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A spirit that is not afraid

Web site alerts best pee breaks in current movies

Fingers crossed, foot tapping, legs wrapped, anxiously praying the scene following Optimus Prime and Megatron's fight includes boring dialogue.

RunPee.com gives moviegoers the opportunity to not think twice about making a trip to the bathroom or getting a refreshing cola for their movie experience by letting them know when it's the perfect time to use the restroom.

"I enjoy movies a lot less when I have to go to the bathroom because that is all I can focus on," said Caroline Neel, a junior in human development and family studies. "So if I checked out RunPee.com, I believe my movie experience would be better."

While browsing movie times online, moviegoers can now visit RunPee.com to look for specific cues in the movie to run to the restroom.

The Web site provides certain lines and scenes to signal the appropriate time to run and pee or even to visit the concession stand.

"I don't know if this Web site would be helpful because no one really plans on peeing to check beforehand," said Dara Bateman, a sophomore in pre-nursing.

However, RunPee.com offers an iPhone application that has a timer for every movie available on the Web site, keeping track of pee times while summing up the missed scene when the moviegoer has got to go.

Dan Florio, creator of RunPee.com, said eventually the application will include a vibration option to the timer.

Florio is also working to offer applications for other phones such as BlackBerry and Nokia.

Florio explained that with the updated version users hit the start button on the iPhone app when the movie begins and then he can choose how many minutes before the pee time he wants to be warned.

The user then would be signaled with a vibration that the pee time is coming up.

"The idea is that somebody will go 'Yeah I kind of do need to go to the restroom,'" Florio said. "They can go ahead and get up and can get to the exit and just wait another 30 seconds to a minute, then there is the cue. Now they can step out, use the restroom and get back and miss almost nothing."

The idea spurred from Florio's fidgeting watching the three-hour movie "King Kong."

Now Florio, a freelance developer in Orlando Fla., uses his free time helping moviegoers enjoy the movie and a nice beverage.

Florio said his process of gathering pee times requires specific attention.

In one day Florio said he might see three movies.

During each movie Florio takes extensive notes of what filler scenes might be OK to miss.

"About 30 minutes in I start looking for scene changes, something that I can use as a cue to run pee," Florio said. "As I'm taking notes, I'm watching what's going on in the movie, and if something really important or dramatic or funny happens then I stop, and that's a bad pee time so I cross it out, flip the page and I start the process over again."

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Right now Florio and his sister are the two pee-time contributors.

However, he said he hopes the Web site will expand and one day hire a full staff and eventually be able to view movies before they are released.

Florio also said he would like each movie to be viewed twice by two different staff members to double-check pee times and look for other potential time slots to go.

Florio said right now his goal is to improve the quality of the Web site.

The Web site even offers a section for "Your Suggestions."

"He needs to have options if you would like to miss a dialogue scene or a sexual scene or a car accident or a violent scene," Neel said of what she uses when looking for appropriate times to step out. "Customize it to where you can miss certain types of scenes."

Like the slogan to the RunPee Web site, Florio's tracking service helps bladders enjoy going to the movies as much as the moviegoers do.

RunPee.com eventually plans to help bladders worldwide by expanding into foreign countries and adapting the RunPee application to foreign films.

To receive general information about RunPee, students can sign up for the RunPee weekly newsletter.

The newsletter includes new movies coming out, any new features added to the Web site, new mobile applications and others.


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