Paperless Bathroom

"In 1982, an article in The Economist began:

'The vision of the paperless office is future-gazing nonsense. Even computer giant IBM believes paper will be found amidst the micro-electronic wonders in the office of the future.'

In 1983 Wang Labs had introduced a system that could scan images and store them in memory. They predicted paperless offices. Today offices are wangless.

In 1985 the Wall Street Journal had a short quote that said there would be 'a paperless office when there is a paperless bathroom'"

The paperless office. Still waiting

Paperless toilet

"When you press the "cleanse" button, a wand, about the size and shape of a fat pencil (that was previously hidden under the seat) automatically extends, washes itself, and then sprays a carefully aimed aerated stream of water for a few seconds, or until you touch the "stop" button. Then the wand rinses itself off again, and it retracts, out of the way again.

The engineers have been perfecting the Washlet for over ten years, and millions of them have been sold. They have plenty of research on exactly what it takes."

"2001: A Space Odyssey"

The Social Life Of Paper

by Malcolm Gladwell

Labels: General, History