Slashdot Mirror
My Segway HT "Month-iversary"
Phillip M. Torrone writes "I didn't realize it, but I've been using a Segway HT for one month as of 01/04/03. To put it simply--it's been great and the HT has exceeded all expectations, I'm cautiously optimistic that this was a great purchase and look forward to the next 30 days. You can read, see and hear about my experiences here: http://www.bookofseg.com." I have yet to see one of these in real life, but they do look fun.
A reasonable bicycle can be had for around $100 and will get you anywhere you want to go, and get you into better shape as well. You won't sweat on your bike if you travel at segway speeds either.
I really don't see the appeal of this $3000 upright motoroized wheelchair--what will it do for me that my bike won't?
Can it hop curbs? Is it easy to lock up on the street? I just don't get it, sorry.
I dunno, there's electric motorscooters that have a vastly superior range over Segway, run around $2,000 less, and are as easy to ride around on as a bicycle.
I mean, when Segway's MSRP is being beaten out by Hammecher Schlemmer, it doesn't take a genius to tell who's trying to pull a fast one.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
A lot of people may not know this, but the segway, in addition to being a means of transportation, is also a testbed for technologies used in Dean Kamans latest invention, the iBOT. Its a new wheelchair thats being tested by the FDA, but most of its technology has been proven in the non medical(meaning it didnt have to be tested by the FDA) Segway HT. The iBOT is a revolutionary wheelchair with that can climb stairs and raise a person up to normal eye-level. link link link link
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
What do you mean "how do we know it isn't a plant"? Of course it's a plant.
I don't mind the dupes. I don't mind the mistakes. But blithely posting underhanded ad pitches on the front page cross the line.
I like Slashdot, and I've never before stooped to bitching at the editors... But I can't take it anymore: what the fuck is the matter with you guys? I know VA Linux stock ain't doing all that well, but for christ's sake, you have jobs unlike a lot of Slashdot's readership. If you don't care about this site-- which seems to be the case-- why don't you step down and let someone else take over?
Slashdot is increasingly becoming a tool of the guerilla (sp?) marketers. Editors should get a clue on a story before posting it. What do these guys get paid for, anyway?
But back on topic, am I the only one who wouldn't be seen dead driving one of these? It's so geeky in a very uncool way. And since you can't really carry anything on it which you could carry yourself, it screams "lazy prick" and is impractical. I predict after the early adopters, the people who think it's neat and people who collect artifacts of the modern age buy one, the company will quietly go out of business.
Reliable, Great Value Hosting: $7.95/mo 2.4G/120G
This article [sfweekly.com] contains many of the best reasons that this device is a complete waste of time.
That is the worst article I have ever seen in SF Weekly, and that's saying a lot.
A tsunami of Lard? What the hell, like everyone who is going to use a Segway wont just drive in a car? Why is a scooter going to make people fat when they have to stop using it out of safety concerns if they start to weigh in over 110kg.
Their arguments are this, "Segway makes you fat, and cracks marble walls." They have no evidence of either, as I read it. Are they claiming she ran into the wall, or did her segway do it after she jumped off? Either way, it's a stupid remark that seems like she didn't do it because there is zero documentation on her "vandalism."
There are no reasons why it was a waste of time, there were a few speculations and a lot of bitterness. I think whoever wrote the article was probably just pissed his bicycle shop is going to take a hit.
Because if it does become popular, its gonna need to handle much more...
Yeah.. because efficient transporation makes people fat. News flash, people get fat for other reasons. Fat people don't ride bikes, unless it's for excercise. Their fat long before the Segway came along. End of story.
This FUD is worthy of Anti-Microsoft or Anti-Linux posts, you should be proud.
Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
The interesting thing about talking to Mr. Kamen while he was standing on the Segway, aside from the fact that he was of course towering a full head above everybody else in the crowd, was the fact that he is one of those people who likes to lean towards you as he talks. As I learned firsthand, talking to one of these people who happens to be standing on an electric scooter that is controlled by leaning your body means that you are constantly being semi-run-over by the thing, in direct proportion to the intensity of the point the other person is trying to make! He kept having to back the thing up a couple feet, like it was an overly-friendly horse that wanted to lick my face (instead of an overly-pricey scooter that wanted to run over my feet).
