MSN plans internet ready toilets - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

MikeyChalupa · 05-07-2003, 11:16 AM

LINK

Quote:

SEATTLE - Now on the way: "Surfing on the loo" with Internet access at portable toilets.

The iLoo being developed by the MSN division of Microsoft Corp. in Britain is a standard portable toilet — a loo to the English — with a wireless (news - web sites) keyboard and extending, height-adjustable plasma screen in front of the seat.

There would also be a "Hotmail station" with waterproof keyboard and plasma screen on the outside for those waiting in line.

MSN officials say they're negotiating for the manufacture of toilet paper imprinted with Web addresses that users may not have tried.

"The Internet's so much a part of everyday life now that surfing on the loo was the next natural step," MSN marketing manager Tracy Blacher said. "People used to reach for a book or mag(azine) when they were on the loo, but now they'll be logging on."

The device is expected to be in use at festivals this summer in Britain, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Tuesday. There's no word on if, or when, the iLoo will make its way across the pond.

Words fail me.

-Mikey

Lebell · 05-07-2003, 11:18 AM

ummmmm....

yeah.

Words fail me too.

GakFace · 05-07-2003, 11:23 AM

ummm.. . Ditto?

oh wait.. here's one.. Now we can surf the Tittie board in the John... heh

Minx · 05-07-2003, 11:29 AM

Okay hold on while I pick myself up off the floor from laughing!
Ohhhhh baby.....the men I know spend enough "down time" on the toilet....do we really need the internet there too?

Think of all the tfp threads we'd get then.....
Titled Advice....."What do I do when I'm constipated?"
Titled Romance......"Just sitting here thinking of the ex"
Titled Nonsence....."What do you get when...."
Ummmmmm no thanks!

troit · 05-07-2003, 11:31 AM

For those of you interested:

GakFace · 05-07-2003, 11:36 AM

hahahahaha... I was without words first.. NOW i'm rolling

Sun Tzu · 05-07-2003, 11:41 AM

Who needs life outside the net? Let’s all just plug in (even when we defecate) and stay plugged in. You sure this isnt a joke?

MikeyChalupa · 05-07-2003, 11:51 AM

That was my first thought, that this HAS to be an April Fools's joke that got run at the wrong time. However, these news sources are covering it:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Washington Times

and here is the press release from Microsoft UK.

One of the newspaper articles mentions this 1999 article from The Onion which announced the eToilet. Life really does imitate art, I guess.

-Mikey

bender · 05-07-2003, 12:03 PM

Oh for the love of God !!
You can't tell me that this is needed in any way at all.
It's just wrong.

Spungfoo · 05-07-2003, 12:32 PM

I want to smack the person who thought is would be a good idea.

The dave · 05-07-2003, 12:45 PM

i wonder what the hell where they thinking when they came up the the idea. it is just gonna be vandlized. you gonna go to one of those, and go to the bathroom and check your e-mail, and blam some one shit on the keyboard

Emotion · 05-07-2003, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeyChalupa
That was my first thought, that this HAS to be an April Fools's joke that got run at the wrong time. However, these news sources are covering it:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Washington Times

and here is the press release from Microsoft UK.

One of the newspaper articles mentions this 1999 article from The Onion which announced the eToilet. Life really does imitate art, I guess.

-Mikey

wait, so they're just running this story off an article from a satire site?

MikeyChalupa · 05-07-2003, 02:09 PM

No, unless the satire site is Microsoft UK's own website...

-Mikey

World's King · 05-07-2003, 02:10 PM

I'll take ten.

Loki · 05-07-2003, 02:17 PM

ew. one wonders how well this will work in multi-user households...

The_Dude · 05-07-2003, 03:34 PM

bet people are going to more than just use the toilet.

i bet the keys are going to be sticky

Wile E · 05-07-2003, 05:59 PM

If this was designed for home use, thats one thing. I would understand it and possibly purchase one. But for a porta potty? Give me a break. As it is now, I barely want to be in there for the business I have to. And I'm rarely ever sitting in there. So why the hell would I want to subject myself to a place where I can't breathe? And touch a keyboard that I KNOW the people in front of me didn't wash their hands? Theres no sinks in porta potties!! Down right disgusting if you ask me.

