# I have the power of invisibility, but only when urinating **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 11, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480 "2002-07-11T19:04:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/1 "2002-07-11T19:04:58Z")
Strange but true. The building where I work has the urinals that automatically flush due the an infrared sensor. That’s great. Cleaner, easier, quicker. The stange part is that the 2 urinals on my floor consistently flush while I am still in using mode. Obviously, this then means that they flush again once I finish up and walk away. This has been going on for quite some time. I started noticing this and first thought that I just must be the Muhammad Ali of waste expulsion - continually bobbing and weaving. But, I started paying attention and realized that I do a pretty good job of standing still. Granted, I’m not a Buckingham Palace guard but I am clearly not moving enough to disrupt the infrared eye watching my streamage. I have also done a relatively comprehensive study of the urinals use by others. My assumption was that it was just faulty wiring (of the toilet, not me) but it appears that I am the only person that causes the urinal to have premature dispensation. It seems most people go in there, step up, finish the task at hand, and then leave to the sound of just one flush, yet I use it and it’s as if the toilet can’t flush fast enough. ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/2 "2002-07-11T19:06:56Z")
Maybe you is just so big you is blocking da sensor? heh… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/3 "2002-07-11T19:32:28Z")
The only way to tell for sure is to move your hand up and down in front of the sensor the next time someone else is using it. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/4 "2002-07-11T19:39:48Z")
Something similar used to happen to me in the ladies room of a bank buidling. Kinda scary to have the toilet suddenly come to life and flush under your tushie. To make things worse, the bathroom had lights on motion detectors too. Sure, they work fine in the men’s room, where most guys use the urinals, but in the ladies room they were problematic. Ladies usually sit (the effort to write my name in the snow is far too great to be worth it), and the motion detectorrs were set up so you were shielded from them if you were in a stall. If you’re in there longer than 30 seconds and no one else is moving around outside the stalls, the lights go out. Wiping your butt in the dark in a public restroom where you really don’t want to have to feel around for toilet paper and such is kinda icky. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/5 "2002-07-11T21:00:41Z")
Sounds like an old enemy is haunting you via the urinal. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/6 "2002-07-12T17:27:04Z")
It’s karma. You must have previously harmed a couple of bathroom fixtures and they have come back as urinals to annoy you. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/7 "2002-07-12T22:36:20Z")
Your invisibility is _magical_! You are a \*whiz\*\*ard! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/8 "2002-07-12T22:38:26Z")
OOOH\< BUGGER! I BLEW THE vB! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-the-power-of-invisibility-but-only-when-urinating/118480/9 "2002-07-12T23:04:12Z")
Well, you could go into the superhero game, but I’m pretty sure you’d be easy to track by the trail of piddle you left everywhere.