(I would have liked to have a go with his scooter though, as I was not relishing the prospect of having to slog all the way back across the show grounds to the car yet again!)
mcb
In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
Weight capacity: 250 pound (110 kg) person with 75 pounds (34 kg) of cargo.
It's gonna have to do a lot better than that if it's going to succeed. Let's face it, the folks most likely to want one are those who sweat five gallons walking across the street.
The local ambulance company here just got a special ambulance for handling extremely heavy patients. (Extra-heavy rear suspension, extra-large stretcher, electric winch to pull the stretcher in, etc...) They won't even dispatch it unless the patient weighs more than 500 pounds...
The crews assigned to it hate it because they don't get to take a break all day. They run from call to call from the moment shift starts until the shift ends. Regular ambulance crews are still getting calls to handle extremely overweight patients, because there's just so damn many of them.
The way I figure it, if they don't build it to handle at least 450+ pounds, they're going to be dealing with lawsuits because they're breaking, or ADA lawsuits because it won't handle weight-challenged people.
I live up on a slight hill about 3.5 miles from work.
For about a year, I had an older (mid-70's model) "Tomos" 2-cycle 50cc "scooter". (Similar to this, but older and needed pre-mixed fuel.)
Except during the winter when the wind on my face and hands were a bit too cold, I really preferred to take my trips to work and to the grocery store on my scooter. I liked the open-air feeling of gliding on the scooter, and also felt better about not lugging a 3000 lb. car just to carry myself. I was getting about 50 miles to a gallon of fuel + a cup of oil.
One thing that I didn't like about the scooter was having to drive on the street (along the side, like a bicycle) while cars whizzed by me at 45+ mph. On the uphill stretches going home at night, that got scary sometimes. (My uphill speed was about 15-18 mph; flats around 25; and downhill around 32 mph.)
I also didn't like having to worry about the bike's chain maintenance (needed frequent cleaning), and the fact that it was a 2-stroke polluter (today's 4-stroke mopeds should be pretty good in comparison).
When an axel bearing crunched away I couldn't find a convenient place to fix it, I gave it up.
Since then, I've been thinking about buying another, more modern moped. But I just sorta never did. I toyed with the idea of getting a real motorcycle, and got my class-M permit; but I really didn't want a bike because I would have to be IN traffic, and I prefer not to be in between two cars (or SUV's as is likely to happen around here).
When the Segway was first revealed, I thought "neat, cool gadget". But I dismissed buying it for myself.
But, I've been missing that open-air gliding feeling for some time now. The Segway would allow me to get that feeling back (though at 12 mphs, it's a bit slower than I would have liked compared to when I used to pull 20-30). And, since I can used it on sidewalks, I would feel much safer. Since the sidewalks around here (L.A. suburb) are pretty much open, I think I can safely travel at the top speed for most of my travel.
The only concern I have now is the TCO. While a "full charge" is 11 to 17 miles of range, and costs about $0.10, that translates favorably to my car which gives about 20 miles to the gallon at $1.70. But the batteries are rated only for 300-500 full-charge cycles, or about 3,000 (worst case) to 8000 (best case) miles. The power train is supposed to be a "lifetime" design needing no servicing, so I'm hoping that the supposed 5-(active use)-year lifetime of the Segway holds.
It's not clear how much a battery replacement will cost... But I'm guessing it'll be about $1,000. So that then pushes the cost up to as much as $0.55 per mile. Even if the battery is $2,000, that's favorable compared to my 3,000 lb. car.
I can already tell some of my co-workers will approve, and some of them will scoff and ridicule me. But I used to own a scooter, and I liked it. And I've pre-ordered a Segway, and I expect to like it when it arrives. (Yes, it is a small leap of faith.)