From Tapps Games, Toilet Time is a unique game with one simple goal, to entertain you while you are on the toilet. With several mini games to keep you amused as you are perched on porcelain throne, you will move through each challenge as quickly as possible or risk losing a life. You have four lives represented by rolls of toilet paper, of course. And, that’s not all. Head to the museum to unlock toilets and urinals and check out your collections of treasures found with the plunger.
What makes it bizarre?
From the name of the game to the mission it holds, you have to admit that Toilet Time is on the unusual side of gaming. With the bathroom-themed mini games where you must avoid stinky toilets and unclog blocked ones, the entire idea behind it is a little odd. Remember, that is not to say that it is bad. It’s just not one of the mini game apps that most people would search for and would likely be surprised to stumble across. Wouldn’t you say?
Is it worth a look?
For those who think that Toilet Time is a clever idea and are now quite curious, you might actually enjoy the mini games. You will smash cockroaches crawling out the drain, set the correct shower temperature for the old man, and clean up some ugly graffiti. So, not all games are centered around the toilet, but are bathroom-related in some way. Toilet Time has been on the scene for a few years and has gained a bit of popularity. Well, decide for yourself. Will you put down the magazine or news app you normally check out during your private time to save the bride from embarrassment with toilet paper stuck to her shoe?
Toilet Time is designed for iPhone and iPad. It is available for free on the App Store with in-app purchases for additional plungers or to remove the ads.
For a couple of other oddball apps, take a look at Tapps Games’ related challenge called Toilet Treasures, which is based on the plunger mini game from Toilet Time. And, if you are really into this theme, Places I’ve Pooped lets you and your friends pin and track those oh-so memorable spots.
High-tech toilet in Chongqing offers insanely fast Wifi to its customers
A public toilet in Chongqing is now offering its users free 50 Mbps Wifi, a speed faster than what most enjoy in the comfort of their own homes.
The toilet is the first of twenty five star toilets which the local government plans to build in Chongqing's Nanan district during 2016.
In addition to the super fast Wifi, the public toilet also features a large array of phone charging ports, a refrigerator, microwave and water dispenser. Staff manning the high-tech outpost are also in possession of first aid supplies and medicines.
Speaking to reporters from Chongqing Evening News, a local official said, "During sunny conditions the toilet is capable of generating enough electricity to power itself. Our tests indicate that the solar panels will allow us to save 2,460 yuan each year."
In recent years China has begun to spend money on rolling out a new generation of public toilets in a bid to shake off its reputation for having somewhat grimy loos. A few months ago Beijing rolled out its vision for the future of the restroom called "5th space."
Its self-cleaning process uses a combination of a disinfectant and a glaze - made out of zirconium and titanium dioxide - which coats the bowl.
Image copyrightTotoImage captionThe toilet cleans its user with a "wand" and uses an ultraviolet lamp to keep itself hygienic
"Once it flushes it sprays the interior of the bowl with electrolysed water," explained Toto spokeswoman Lenora Campos.
She said the "proprietary process" essentially turns the water into a weak bleach.
"This bleaches the interior, killing anything in the bowl," said Ms Campos.
Meanwhile an ultraviolet light in the lid charges the surface.
That makes it super-hydrophilic - or water-loving, so nothing can stick to it - and also photocatalytic, enabling oxygen ions to break down bacteria and viruses.
Image copyrightTotoImage captionThe device uses oxygen ions to speed up the decomposition of fecal matter stuck to its sides
"You don't have to clean the toilet bowl for over a year," said Ms Campos.
The BBC asked several of Las Vegas' hotels if they might be interested in such a product, but all declined to comment.
However, one smart home expert said the device proved there was still space for innovation beyond hooking things up to the internet.
"It illustrates the notion that tech breakthroughs involve rethinking things," said Frank Gillett from the tech consultancy Forrester Research.
"It's not necessarily about adding anything new."
Potential purchasers should be warned, however, that the device does not totally absolve them of toilet cleaning duties since its cleansing techniques do not extend to spills outside of the bowl.
KOHLER – Kettles of chicken dumpling soup and chili no longer simmer over burning barrels stoked with firewood.
Propane heaters, lawn chairs and shelters made of two-by-fours and tarps have been removed from Highland Drive in front of the American Club, the Kohler Design Center and in front of the corporate offices of Sheboygan County’s largest employer.
The nearly 2,100 employees of Kohler Co. who are members of the United Auto Workers Local 833 are back at work after 91 percent of 1,847 union members voted Wednesday at Plymouth High School to approve a four-year contract that includes increased wages and benefits.
The vote put to an end a 31-day strike that was the fourth in the company’s 142-year history but the most peaceful. This year’s work stoppage and the strikes of 1983, 1954 and 1934 are well documented with stories and photographs.
Highland Drive in Kohler near the Kohler Design Center is now quiet after over a month of picketers who brought burning barrels for heat and held signs. The strike was the fourth in the company’s 142-year history.
BARRY ADAMS — State Journal
But the 2015 strike will have at least one unique memory from a Plymouth artist who brought his easel, brush, oil paints and canvas to the picket line.
Dan Rizzi normally paints picturesque scenes from around Wisconsin. His work includes paintings of the mill and Hamburger Haus in Dundee, the 1860 lighthouse in Port Washington, vintage cars in Elkhart Lake and the Dane County Farmer’s Market.
