January 14, 2004

Name that product

Posted by Eszter

Sometimes I wonder how companies come up with names for their products. I just noticed that the shower knob in my bathroom is called Monitor. (I just moved so most things at my place are new to me.) I guess that may seem innocent enough, but not after having just watched this episode of The Practice. In it, one of the characters finds out that her superintendent has been making video tapes of her in the shower (using a hidden camera in the vent) and has been posting these online. As if this wasn’t bad enough, we find out that there is nothing illegal about such videotaping as potentially relevant laws only apply to audio recordings. So it’s not that I’m overly paranoid, but I would’ve probably preferred a name with less meaning on my shower knob (except who runs around thinking about shower knob name preferences?!;).

Posted on January 14, 2004 04:23 AM UTC
Comments

It has always made me happy that the dominant brand of porcelain fixtures used in public restrooms here in NYC is “El Jer” — actually I think it is “Eljer”, but the logo looks like two separate words.

Posted by Jeremy Osner · January 14, 2004 01:17 PM

funny. i do believe that many states already have laws about that sort of thing, and i do remember some federal bill in the news last year, but it was stacked with other nonrelated crap so I don’t know if it ever passed.

Posted by Shai · January 14, 2004 03:19 PM

Shai - that may very well be. I should’ve made it more explicit that the episode I was watching was a rerun from a few years ago so the laws may have changed since then. Thanks.

Posted by eszter · January 14, 2004 03:58 PM

You really should do something about the mildewed grout. And your brand of shampoo is all wrong for your hair.

Posted by C.J.Colucci · January 14, 2004 04:21 PM

Is the drain plug perhaps named Merrimack?

Posted by paul · January 14, 2004 04:54 PM

CJ - there are some factual errors in that comment, you must be confusing the videos.;)

Posted by eszter · January 14, 2004 04:54 PM

Paul ought to get a point for that.

Posted by Sue · January 14, 2004 06:13 PM

The day after seeing “The Usual Suspects”, I noticed that the whiteboard eraser in my office was manufactured by a company called Quartet, in Skokie, Illinois….

Posted by Dan Simon · January 14, 2004 06:42 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.