Photo of Terence Eden. He has a beard and is smiling.

Terence Eden’s Blog

Don't Spend £800 on a Japanese Toilet - Buy a £30 Bidet

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There was a fascinating article on HackerNews this morning about Japanese toilets. As someone who does his best thinking on the can, I've often wondered about "investing" in super Japanese-style loo seat. The problem is, once you factor in plumbing and electrical work, they cost around £800! That's a lot of cash to pay without first road testing something you're going to be using every day. So, I looked at cheaper options. When I was in India, I got used to using a Shataff - AKA "Bum …

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USB Cables, Lightning Ports, and Foreskins

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Photo of a man in blue jeans clutching his crotch with both hands.

What does the design of cables tell us about the men who invented them? Computer designers often strictly gender the components they create. The most obvious example is the motherboard - the central hub of the computer from which all electronic life descends. As well as circuit boards (often called daughter-boards) - cables are also subject to strict gender rules. The convention is that the part with the most obvious protrusion is assigned as "male" - it then slots tightly into the "female"…

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