What is this? located on salthill prom

buzz11

What is this silver cabinet with screen, webcam on the roof and antenna?

Its been here for a couple of years but I've never seen it working. Anybody know who it belongs to or whats its for?

Would it be an e-voting machine that got prime spot to see out its days?

snubbleste

I wonder how much it is worth in scrap metal..
I observe with disdain that GalwayCityCouncil are not bilingual when it comes to recycling facility provison.

_Whimsical_

I observe that "Recycling Centre" isn't the best thing to emblazon on the side of a public toilet regardless of the language.

Fuinseog

two of the toilets do not even work. I put in the required money and nothing happened.
the same toilets were lampooned in McCarthys Bar. people were going in to them and were not able to get out or they would open unexpectedly.

Galway does not really do public toilets.

Mrs OBumble

Fuinseog wrote: »

two of the toilets do not even work. I put in the required money and nothing happened.
the same toilets were lampooned in McCarthys Bar. people were going in to them and were not able to get out or they would open unexpectedly.

Galway does not really do public toilets.

Given the behaviour of many young men, I would say that the whole city is regarded by some as a public toilet. (And I sooo wish I was joking.)


Hey ... I remember reading McCarthy's Bar before coming here ... would be fascinating to re-read it now having lived here for a few years: were they exaggerating or not????

ladhrann

JustMary wrote: »

Given the behaviour of many young men, I would say that the whole city is regarded by some as a public toilet. (And I sooo wish I was joking.)

Of course this would have nothing to do with the lack of provision of any public conveniences surely??

The original public toilets in Eyre Square, on O'Briens Bridge and in the Fairground in Salthill were bricked up and eventually demolished on Eyre Square. The ones on the bridge and in Salthill are still there but cemented over.

Originally they were supposed to pay for themselves through the fees collected. In a recent Tribune report I read that they have never returned anything near that needed to cover their own maintenance, despite all the assurances at the time they were introduced.

I suspect that individuals will eternally use alleys etc as a pissoir, much like death and taxes.

Fuinseog

JustMary wrote: »

Given the behaviour of many young men, I would say that the whole city is regarded by some as a public toilet. (And I sooo wish I was joking.)


Hey ... I remember reading McCarthy's Bar before coming here ... would be fascinating to re-read it now having lived here for a few years: were they exaggerating or not????

pop down to charlie Byrnes. I am sure he has in in the travel section.
A chapter is also devoted to Galway in 'In search of the Craic'.


to urinate in public is against the law, but apparently not enforced.

Fuinseog

ladhrann wrote: »

Of course this would have nothing to do with the lack of provision of any public conveniences surely??

The original public toilets in Eyre Square, on O'Briens Bridge and in the Fairground in Salthill were bricked up and eventually demolished on Eyre Square. The ones on the bridge and in Salthill are still there but cemented over.

Originally they were supposed to pay for themselves through the fees collected. In a recent Tribune report I read that they have never returned anything near that needed to cover their own maintenance, despite all the assurances at the time they were introduced.

I suspect that individuals will eternally use alleys etc as a pissoir, much like death and taxes.

in Dublin most pubs have signs like ' toilets for customers use only'. same with the chippies on O Connell street. security will stop you. Businesses doe not seem to mind this in Galway but the onus is on the city to provide toilets. You cannot expect to get the tourists and not provide them with anything. you get the tour buses pulling in at the cathedral and a fifty Germans or French looking for a jacks only to find that the necessary facilities are not there.
having said that there are public toilets in Spiddal, Clifden and a lot of small rural towns, but Galway can offer two cubicles in Eyre Square.

joeKel73

buzz11 wrote: »

What is this silver cabinet with screen, webcam on the roof and antenna?

Back to the OP's question... afraid I don't know but I've often wondered when passing this too! Subscribed to this thread...

xtradel

When i was away foreign (cant remember where) they had something like that on the streets where it takes your pic and you can then e-mail it off to friends or family. Kinda like a more modern version of a "wish you were here" postcard.

celty

According to the well-known Libertas leader, this is a solar powered antenna in which the bowel movements of creepy Galway lefties are sent to their 'comrades' in Cuba to aid the revolution, as God forbid we'll ever have a Che Guevara statue in Salthill.

Erm ... haven't a clue, actually!

celty

xtradel wrote: »

When i was away foreign (cant remember where) they had something like that on the streets where it takes your pic and you can then e-mail it off to friends or family. Kinda like a more modern version of a "wish you were here" postcard.[/QUOTE

Wish you were at the Bog on the Prom? Doubt it!

BhoscaCapall

I imagine the sort of people who pay money to take a piss are the same ones who feel comfortable with buying bottled water.

Eviledna

Answer: It was a tourist information touchscreen booth, twas all the rage during the boom. Worked for about two months, got vandalized, and was never fixed.

Now looks like a sad broken pee-guardian robot.

Mrs OBumble

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

I imagine the sort of people who pay money to take a piss are the same ones who feel comfortable with buying bottled water.

