A little potty humor could come in handy in drought
With California in its fourth year of drought, AT&T has come up with a list of apps to help residents tackle water use. Some of the apps appear seriously helpful, with some not-so-obvious suggestions for reducing water consumption. But one of them, you’ve got to see – make that hear – to believe.
It’s called Fakeshower, it’s from Akatu, and here’s what an AT&T news release has to say about it:
“When nature calls, do you turn on the faucet or shower to ‘drown out’ the sound? If you’re in that precious honeymoon phase of a new relationship, you can save the romance and scarce water resources with the Fakeshower app. It mimics the sound of running water while counting how many liters of water you’re saving with virtual water instead of the real thing.”
The animated video on the web page for the app, www.akatu.org.br/mobile/fakeshower/english.html, is a literal example of potty humor at its best.
Here are other apps AT&T has rounded up:
AT&T Digital Life: Digital Life is a home security and automation service that can protect your home while helping save water and energy. Sign up for water leak detection and the service will send a notification to your smartphone, tablet or computer, and you can shut the water off remotely via the Digital Life app. Think you left the lights on? Switch them off with the Digital Life app.
iScape: Landscaping sucks up half of California’s urban water, and replacing your lawn with drought-tolerant plants and native landscaping will make a big impact on your water conservation efforts. If you need design ideas, try the iScape app – it’ll help you plan what to buy and how to put it together.
Energy Consumption Analyzer: Electricity to power home computers and TVs, light rooms and run appliances uses more water than daily tasks like dishwashing, showering and even watering gardens. Track your energy consumption with the Energy Consumption Analyzer for Android. Add your meters for electricity, gas or water, record readings and make notes about your energy use.
Metromile: Oil refining is a water-intensive process. It takes 5 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of gas for your car. To help reduce your oil consumption and save water, you can track your MPG and average fuel cost with Metromile. You also can review trip details to see how many miles you’ve driven.
Drip Detective: Love playing games on your smartphone? Drip Detective is a water-aware game that sends you on the prowl for water waste. Tap the screen each time a faucet leaks and the app helps you calculate how much water is wasted. You can get the kids involved, too, with features like the Measure Volume Screen, for hands-on learning about the importance of water.
This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 3:14 PM with the headline "A little potty humor could come in handy in drought."