There ought to be a word

[temporus]

Maybe this is just me.  Maybe it's just a US, or East Coast thing or something.  But there has to be a world that describes that moment when you are in a public restroom, and you go to wash your hands, placing them dutifully under the spout.  And no water comes out.  You move them forward, then back, then left and right.  But still no water comes out.  Then you suddenly notice, this is not an automatic faucet.  You feel sheepish, and turn the knob, or push the button or whatever, and go about your business.

I think the automatic faucet has become so ubiquitous that not only has the novelty worn off, but we (okay, I) automatically assume that I didn't activate the little sensor, and almost forget that there are, you know, ordinary faucets still out there.   Interestingly, this never occurs to me at private residences.  This odd behavior only manifests in public places, so it's not that my mind has determined that all sinks should be automagic.  But only those in the public sphere.  

So am I alone?  Or does this minor brain malfunction happen to others?

Comments

Waiting for the faucet

[arhyalon.livejournal.com]

Many years ago, Joan Vinge wrote a scene in which her character Cat (in one of the Psion books) stands before a door for some time before he realizes that it is not an automatic door, but one with a doorknob -- something new to him.

Nowadays, that scene is no longer science fiction...just a good observation about everyday life. ;-)

[dqg-neal.livejournal.com]

I don't know if there is a word for it...
of course mostly the effect I run into is....
the safe effect you did... then look for the knob.. and realize there isn't one... and the sink is just not sensing you... and then having to wait to get to another sink, while the guy at that sink looks at you like you are a moron that doesn't know how to use the sink you were just at.

[beth-bernobich.livejournal.com]

At work, the restrooms have toilets with automatic flush sensors, and they recently installed automatic paper towel dispensers, but the faucents remain the old-fashioned manual kind.

I think they're toying with us.

But to answer your question, it happens lots o' folks.