ARTelevision · 05-13-2003, 04:09 AM

Microsoft acknowledges 'ILoo' news release was joke

The Associated Press
5/12/03 11:46 PM

SEATTLE (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. has acknowledged that a news release in which it said the company was developing a portable toilet with Internet access, called an "iLoo," was actually a hoax, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The April 30 release, issued by the Redmond, Wash.-based software company's MSN Internet division in the United Kingdom, said the company was developing a portable toilet with a wireless keyboard and an extending height-adjustable plasma screen in front of the seat. The iLoo was to expected to debut in festivals this summer in Britain.

The fake release generated coverage by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and Reuters.

The Associated Press received confirmation of the project from both Microsoft Corp.'s Waggener Edstrom public relations firm and London-based Red Consultancy, a public relations firm in England.

In an e-mail sent last week to The Associated Press, Red Consultancy's Ben Philipson wrote "MSN is really working on building a prototype for the Summer festivals, perhaps Glastonbury ... This is very much a 'toe in the water' experiment to gauge interest so we'll have to see how it goes, although judging from response so far it's really captured people's imagination!"

Malina Bragg, who helps handle the MSN account for Waggener Edstrom, also verified last week that the project was true.

According to a Journal story for Tuesday editions, Waggener Edstrom was unaware that the release was a joke. "It was not sanctioned or known," Waggener Edstrom spokeswoman Kathy Gill said. "We are still trying to figure out what happened and why it happened."

The hoax came about a year and a half after Microsoft promised to dedicate itself to "business integrity" as one of the four tenets of its widely heralded "Trustworthy Computing" initiative. The initiative, announced more than a year ago by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, calls for Microsoft to show the public that it takes security, privacy, reliability and business integrity seriously.

While security focuses on strengthening the software against attacks, the other three tenets deal with how Microsoft treats personal and business data, ensures its software functions reliably, and builds people's confidence and trust in the company.
------

I calls em as I sees 'em - I'm not psychic...

ARTelevision · 05-14-2003, 03:48 AM

Microsoft: i-Loo No Hoax Afterall, But Project Dead

AP: 7:16 a.m. EDT May 14, 2003

SEATTLE -- First Microsoft said it was for real. Then it said it was a hoax. Now it says it was for real, but is no longer on the drawing board.

It was called the "i-Loo." The story was, the United Kingdom division of Microsoft had been developing the i-Loo, described as an Internet-enabled toilet.

On Monday, representatives for the software giant told news agencies that a news release trumpeting the i-Loo was a hoax and apologized for "any confusion or offense."

But on Tuesday, the company reversed itself, saying the i-Loo was real but now has been killed.

It's a public relations embarrassment for a company famous for micromanaging news releases, interviews and promotional events.

The i-Loo was described as a portable toilet equipped with a wireless keyboard and a height-adjustable plasma screen with high-speed Internet access.

Several news organizations, including The Associated Press, carried reports of the project.
...............................................

credulity goes down an i-loo...again

(There is no Microsoft)

MSD · 05-14-2003, 07:48 AM

Let me get this straight. It's a weirdass project developed by Microsoft that was real, then a hoax, then just a bad idea, and is now in a limbo state of both existing and not existing, kind of like Schröedinger's Cat. Can those guys put this time into something productive, like preventing my computer from bluescreening?

snowace56 · 05-14-2003, 10:16 AM

Im kinda glad they canned that one, I can barely go in those things as it is. They are always so discusting. and now microsoft is giving them the advantage to look at porn and beat off in there. Its just kinda disturbing.

Prophecy · 05-14-2003, 10:47 AM

wow, just get a cell phone and order some food and you'd be set for life...

Charlatan · 05-14-2003, 11:35 AM

I just love when things go wrong like this... it just shows you how creative/stupid people can be even at large organizations like Microsoft...

iLoo... think about it. You are at some event where they have to bring in portable toilets.
1) There is inevitably a line up so anyone pausing to surf will only enrage (see how I kindly avoided the pun piss off) the rest of the people in line.
2) Portable toilets really stink. Who wants to stay in there any longer than neccessary.

05-07-2003, 11:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
Lebell Cracking the Whip Location: Sexymama's arms...	ummmmm.... yeah. Words fail me too. __________________ "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis The ONLY sponsors we have are YOU! Please Donate!

