Month: December 2019

It was a perfectly fine film, but it didn’t feel as much of a finale as Avengers: Endgame did. In fact, I felt more satisfied with Jay and Silent Bob Reboot as an ending.

Still, it’s always nice to catch a film with my favorite movie-watching partner in crime:

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Of all the reviews of the visually disturbing movie adaptation of the musical CATS, Jen Yamato’s is my favorite.

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Who’s the unfortunate employee who has to do the “smell check”?

(In case you need context, here’s the story: Company Creates “Smell Check” Policy For Employees Who Take Too Long In The Bathroom.)

Recommended reading

• In other toilet news, here’s my previous article: How sloped is that sloping toilet? Here’s a little perspective.
• Nerdist: Sloped Toilet Aims to Curb Employee Bathroom Time
• Inc: Tilting Toilets and Smell Checks Don’t Solve Your Productivity Issues

The internet’s abuzz with discussion of the new toilet design, whose goal is to reduce employee time in the bathroom. Created by the late stage poop capitalists at StandardToilet.Net, it’s a toilet whose seat is at a 13° downward angle, requiring you to use your legs just to stay on the seat. After sitting on it for just a few minutes, most people will find it uncomfortable.

A 13° degree angle may not seem like much, so think of it this way: That’s a 23.1% grade (a 45° angle is considered to be a 100% grade). As a comparison, here’s a San Francisco street with a 25% grade, which means that it’s only slightly more angled than the new toilet:

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(If you’d like to see the grades of other San Francisco streets, see this article: San Francisco hills and grades.)

Here’s another street with a 25% grade, courtesy of the boostedboards subreddit:

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This toilet isn’t just an affront to employee dignity, but inconsiderate to people with gastrointestinal issues, people who need a little quiet time and privacy, and an outright violation of statutes for the disabled. I can also see it never being installed in executive washrooms.

I can see it getting an Ayn Rand Seal of Approval.

Recommended reading

• Nerdist: Sloped Toilet Aims to Curb Employee Bathroom Time
• BBC: Social media awash with scorn for ‘sloping toilet’
• The Engineering Toolbox: Slope — Degree, Gradient, and Grade Converter
• Forbes: Ten Unmistakable Signs Of A Bad Place To Work

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I took this photo back in October at my cousin Freddy’s house in Manila.