[Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!Re: blindtlk Digest, Vol 19, Issue 23

[Kirk Harmon]

Your so correct, and then I would imagine that the company can expect a 
pretty good law suit if their embarrassment is to overwhelming for them.
----- Original Message ----- 
        From: "Aziza" <acwaterreader09 at gmail.com>
To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet,this is for real!Re: blindtlk 
Digest, Vol 19, Issue 23


> This bathroom is going to start a lot of contraversy when it is put into
> daily use. Although I'm almost sure it'll take awhile for people to feel
> comfortable with a robot potty room... I think it's just a matter of time
> before the company begins to recieve complaints of inaccessibility,
> inconvienance, and the hazardness rushfulness of the bathroom that 
> threatens
> to expose someone in the middle of a private act...
> Yes, it's only a matter of time...
> Aziza
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <blindtlk-request at nfbnet.org>
> To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 1:06 PM
> Subject: blindtlk Digest, Vol 19, Issue 23
>
>
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>>
>> Today's Topics:
>>
>>   1. Re: technological toilet, this is for real! (Jennifer Aberdeen)
>>   2. Re: technological toilet, this is for real! (Jennifer Aberdeen)
>>   3. Re: technological toilet, this is for real! (GMail)
>>   4. Re: technological toilet, this is for real! (Jennifer Aberdeen)
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:57:31 -0500
>> From: "Jennifer Aberdeen" <freespirit328 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Message-ID: <001101c8555d$c084d770$889be444 at Gateway>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>> reply-type=original
>>
>> What if you're blind and for whatever reason, you take more than fifteen
>> minutes? The door just opens for everyone to see! What idiocy!
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Jamie Rhoads" <jrhoads284 at gmail.com>
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:48 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>>
>>
>>> 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
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blindtlk mailing list
>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:58:35 -0500
>> From: "Jennifer Aberdeen" <freespirit328 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Message-ID: <001501c8555d$e6ef96c0$889be444 at Gateway>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>> reply-type=original
>>
>> Someone with more than one disability might take more than fifteen
>> minutes,
>> depending on what their disabilities are.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "GMail" <davidb521 at gmail.com>
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 9:50 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>>
>>
>>>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
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 3
>> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:12:13 -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: <001c01c85557$6f19b2d0$0801a8c0 at dsbouchard>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>> reply-type=original
>>
>> Fifteen minutes is quite enough for anyone. I can be in and out in about 
>> 1
>> or 2 minutes.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Jennifer Aberdeen" <freespirit328 at gmail.com>
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 3:57 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>>
>>
>>> What if you're blind and for whatever reason, you take more than fifteen
>>> minutes? The door just opens for everyone to see! What idiocy!
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Jamie Rhoads" <jrhoads284 at gmail.com>
>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:48 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>>>
>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 4
>> Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:19:48 -0500
>> From: "Jennifer Aberdeen" <freespirit328 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Message-ID: <006201c85560$dd37eb70$889be444 at Gateway>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>> reply-type=original
>>
>> Well, I wouldn't use that bathroom even if it meant I'd end up in the
>> hospital needing major surgery, but there are some people who take quite 
>> a
>> while because of mobility issues...I've seen them.
>>
>> I've never heard of anything so ridiculous! What a waste of money!
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "GMail" <davidb521 at gmail.com>
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 3:12 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>>
>>
>>> Fifteen minutes is quite enough for anyone. I can be in and out in about
>>> 1
>>> or 2 minutes.
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Jennifer Aberdeen" <freespirit328 at gmail.com>
>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 3:57 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>>>
>>>
>>>> What if you're blind and for whatever reason, you take more than 
>>>> fifteen
>>>> minutes? The door just opens for everyone to see! What idiocy!
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>> From: "Jamie Rhoads" <jrhoads284 at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:48 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] technological toilet, this is for real!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 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.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
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>>
>> End of blindtlk Digest, Vol 19, Issue 23
>> ****************************************
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