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Just arrived! It’s the first European entry in our current photo contest.
Ivo sends us this image (and he admits he shamelessly stole it from a postcard) of a crazily festive house in Niendorf, which is a neighborhood of Hamburg, Germany. The dwelling seems to be inhabited by English speakers, since they have an electric “Merry Christmas” sign on their garage. Or maybe the “Fröhliche Weihnachten” is just too hard to build from light bulbs. Those Umlauts can be a killer!

This photo contest will be open till midnight (PST) on Christmas Eve.
Email your insanest Christmas lights display pics to: contest@ecomorons.org
First prize: one handmade beeswax candle

The best entries will be posted on this site. Please include your name and location as well as where you found the lights. If you wish to remain anonymous, your name will not be posted. No one’s email will be published or shared!

(photo: Lupus Korridor)

Location of the above beauty: South Pasadena, CA
The contest: Ecomorons dares every reader to find a more insane Christmas lights display than this
Email your insanest pics to: contest@ecomorons.org
First prize: one handmade beeswax candle
The pep talk: You can do it! Get your camera out!

The contest closes at midnight (PST) on Christmas Eve. The best entries will be posted on this site. Please include your name and location as well as where you found the lights. If you wish to remain anonymous, your name will not be posted. No one’s email will be published or shared!

(photo: Backhouse Images)

This is the enMotion dispenser, manufactured by Georgia-Pacific (GP). The machine spits out a paper towel as you move your hand over the sensor at it’s front – using four big, beautiful, toxin-filled D-cell batteries to generate the necessary power.
According to GP spokesman Kelly Ferguson, more than one million specimens have been installed in bathrooms across North America since the product went on the market in 2003.
I asked Ferguson why his company has given mankind a towel dispenser that uses electricity for something that could easily be done with one quick hand motion.
“It provides”, he said, “a touchless type of bathroom experience. Some users have concerns about touching things in a public restroom.”
Oh. It’s ok. I understand. But I must point out that there is a downside to the touchless public toilet experience. In fact, it puts you at risk in many regards. Here’s why:
1) Limbo dancing under the stalls as a means to touchlessly enter the cubicle can result in premature disc degeneration on your lower spine.
2) Peeing hands-free, if you are male, can cause problems. It is considered safe only for females.
3) Being trapped in a bathroom for hours because no one else is there to tackle the doorknob for you will affect your mood and might lead to anxiety.

So if you value your health – don’t go for the touchless bathroom thing! Because, frankly, the enMotion is not as harmless as it seems.

PS: One big question remains. Why did any gym, any university or any office in this country ever order this dangerous, battery-powered beast? I’ll keep digging – but let me know if you solve this riddle first.