TED and Japanese Energy Hungry Toilet

First, let me mention in passing that I just discovered a REAALLY cool website which posts videos of famous people giving sometimes incredible presentations on just about anything interesting. Here is one that I liked about food:




Next up is this pretty weird article about Japanese toilets. Apparently there is a growing phenomenon of Japanese people buying toilets that have some crazy features. Here is an excerpt:

Japanese toilets can warm and wash one's bottom, whisk away odors with built-in fans and play water noises that drown out potty sounds. They play relaxation music, too. "Ave Maria" is a favorite.

High-end toilets can also sense when someone enters or leaves the bathroom, raising or lowering their lids accordingly. Many models have a "learning mode," which allows them to memorize the lavatory schedules of household members.

Thats pretty legit Washington Post reporting right there. All joking aside, there was a reason this article was in the "Green" section of the Post. Japan is notorious for energy conservation (hence origin of Kyoto agreement) so its a bit ironic that the growing fad is for something that consumes an enormous amount of energy just to make the bathroom experience more pleasant.

Oh the humanity.