05-07-2003, 11:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
GakFace Go Ninja, Go Ninja Go!! Location: IN, USA	ummm.. . Ditto? oh wait.. here's one.. Now we can surf the Tittie board in the John... heh __________________ RoboBlaster: Welcome to the club! Not that I'm in the club. And there really isn'a a club in the first place. But if there was a club and if I was in it, I would definitely welcome you to it.

05-07-2003, 11:29 AM	#4 (permalink)
Minx Junkie Location: Up yonder	Okay hold on while I pick myself up off the floor from laughing! Ohhhhh baby.....the men I know spend enough "down time" on the toilet....do we really need the internet there too? Think of all the tfp threads we'd get then..... Titled Advice....."What do I do when I'm constipated?" Titled Romance......"Just sitting here thinking of the ex" Titled Nonsence....."What do you get when...." Ummmmmm no thanks! __________________ You've been a naughty boy....go to my room!

05-07-2003, 11:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
troit Transfer Agent Location: NYC	For those of you interested: __________________ I've yet to dephile myself...

05-07-2003, 11:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
GakFace Go Ninja, Go Ninja Go!! Location: IN, USA	hahahahaha... I was without words first.. NOW i'm rolling __________________ RoboBlaster: Welcome to the club! Not that I'm in the club. And there really isn'a a club in the first place. But if there was a club and if I was in it, I would definitely welcome you to it.

05-07-2003, 11:41 AM	#7 (permalink)
Sun Tzu Conspiracy Realist Location: The Event Horizon	Who needs life outside the net? Let’s all just plug in (even when we defecate) and stay plugged in. You sure this isnt a joke? __________________ *To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking*

05-07-2003, 11:51 AM	#8 (permalink)
MikeyChalupa Squid Location: USS George Washington	That was my first thought, that this HAS to be an April Fools's joke that got run at the wrong time. However, these news sources are covering it: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Washington Times and here is the press release from Microsoft UK. One of the newspaper articles mentions this 1999 article from The Onion which announced the eToilet. Life really does imitate art, I guess. -Mikey

05-07-2003, 12:03 PM	#9 (permalink)
bender Addict Location: around the corner	Oh for the love of God !! You can't tell me that this is needed in any way at all. It's just wrong.

05-07-2003, 12:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
Spungfoo Insane Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I want to smack the person who thought is would be a good idea.

05-07-2003, 12:45 PM	#11 (permalink)
The dave Banned Location: Meadville, PA	i wonder what the hell where they thinking when they came up the the idea. it is just gonna be vandlized. you gonna go to one of those, and go to the bathroom and check your e-mail, and blam some one shit on the keyboard

05-07-2003, 02:09 PM	#13 (permalink)
MikeyChalupa Squid Location: USS George Washington	No, unless the satire site is Microsoft UK's own website... -Mikey

05-07-2003, 02:10 PM	#14 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	I'll take ten. __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

05-07-2003, 02:17 PM	#15 (permalink)
Loki Psycho Location: Drifting.	ew. one wonders how well this will work in multi-user households...

05-07-2003, 03:34 PM	#16 (permalink)
The_Dude The GrandDaddy of them all! Location: Austin, TX	bet people are going to more than just use the toilet. i bet the keys are going to be sticky __________________ "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal

05-07-2003, 05:59 PM	#17 (permalink)
Wile E Insane Location: Burbs of NYC	If this was designed for home use, thats one thing. I would understand it and possibly purchase one. But for a porta potty? Give me a break. As it is now, I barely want to be in there for the business I have to. And I'm rarely ever sitting in there. So why the hell would I want to subject myself to a place where I can't breathe? And touch a keyboard that I KNOW the people in front of me didn't wash their hands? Theres no sinks in porta potties!! Down right disgusting if you ask me. __________________ "We got no food, no clothes...our pets HEADS ARE FALLIN' OFF!"

05-14-2003, 10:47 AM	#22 (permalink)
Prophecy Oracle & Apollyon Location: Limbus Patrum	wow, just get a cell phone and order some food and you'd be set for life... __________________ La Disciplina È La Mia Spada, La Fede È Il Mio Schermo, Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza, E Potete Raccogliere Le Ricompense.