You need to travel more. In some countries, all public toilets require you to pay -and ordinary people do, because you would get arrested for pissing in the street.

celty

JustMary wrote: »

You need to travel more. In some countries, all public toilets require you to pay -and ordinary people do, because you would get arrested for pissing in the street.

Plus, after the 'crypto crisis' and countless other fiascos by our darling City Council I'm quite happy to admit that I buy bottled water (and I consider myself an 'ordinary' person ...).

I don't want to discover in five or ten years that I've been drinking stuff which causes cancer or whatever.

Agree with Just Mary. There are not too many other countries where hundreds of drunken people think it's ok to pee in the street late at night.

I guess a/ Irish people drink too much and b/ there aren't enough public toilets late at night.

joeKel73

celty wrote: »

I don't want to discover in five or ten years that I've been drinking stuff which causes cancer or whatever.

I hope you're not buying it in plastic bottles then...? :rolleyes:

BhoscaCapall

What a silly assumption. My comment was in regards to public toilets in Galway, Ireland.

joeKel73

We need some of these to pop up at 2am around the city...

_Whimsical_

J o e wrote: »

We need some of these to pop up at 2am around the city...

I don't know...given that our "hi tech" public toilets have had trouble opening unexpectedly and trapping people inside during automated cleaning cycles do we really want one that just might deliver you to the underworld by accident?

It does look the business though...apart from the fear of a grimey death I'd vote yes.

yermanoffthetv

Back to the OP's post. Is it a solar compactor?

FlashD

celty wrote: »

I don't want to discover in five or ten years that I've been drinking stuff which causes cancer or whatever.
.

Plastic bottles have been known to degrade into the water, the speed depends on the grade of plastic used which you can find out from the number at the bottom of the plastic bottle.

You would probably be better off drinking from the tap from an environmental, financial and health perspective, the water in Galway is fine now.

buzz11

Eviledna wrote: »

Answer: It was a tourist information touchscreen booth, twas all the rage during the boom. Worked for about two months, got vandalized, and was never fixed.

Any idea who was behind the idea and how come its been left there unused? It seems quite high tech and expensive looking

Robmeister2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LZNYg-p10cA#t=179s

That is all.

Eviledna

buzz11 wrote: »

Any idea who was behind the idea and how come its been left there unused? It seems quite high tech and expensive looking

If I remember correctly it had software branded with Discover Ireland on it. Twas supposed to be a replacement for the tourist information kiosk further down the prom. The problem being that with mobile devices with multi-touch screens now in everyones pockets, the whizbangwow effect just ends up...dated looking.

Twas probably too expensive to keep working (read:unvandalised). Sure they can't even maintain the fupping toilets there to a working order, so the info kiosk has little chance. Perhaps with the volvo coming they might upgrade the firmware on the damn thing. And, er, switch it on again.;)

Personally, I'd like to see free internet on it for the prom walkers.

Rob A. Bank

J o e wrote: »

We need some of these to pop up at 2am around the city...

That Urilift is a brilliant idea ! Appears in the evening when needed and is gone for the day. It gets the thumbs up from Esbjerg in Denmark...

"We (all citizens in the town) are very happy with the UriLift. Every night at about 22.00 the UriLift is activated by personnel from a bar nearby (they have a remote). Next morning the street-sweepers clean it from empty cans, glass etc. and lower it down with their remote. They also activate the self-cleaning-system, so the UriLift is clean when it is activated in the evening. It is still looking just as good as it looks when it was new."

However, given the austerity we may need to go for the Dutch more basic 'Pee Tree"

buzz11

Eviledna wrote: »

If I remember correctly it had software branded with Discover Ireland on it. Twas supposed to be a replacement for the tourist information kiosk further down the prom. The problem being that with mobile devices with multi-touch screens now in everyones pockets, the whizbangwow effect just ends up...dated looking.

So I wonder which state body paid for it? Since its there a few years, the costs must have been very high as that technology was very expensive just a few short years ago.

There is no record of any planning application on the city council website.... so maybe it could be 'salvaged' and 'liberate' the flat screen tv inside it?

Who would notice?

Funkygreendogs

they have these everywhere in amsterdam



its a win-win situation! Ive seen them at the galway arts festival aswell, such an easy solution to the problem and cheap too!

They also have these burger bars that have the burgers displayed inside a little door that you pop coin into and you can open the door to get your burger, im sure youve all seen them when youve been over last...



Such an awesome idea and fairly simple.........

*rags week flashback*...........

muskyj

Funkygreendogs wrote: »

they have these everywhere in amsterdam



its a win-win situation! Ive seen them at the galway arts festival aswell, such an easy solution to the problem and cheap too!

They also have these burger bars that have the burgers displayed inside a little door that you pop coin into and you can open the door to get your burger, im sure youve all seen them when youve been over last...



Such an awesome idea and fairly simple.........

*rags week flashback*...........

used to love Febo's after a morning out. no messing with queue's and all that. burgers were never great but used to love those chips with the mayo!