As much as I love the simplicity, elegance, human naturousness (not a word but it works here) of the fly, not everyone wants to look at a fly when they are in the bathroom.  I have reluctantly given into this fact as we have developed new designs.  Now, with 2 little boys in the house, I had to take it a step further.  The target and tree designs were ok hits with the kids but we needed something to really keep their attention.  The ball decals turned out to be the one.  Who knew that kids would like to pee on their favorite sports icon?

Check out PottyTarget.com.  Tell your friends.  They are not flies but your kids will like them.

Today was a monumental day in urinal history.  The urinal fly was profiled by the great folks at Good Day Sacramento.  I got to participate in my first TV interview (via Skype) and luckily I did not pee myself.  Though I guess it would not have mattered since they only film from the neck up.  I didn’t even need to wear pants.  Or shoes.  Ok, back to the story.  The taping took place this morning and the producer, Madelyn, was great and helped me through some nerves and technical difficulties.  The questions were fun and direct.  Check out the interview here and let me know what you think.

Potty Targets are here!  Moms and Dads, we have listened to you.  You can stop making the boys use the cat’s bathroom.  No more wondering if the boys got more on the floor or in the bowl or if they were actually aiming for the wall.  Now you can give them something to aim for and even help with potty training.  4 fun designs are included and will be enough to keep the young boys (and men, they never grow up) occupied. 

Installation instructions are in this post.  

Here are some quick links to news articles that reference the Fly.  We're gonna be big.

• Jane Ellen's Experience
• Andrea's Buzzing About
• Tonic.com
• My Imaginary Life
• Jewish Press International
• Mama Drama
• University of Illinois Press

The response the NPR story (see last post) was just incredible.  Robert Krulwich and Jessica (not Jennifer, sorry again) did an excellent job of making the story funny and informative.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

The website and my phone were both slammed so I apologize to anyone who I have not responded to yet.  Everyone who ordered should have gotten the product by Christmas.  Merry Christmas!

2 weeks ago I received a call from Jennifer at NPR (National Public Radio) asking if I would do a radio interview.  Finally, the call that I was waiting for.  Someone had recognized my contribution to world cleanliness and I was to be recognized for it!  Of course this is not exactly how it went.  The first question that Jennifer asked was “Can you help us get a hold of Aad Kieboom?  We would like to interview him about the Urinal Fly?”  This is like having a beautiful woman walk up to you in a bar, lean in toward your ear, and whisper seductively “Is that your friend over there by the pool table?  Can you introduce me?” 

This was a blow to my ego but I am strong and was able to carry on.  I told Jennifer honestly that I have never met Aad though I hope to some day.  Jennifer then asked if I would be available to interview with Robert Krulwich for the “Krulwich on Science” show.  I agreed of course.  This was my chance to share the Fly with the world!

2 days later I was in a sound booth at the local Clear Channel radio station hub, completing a sound check, and getting ready to interview with Robert.  The interview was humorous with lots of smart, focused, and science oriented questions.  I had a good time and I hope that I didn’t sound like a stammering idiot.  It is too bad that our local NPR station, KUNC, does not seem to carry the show.

I hope that I did the UrinalFly.com proud.  I will link to the podcast of the program as soon as it is available online.

It’s about time!  After 3 years of the original site design it is time for a change.  The new layout is much easier to navigate and the pics are top notch.  We changed from our in-house cart to Google Cart to improve the customer experience as well as allow for a higher level of security than we could implement ourselves.  I hope that you like the upgrade as much as I do.  Send me your comments, complaints, suggestions, etc. to dkempel@urinalfly.com.  I want to hear from you.

Okay, I should be clear and say that Behavioral Economists love us.  That is a bit different. UrinalFly just got mentioned in the widely read blog EconomistsDoItWithModels! I will let this quote from sexy scientist Jodi Beggs speak for itself: “The point is that if you put a challenge in front of people, they are somehow compelled to take it.”  Take the challenge people.

I often get asked about where I came up with the idea for the UrinalFly.  The original idea belongs to economist Aad Kieboom.  From a 1999 Whole Earth Aricle talking about bringing the UrinalFly to JFK airport:

“Each urinal at the Amsterdam airport has the black outline of a fly etched into the porcelain-”This improves the man’s aim,” says Aad Kieboom, an economist. His staff conducted fly-in-urinal trials and found that etchings reduce spillage by 80 per cent. The Dutch will transfer the technology to New York. “It gives a guy something to think about,” says Jan Jansen, the new Dutch general manager in New York. “It’s a perfect example of process control.”

I came across the idea while designing some bathroom related products for another company.  It struck me right away as an ideal first product to launch a company whose purpose is to "Bring fun to the restroom". 

Thanks to Nathan Verill's blog for the shout out and the link.

It all started with an email interview over a year ago.  I get a note from the guys at the NudgeBlog that they want to interview me for their widely read blog.  I agreed, answered a few questions, and promptly forgot all about it.  Then the book “Nudge” comes out and they use UrinalFly as a prime example of the concept.  The book is now a bestseller and more people know about us than ever!  Thank you Thaler and Sunstein for the shout out.  I appreciate that 2 of the great thinkers of our time acknowledge what we already know, that the UrinalFly is the ideal way to keep your bathrooms cleaner.