# Urinal Decisions, real phenomenon? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 3, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urinal-decisions-real-phenomenon/508739 "2009-09-03T13:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urinal-decisions-real-phenomenon/508739/41 "2009-09-04T19:58:19Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > With the urinals, it’s not all just a personal space issue. Uranals splash a bit, and I don’t want stranger pee on my shoes, nor my pee on stranger shoes. That’s hawt! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urinal-decisions-real-phenomenon/508739/42 "2009-09-04T23:07:50Z")
> [@11811](#): > > some guys refuse to use the child-sized urinal. Like it makes them look like a little boy. IME It’s more to do with it being too far down. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urinal-decisions-real-phenomenon/508739/43 "2009-09-04T23:31:15Z")
> [@hobscrk777](#): > > The brilliant mind behind the “xkcd” comic (Randall Munroe) recently [mathematically quantified the packing efficiency](http://blag.xkcd.com/2009/09/02/urinal-protocol-vulnerability/) of urinal setups. He’s wrong about the proper order in the five-urinals scenario. The first guy in should take the middle one, because the next guy will easily figure out he has to take either #1 or #5, which leaves the one on the other end for the third guy. If instead the first guy should choose #1, say, then there is a real possibility that the next guy will thoughtlessly take #4, leaving a dilemma for the third guy who walks in. It’s possible that this objection has already been made among the 469 comments there, but I did not feel like wading through them. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urinal-decisions-real-phenomenon/508739/44 "2009-09-04T23:45:40Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I’ve always wanted to walk into an almost-empty theater and sit down right next to someone. Just to freak them out. True story: this happened to me. Then the guy spead his jacket over his lap and started masturbating. It did indeed freak me out. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urinal-decisions-real-phenomenon/508739/45 "2009-09-04T23:53:45Z")
Relatedly, there is the Greyhound paradox, where it is actually considerate to sit next to a stranger when there are completely open seats available. You should explain to your neighbor that this is mutually protective in ensuring that neither of you will be seated next to a weirdo for the whole trip. At least on the routes that I have had to ride, it is always vain to hope that the seat next to you will remain empty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urinal-decisions-real-phenomenon/508739.md?page=2)