Rizzi, 56, briefly worked at Kohler in 1979 and 1980. His father spent 33 years with the company, and took part in the 1983 strike before retiring about 10 years ago. Rizzi was motivated to capture this year’s strike on canvas because his brother, Dennis, has spent 25 years with Kohler and was on the picket line.
“My brother, he’s kind of a quiet, laid-back guy and to see him out there picketing is kind of a big thing for him,” Rizzi said. “I thought it would be good to document him on the corner with all the rest of them standing up for their rights.”
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This is a photograph of the finished oil painting by Plymouth artist Dan Rizzi. He spent 21/2 hours across the street from picketers and another 2 hours at home last weekend putting on the finishing touches. The painting will initially hang in the UAW Local 833 union hall, but will ultimately end up in the home of his brother, Dennis Rizzi, a 25-year Kohler employee.Photo by Dan Rizzi
For those who live in the Sheboygan area, you either work at Kohler or know of someone with a job there. My father-in-law and two brothers-in-law had jobs there and my wife’s niece and her husband both work for the company, but not in union jobs.
On Thanksgiving, while driving to Sheboygan to celebrate the holiday with my wife’s side of the family, we drove through Kohler to check out the scene. We found dozens of picketers holding signs and encouraging passersby to honk their horns in a show of support. The strike was a major topic of conversation at the family gathering.
So when we returned last weekend for an early Christmas celebration in Sheboygan Falls, we again ventured into Kohler. The scene was the same as on Thanksgiving except for Rizzi, who had set up at Highland and Greenfield drives near the Kohler Design Center.
Rizzi drew a small crowd behind him as he worked to capture the strike through a medium typically reserved for more scenic topics. He spent about two and a half hours on site that Saturday and spent a few more hours at home on Sundaytouching up the piece.
“When you’re standing right there and painting it, you get more of a feel for what’s going on compared to taking a photo,” Rizzi said when I spoke with him by phone on Wednesday. “It was a little chaotic, and I was just hoping to capture some of that in the painting.”
One of those in the painting is Dan Cichantek, 51, who has spent more than 27 years with the company and works at the Kohler generator plant in the town of Mosel north of Sheboygan. The plant employs more than 700 people. In 2014, Kohler completed a 105,000-square-foot addition to the facility.
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Dan Cichantek of Manitowoc is a 27-year employee of the Kohler Co. He was among the scores of picketers who regularly showed up in Kohler and is part of a painting by Plymouth artist Dan Rizzi.BARRY ADAMS — State Journal
Cichantek, who lives in Manitowoc, wore an opossum cap and held a strike sign and an American Flag as he stood along the road opposite the Design Center that displays some of the latest products by the company.
“I want the people that are coming to visit (the Design Center) to think about where those products come from,” Cichantek said. “There’s no little stamp on those over there that say “made in Taiwan” and they’re shipped over here in a Kohler box. They’re made here in Kohler.”
The new contract maintains a contentious two-tiered wage system but closed the gap on pay disparities. The Sheboygan Press quoted union officials who said Tier B workers, who earn significantly less than their Tier A counterparts, will see an average hourly wage increase of $4.70 by the end of the contract to about $15 an hour for those making the lowest wage. Tier A workers will see, on average, a $2-per-hour increase over the span of the contract, the newspaper reported.
“We worked very hard to reach an agreement that addresses all of the key areas crucial to the future of our members,” said Tim Tayloe, UAW Local 833 president.
David Kohler, Kohler president and CEO, said the agreement benefits employees and positions the company for the future. Those who work for Kohler in manufacturing represent just 6 percent of the company’s global workforce of 33,000 people.
“The common ground that we share is more important than any differences we may have – and this agreement reflects that,” Kohler said in a statement.
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Previous strikes at Kohler Co. in Sheboygan County have been marred by vandalism, arrests and even deaths but a 31-day strike that ended Wednesday was peaceful. Frankie Wiegand has been with the company since 1977 but stood last weekend with this sign at the parking lot exit to the American Club in Kohler. she holds in her left hand the mug she received on her 25th anniversary with the company.BARRY ADAMS — State Journal
The strike stands in contrast to strikes of the past. Two people were killed, 43 injured and the village closed to traffic during the 1934 strike. The strike that started in 1954 resulted in 11 years of unrest that included lawsuits, vandalism and hundreds of arrest. The strike was one of the longest in U.S. history.
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This photo from the archives of the United Packinghouse Workers of America shows the boycott of Kohler Co. products during a strike by Kohler workers that started in 1954 and would turn into one of the longest in U.S. history. The strike, settled in 1965, included replacement workers, vandalism, hundreds of arrests and lawsuits.WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The 1983 strike lasted just 16 days but car windows were smashed and two union members were injured when a car attempted to drive though a picket line.
Frankie Wiegand has worked at Kohler since 1977. Last weekend, she stood at the parking lot exit of the American Club holding a sign asking the company not to flush employee loyalty. She held a bell in her right hand and the commemorative mug she received on her 25th anniversary with the company. Her father worked for Kohler for more than 30 years.
“I like my job,” said Wiegand, who works at the generator plant. “It’s a decent job, but they can’t put you at a standstill as the world goes around.”
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For Rizzi, who started painting 18 years ago and works as a damage appraiser for an insurance company, his painting will initially hang in the Local 833 union hall before ultimately going to his brother. Rizzi was glad to hear the strike had been settled but not just because his brother works at Kohler.
“It brings relief because I know so many people that work there,” Rizzi said. “It employs so many people and there’s pride there with the workers with what they produce there.”
What is it?
Is it worth a look?
