Too efficient?

I used the restroom at a restaurant we were dining at. Above the sink the paper towel dispenser hovered. I bent to put my hands in water. A length of towel was automatically dispensed. I stood up to make it stop, as it was motion activated. It stopped. As I bent over, it started again. I stood up frustrated. It stopped. I bent over to rinse my hands and in the length of time it took me to wash soap off my hands, the paper towel dispensed was now piling up in the sink and getting wet.

I know the designers and the establishments are working to create efficiency, but I had to wad up the wet towel, dispose of it and then activate enough paper towel to dry my hands. It was frustrating and wasteful.

In another restroom at another restaurant, it was roomier and nothing was hovering. This time the facet was motion activated. I placed my hands under the facet and the water started. I completed my hand washing and as I was drying my hands, the water kept coming. I moved away hoping the water would stop. It didn’t. I stepped closer to it. It stopped suddenly. I moved away, pleased that there wasn’t wasted water. It started up again. I realized there was no way to shut it off. I left the washroom with the sound of running water in my ears.

In our desire for greater efficiency there is room for growth. It isn’t a perfect world, and in a weird sense, there is a comfort in these quirks. I realize that in this world, while many things work, there has to be some things that could be improved on. In an odd way, it lets me know that being human is still oaky.