toilets

How my BlackBerry survived a swim in the toilet

It's every gadget lover's nightmare and, on Wednesday, it became my reality.

My BlackBerry went for an ever-so-brief tour of CNET's plumbing facilities. I'm not sure how it ended up exactly where it did, but suffice it to say, it did. And, to answer the question before you ask, it was a clean bowl.

I pulled it out within a second of hearing that dreaded splash. I shook it off, dried it, and headed to my desk with a sheepish look on my face.

With a quick glance to make sure no one was looking, I googled "What to do if cell phone gets wet."

As you may or may not know, many cell phones meet their end by visiting pools, tubs, and other reservoirs of different shapes and contents. There are so many such incidents, cell phones now have indicators that show whether they have gotten wet and are therefore ineligible for warranty replacement.

I called Verizon Wireless to see how often this happens. Although spokesman Jeffrey Nelson didn't have any solid numbers, he said, "I do think it happens a fair amount more than people realize."

Nelson said his own cousin has dropped his BlackBerry in the toilet twice and a Facebook friend dropped his phone in a cup of coffee this morning. (The Verizon folks also helpfully pointed me to this phone, should I really want a phone that can handle the water.)

Luckily, even some of the non-waterproof devices survive their aquatic ordeals and there is plenty of advice on the Internet about how to maximize one's chances. … Read more

Gadgettes 137: The Fish on a Bicycle Episode

Convergence: The occurrence of two or more things coming together. In this case, cars and couches, shoes and bathtubs, and last but not least, showers and aquariums. Try to wrap your brain around that!

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EPISODE 137… Read more

The 404 211: Where Wilson wears a BeenVerified condom all day

Our reservoir of embarrassing stories about Jeff is bottoming out, so we're happy to welcome his old chums from BeenVerified.com to refill the glass. Josh, Ross, and Jay are ushering in a new generation of background checks for employers and job seekers, but today they're not afraid to use their powers for evil to dish the dirt on our fellow co-host. They also help us weigh in on virtual larceny, the problem with young whippersnappers, how to answer a professional call of doodie, and Josh spouts praise for his favorite luxury gadget: the $5,000 toilet.

We spend the first half of the show talking to the guys about their brand-new company, BeenVerified. They're no strangers to starting innovative sites, and this one is no different. In an age where employers are starting to perform pseudo background checks through social networking sites like FaceBook and MySpace, BeenVerified takes it a step forward and offers a background checking service for employers and job seekers alike. After talking to Josh, Ross, and Jay, we're afraid to see how many skeletons in our respective closets, but here's the beauty of the site: users must approve the release of their information to the public before anyone can see it, so if don't want to be exposed, just say no! Of course, seekers will benefit from being an open book in general, so let that freak flag fly. Best of all, you can apply it to other transactions in your personal life, for example, screening Craigslist meetups, online daters, and nannies. Listen to today's knee-slappin' show and check out the animated short below for more about BeenVerified.

Episode 211 Download today's podcast … Read more

The 404 203: Where we're not even supposed to be here today

The 404 is back together again and this time around we welcome DIY comic book artist Samuel Vera to the show. Artist, publisher, and do-it-all for Crazee Comics, Sam sits in for a chat about the state of the comic book industry, how to get your start in publishing, the war between online and print comics, and the recent surge of comic book movie adaptations.

Don't forget to come and say hi to us tonight at our second 404 meetup at Gstaad Bar on 26th and 6th Avenue in New York! We'll be there at 6:30 tonight, kicking back and celebrating our 200th episode anniversary, and you're welcome to join us! We want to meet as many of our New York listeners as we can, so if you're in the New York area, come check it out--if nothing else, Natali Del Conte, Mark the Intern, and Dan the Mantern will all be there as well.

Big thanks to our buddy Samuel Vera for coming on the show today. Listen in for seriously helpful tips on how to publish your own comic and even hear Sam's opinions on existing comics and his humble beginning in the thriving comic book industry (no matter what Wilson thinks). He also weighs in on a few current events including the closing of two corporate pillars of American excellence: Circuit City and Mother's Cookies. All right, all right, nobody is going to miss Circuit City but Mother's Cookies gave us the famous ANIMAL CRACKER! You're never going to believe this, but neither Jeff, Wilson, nor Sam knows what those are. Whaaaattt? Is this a West Coast thing or what? I don't get it, but nevertheless I'm still really bummed out because I practically survived off those things for the first half of my life. Hmm, that explains a few things...RIP Mothers Cookies, we'll almost remember you and your deliciously sprinkled confections.

EPISODE 203 Download today's podcast … Read more

Diaroogle helps you find clean public bathrooms

When you've gotta go you've gotta go. Unfortunately, finding a place to do that when you're in New York, one of the largest cities in the world, can be difficult unless you've got some local knowledge.

Human-powered search engine Diaroogle is up to the task. It'll help you find the nearest toilet based off its user-generated database. Like Mizpee, which does the same thing but with a much cuter pretense, it's got user ratings for general cleanliness, the rules of gaining entrance, and occasionally even pictures snapped by users to show how good or … Read more

EFF YO CUBE

Mark is an associate producer on Loaded. He took a three week vacation during the busiest time of the year for our team. We had to redesign the set, film off site, move all office furniture for re-carpeting, and cover the 3G iPhone launch all without him. We haven't slept in weeks. This is a little friendly retribution!

Press Releases We Never Finished Reading Department, yes-we-are-in-a-bubble division

"Yachting season is in full swing. Owning a luxury yacht CAN be a reality for small to mid-sized businesses."

That's from The Moorings, which now sells fractional shares in yachts. You know, like those fractional business jet companies, but even harder to justify to shareholders and funders... unless they're in on the scam, too.

And what yacht would be complete without...

"Brondell Inc., the nation's leading developer of advanced toilet seats, today [April 17] announced the official consumer launch and availability of their deodorizing Breeza toilet seat line."

See more Press Releases We Never Finished Reading. … Read more

A toilet for Inspector Gadget

Did you know the average person spends 11,862 hours out of his or her lifetime in the bathroom? That's equal to 1 year, 4 months and 5 days in what's usually a boring room, absent comforts like TiVo, video games and a stocked fridge.

Roto-Rooter is coming to the rescue! (Thanks to BoingBoing for pointing it out.) North America's largest provider of plumbing and drain-cleaning services is offering an online sweepstakes for its "Pimped Out John," a bathroom throne for the gadget junkie.

The fully loaded Kohler commode comes with a Philips 20-inch LCD … Read more