In The Crapper...

From the Victorian times sprouted the legend known as Thomas Crapper.  Lore has it that he was an ingenious plumber who invented the flush toilet.  Lore didn’t quite get that right.  While Thomas Crapper was a real man who lived in 19^th century London and owned a plumbing company, he didn’t actually invent the toilet, per se.

A Victorian toilet from www.itraveluk.co.uk

Thomas Crapper was known as a savvy salesman and great at advertising.  So, using a gentleman named Albert Giblin’s design, Crapper built and mass marketed flush toilets.  He also popularized the siphon system for emptying the tank.  Finally, Thomas Crapper slapped his name on anything and everything he was associated with; manhole covers, toilets, bathrooms – you name it. 

Speaking of naming it, some people claim the term “crapper” (in reference to a bathroom), came from U.S. Soldiers who were deployed in the U.K. during the first World War.  According to lore, these soldiers saw the word “Crapper” on every door to every bathroom across London and began calling the room the “Crapper.”

Despite the legend of Mr. Crapper, Alexander Cummings is the one who’s usually credited with inventing the first flush mechanism back in 1775.  In 1853, Joseph Adamson took out the first patent for the siphonic flush – eight years prior to Crapper starting his plumbing business.

No matter who invented it, or what you call it, be it “The Crapper,”  “The Cummings” or maybe even “The Gilbin”... when it breaks, it stinks (sometimes literally).

That’s why for all your plumbing issues, there’s BRISTOL Restoration!  And hey, if you call us?  You may even get an interesting history lesson about the work we’re doing!

Are We There Yet?

“The Jetsons,” a family sitcom created in 1968, is perhaps more relevant today than when it first debuted.  Set in 2062, everything in it was foreign to us, except the family foibles.  Perhaps one of the reasons its plots stand the test of time is that family dynamics don’t really change that much.  Sure, it may feel a bit antiquated to have George drop Jane (his wife) off at the mall before he goes to work, but that’s a whole different blog entry.

Possibly its longevity is due to the fact that it’s just fun to think about how far we’ll get technologically in the future.  How many technological advances will improve our way of life.  After all, we have Facetime and Skype now.  But where are those fantastic masks Jane used when she answered the phone?  You know, that perfectly coiffed mask she could slip on so that the person on the other end of the phone would have no idea she just rolled out of bed.

Dinner time with the Jetsons was about the coolest ever. After Rosie the robot set the table, Jane would select a slide to enter into a “computer” and voila, out came a fresh, piping hot meal for the whole family.

The Jestons At Dinner | Copyright Hanna-Barbera

So, sixty years after its inception, we’re not quite there yet…

Or are we?

A little research shows that Microsoft is getting us closer to the 1962 vision of the future.  Soon there will be counter tops that can assemble a grocery list, suggest recipes based on available items in the fridge and pantry.   The recipes will also be read aloud, so you can move freely around your kitchen without having to constantly check to see if you need to add more cilantro…

So, if you look at the Jetsons and wonder, “Are we there yet?”  The answer is, 

“No, but Bristol Restoration will get you closer.”