05-13-2003, 04:09 AM	#18 (permalink)
ARTelevision I change Location: USA	Microsoft acknowledges 'ILoo' news release was joke The Associated Press 5/12/03 11:46 PM SEATTLE (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. has acknowledged that a news release in which it said the company was developing a portable toilet with Internet access, called an "iLoo," was actually a hoax, The Wall Street Journal reports. The April 30 release, issued by the Redmond, Wash.-based software company's MSN Internet division in the United Kingdom, said the company was developing a portable toilet with a wireless keyboard and an extending height-adjustable plasma screen in front of the seat. The iLoo was to expected to debut in festivals this summer in Britain. The fake release generated coverage by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and Reuters. The Associated Press received confirmation of the project from both Microsoft Corp.'s Waggener Edstrom public relations firm and London-based Red Consultancy, a public relations firm in England. In an e-mail sent last week to The Associated Press, Red Consultancy's Ben Philipson wrote "MSN is really working on building a prototype for the Summer festivals, perhaps Glastonbury ... This is very much a 'toe in the water' experiment to gauge interest so we'll have to see how it goes, although judging from response so far it's really captured people's imagination!" Malina Bragg, who helps handle the MSN account for Waggener Edstrom, also verified last week that the project was true. According to a Journal story for Tuesday editions, Waggener Edstrom was unaware that the release was a joke. "It was not sanctioned or known," Waggener Edstrom spokeswoman Kathy Gill said. "We are still trying to figure out what happened and why it happened." The hoax came about a year and a half after Microsoft promised to dedicate itself to "business integrity" as one of the four tenets of its widely heralded "Trustworthy Computing" initiative. The initiative, announced more than a year ago by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, calls for Microsoft to show the public that it takes security, privacy, reliability and business integrity seriously. While security focuses on strengthening the software against attacks, the other three tenets deal with how Microsoft treats personal and business data, ensures its software functions reliably, and builds people's confidence and trust in the company. ------ I calls em as I sees 'em - I'm not psychic... __________________ create evolution

05-14-2003, 03:48 AM	#19 (permalink)
ARTelevision I change Location: USA	Updated Update : i-loo story is something like "there is no spoon" Microsoft: i-Loo No Hoax Afterall, But Project Dead AP: 7:16 a.m. EDT May 14, 2003 SEATTLE -- First Microsoft said it was for real. Then it said it was a hoax. Now it says it was for real, but is no longer on the drawing board. It was called the "i-Loo." The story was, the United Kingdom division of Microsoft had been developing the i-Loo, described as an Internet-enabled toilet. On Monday, representatives for the software giant told news agencies that a news release trumpeting the i-Loo was a hoax and apologized for "any confusion or offense." But on Tuesday, the company reversed itself, saying the i-Loo was real but now has been killed. It's a public relations embarrassment for a company famous for micromanaging news releases, interviews and promotional events. The i-Loo was described as a portable toilet equipped with a wireless keyboard and a height-adjustable plasma screen with high-speed Internet access. Several news organizations, including The Associated Press, carried reports of the project. ............................................... credulity goes down an i-loo...again (There is no Microsoft) __________________ create evolution

05-14-2003, 07:48 AM	#20 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	Let me get this straight. It's a weirdass project developed by Microsoft that was real, then a hoax, then just a bad idea, and is now in a limbo state of both existing and not existing, kind of like Schröedinger's Cat. Can those guys put this time into something productive, like preventing my computer from bluescreening?

05-14-2003, 10:16 AM	#21 (permalink)
snowace56 Loser Location: Bakersfield...The rest stop town	Im kinda glad they canned that one, I can barely go in those things as it is. They are always so discusting. and now microsoft is giving them the advantage to look at porn and beat off in there. Its just kinda disturbing.

05-14-2003, 11:35 AM	#23 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I just love when things go wrong like this... it just shows you how creative/stupid people can be even at large organizations like Microsoft... iLoo... think about it. You are at some event where they have to bring in portable toilets. 1) There is inevitably a line up so anyone pausing to surf will only enrage (see how I kindly avoided the pun piss off) the rest of the people in line. 2) Portable toilets really stink. Who wants to stay in there any longer than neccessary. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke