Captain Kirk's bridge. Red buttons,
> blue buttons,
> yellow buttons, black and green buttons. The red ones near the door and
> toilet call
> the company for help in an emergency. The yellow calls for 'assistance,'
> presumably
> something less dire than an emergency, but nonetheless, a situation. Blue
> flushes.
> Black dispenses toilet paper. One will quickly familiarize oneself with 
> that
> button,
> because the designers have deigned a little 16-inch strip the standard
> helping of
> paper. A word to the wise: There is a maximum of just three helpings.
> Another tip:
> Do not tarry. A grim yellow light turns on when there are just three 
> minutes
> remaining,
> and after that, the door will open.
> The sink is across the room. The big shocker here is the soap dispenser,
> which actually
> emits not a little squirt of soap, but a jet of warm water, with the soap
> already
> mixed in. Everything is motion-activated. No knobs anywhere. The warm-air
> hand dryer
> seems somewhat slow and weak, especially with that yellow light blinking 
> by
> the door.
> Assuming one finishes before the 15 minutes are up, the big green button
> opens the
> door. The horns and sirens and chatter of the city return, jarringly.
> When the visitor steps out, the door shuts again, but the 'occupied' light
> stays
> lit. Strange hisses and spraying sounds come from within -- did someone 
> slip
> past?
> No, actually, the room is cleaning itself. A robotic arm swings out over 
> the
> toilet
> bowl and hits it with disinfectant, while similar jets spray across the 
> sink
> and
> the floor. Then, dryers fan hot air over everything, but like the hand
> dryer, they
> seem to need more juice.
> This is all taken at the designer's word, for it is impossible to see. The
> cleanup
> cannot happen with someone in the room, with sensors below the floor to
> detect any
> weight.
> After 90 seconds of cleaning, the green light outside comes back on. Next?
> . PHOTO: Three officials, Janette Sadik-Khan, Adrian Benepe, center, and
> Daniel L.
> Doctoroff, consider the city's new toilet. There's no seat to raise, just
> the bowl's
> wide rim, with covers of tissues to use. (PHOTOGRAPH BY G. PAUL 
> BURNETT/THE
> NEW YORK
> TIMES) .
> Sherri
>
> sbrun at cfl.rr.com
>
> TO DONATE YOUR USED CELL PHONE AND CHANGE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLIND IN
> CENTRAL FLORIDA go to:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Whether we succeed or fail in what we do is not the essential thing.
>
> What is important is the heart with which we live our lives.
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindtlk mailing list
>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindtlk mailing list
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk
>
>
> End of blindtlk Digest, Vol 19, Issue 18
> ****************************************