Al, It is a hand dryer. check par's previous post. If you have to put your hand on it as in the picture then the problem of improporly washed hands defeats any other great feature this product has. also what if you don't have the mobility in your leg to put it on the wall? is there a foot dryer feature aswell? and from that position I see thos puk kids simply tearing it off of the wall!!! all they have to do is lean back. oh well. I'm sure they have thought it through.

Don't want to sound slow, but what is it? A really weird art fixture?

curious.

what do you want to bet someone's going to think it's a really weird urinal.

The people who reinvented the upright vacuum cleaner have set their sights on your wet hands. Interesting concept. I wonder if it actually works.

Alison, you're right.

But, you're talking about undergrads.

Not to disparage the undergraduates (as much fun as it is to do), but, especially for those who went straight from high school to post-secondary, it can be hard to transit your mindset from "I'm here because I have to be, so I begrudgingly do everything I'm told as I always did" to "I'm here because I chose to be, and it's up to me to make the most of my time here, and actually actively learn something."

I know it took me a long time.

(In fact, I see myself still making that transition. "Why not?" seems to be a common question I still ask myself when I'm hesitant facing with an opportunity to take some initiative. It can take me to some strange places, though.)

But good on you for not letting them get by the easy way. They'll be better for it.

And besides, you can still make fun of them in the meantime.

Right on Alison! Don't bow to their will! If they want a pass they got to earn it.

okay, I've been having this debate in my head for a long while... and when I say it out loud, people invariably get mad at me... so I'm going to say it here.

What is the point of higher learning?
is it to learn?
is it to develop greater critical thinking skills?
is it to gain wisdom?
is it to get a job?
is it to prove that you can persevere and complete something?
is it solely to expose yourself to new and potentially contradictory ideas?

I mean, here I am, taking a degree in forestry... not because I love forestry, and think I'll end up a silvicultural planner (someone who cuts trees down and grows them back), but because I like the idea of challenging myself, gaining new knowledge and trying out new things... and people look at me like I'm insane.

University is not a place you go if you want to get a job. or, shall I say this more accurately, one should not attend university if one's ultimate goal is employment. That is what trade school and college is for. University, and the 'ivory tower' is about learning for the sake of learning... expanding ones' horizons and to see things with a different world view. I think we keep forgetting that.

I mean, after all, this is post-secondary we're talking about. you need secondary to function (unless you're Ralph Klein) in the world, and anything above that is a bonus (along with a salary bonus, usually), but anything above that is not necessary. so, forgive me if I get annoyed with undergrads, but quite frankly, if you're not here to learn, get the fuck out. I'm not here to get you a better job, I'm here to make you think. And I'm tired of dealing with students who think otherwise, and therefore expect (this is me preemptively anticipating a line of angry students at my door next week once the exams have been handed back) me to bow to their will and let them pass the course.

I also am thinking it might be cool to travel around and attend other peoples' lectures... there are so many great minds in this world, I'd love to bask in a few of them... if only for a brief moment of time...

(by the way, Stuart B. Hill... awesome.)

That's why they're calling in. I don't see the problem. Plus, the end result is bonnets for everyone!

is there any way I can be optimistic about this bonnet situation?

what the fuck????

See, I'm not an optimist. This guy is an optimist.

(Actually, it's a rather amusing radio adaptation (or, if you watch the video, puppet show) of one of the pieces from George Saunders's new book, The Braindead Megaphone. And it features an all-star cast, including John Hodgman, Jonathan Coulton, Jen Kirkman and Xeni Jardin.)