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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.
I think all the people who are saying "electric scooter, big whoop. $3,000, yeah right" are slightly missing the point. Yeah, it's kind of wimpy for the price tag. Yeah, it's kind of expensive, and it's questionable who would want to use it.
But this is just the first model. It's more sort of a proof of concept--a demonstration that the scooter can work, and looks as neat as all get-out in motion. As time goes on, the performance will improve and the price will fall.
Look at the Palm (Pilot). The first model was, what, 128K? With no backlight, no infra-red, or anything? And how high was the price tag? And now the Visor Deluxe, which was at one time the wet dream of anybody who even looked at a Palm, is only $130 brand new.
Look at the DVD player. The original models were expensive enough, the first bunch of discs were glitchy enough, that a lot of people scoffed and made snide remarks. But the DVD went on to become the fastest-adopted new consumer technology ever.
So here we have a relatively slow, electric-powered self-stabilizing scooter, for $3,000. Are very many of us going to buy it? Do very many of us have the money to sink into that sort of gee-gaw? No and no. I know I'm not going to be spending three grand on something like that myself, either. Nor would I be likely to spend two grand, or even one grand.
But by the time it gets to about $500, sign me up.
What in the world is this story doing in the science section?
And what else does P. M. Tyronne endorse?
:)
XBox live, for one...and the iPod...and large doses of Flash, apparently. This gentleman is a one-man press release
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.
The domain "bookofseg.com" is registered to Phillip Torrone. (listed on the about page as well). According to his site , this guy works at Fallon , an advertising company devoted to "generating disproportionate results for our clients through a unique combination of rigor, relentlessness, and surprise" .
What I'm getting at is, how do we know that this site isn't just a plant by Segway's marketing agency?
That thing only has a range of 15 miles. That's really not very far if you're not in college or living in Manhatten. It's 7 miles round trip for me to get to a grocery store. Beyond the grocery store (and a gas station), it's well more than 15 miles to get to anything else.
Before you ask: no, I don't live in the boondocks. I live in a metropolitan area (Tampa, FL, US).
Offtopic alert -- but I had to reply:
Funny you should mention this. I gave up using my Palm about 2 years ago. It's strictly a toy.
Ever buy a fold-up keyboard for a Palm? And use something like WordSmith? Ever just slip the keyboard and the Palm into your pocket, go someplace and just WRITE? Having the keyboard with me everywhere is what made it a killer "app" for me. Meetings, coffeeshops... no more yellow pads. No more searching for information. I've always got it with me. And before I saw the keyboard, I couldn't even imagine it.
The most exciting part, for me, about something new is waiting to see how people innovate. I'd keep watching the Segway...
I would have to say that explosives are the most abused technology in all of history.
If you haven't heard, the was banned in San Francisco. Ouch.
The judges claim they banned it because it is "unsafe for city sidewalks", but they also commented that the Segway is "a national threat at least as grave as Iraq" because of laziness. I don't think Iraq is that dangerous, so I don't know exactly what that comment is suppost to mean =) Also they said they didn't want to see a "potential tsunami of lard".
Personally, I don't think Segway is the "future of transportation". I'd much rather see PRT everywhere in the future.
Incidentally, does anyone know how much weight the Segway is designed to handle?
From the How Stuff Works Website:
Weight capacity: 250 pound (110 kg) person with 75 pounds (34 kg) of cargo.
(Good link about more Segway stuff without all of the marketing hype at Howstuffworks, too.)
I would have to say that explosives are the most abused technology in all of history.
I won't be buying your Segway, when I can easily afford a decent used car for the same price, and actually be able to get around the Puget Sound (try getting anywhere here with a Segway, and be prepared to do a lot of hitchhiking).
You'll just have to troll for sales elsewhere.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
New hobby for those of you with too much money and spare time! Segway modding! New mods include:
Hate me!
I just came back from a trip to Disneyworld and they have 32 Segways for what seemed like managerial staff and patrolling the parking lots. Even considering how stair-free WDW is, and what large distances might need to be crossed, when I saw the first Segway in the Epcot plaza, first I thought "this is the best tech they can show off? Pffft."
/.,right? B)
Then I thought, "hmm, big distances to cover, maybe not the worst idea I ever heard."
Then I saw the huge Segway display at Innoventions and realized it was just more smart marketing by Dean Kamen. The yokels were all saying "gaaaahlee where's the gas tank?" and similar comments, then getting lessons in gyroscopic stabilization and Michelin tire alchemy from the well-rehearsed cast members. Hey, if they can get high visibility at Epcot, that's better than
I've tried one...yeah they are neat, but at 80 pounds, just too heavy to lug ino my car trunk or public transport and when compared for value with a $150 electric Razor, it loses. But as someone said above..bring em down to $500 and I'll consider it.
Oh, BTW, I lost all respect when I saw them selling whirling Buzz Lightyear lights, glow sticks and flashlight ight-sabers off the Segways at Epcot at night. Gah.
"The pie shall be cut in half and each man shall receive.....death. I'll eat the pie."
Journal entry: Day 3.
Got my butt kicked by the cool kids again. Maybe I'll see if the geeks at slashdot will respect me instead. Geez this thing sucks. For $3k, I could have bought that snazzy water cooled overclocked P4! Damn!
for weeks if not months has had a segway in its upper left-hand corner. (Go to their main page now to see it[1])
I found the page it links to (if this doesn't work, click the segway logo in the link above) interesting, especially the lengthy Amazon.com Review, which somehow fails to mention once how you charge the damned thing. Although apparently Amazon.com staff got to test-drive it, I doubt they got to play with it above 20 minutes.
[1] This promotion might not be served to logged in users, depending on your shopping preferences. Apparently amazon customizes their content heavily, to the point that some time ago they got in trouble for giving different customers different prices.)
I got my own Megway for Christmas. It can do everything the Segway does, but better. The Megway is also theft resistant with the new Fist Antitheft Device (FAD). I've also discovered that you can take the Megway to parties and make it look like you aren't stuck working a graveyard every Friday and Saturday night. I'm quite happy with my Megway.
Help us build a better map!
Thats a tired example. Segway has nowhere near the range of a car, it's far inferior as a mode of transport. Sorry to burst your bubble but the segway is useless to 99.9% of the human population.
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?
Rips off the Mac face for the icons, uses Windows Media for the video, and posts to /.
Dude, pick a market to target before you start your next ad campaign!
"the segway ht i series weighs well over 70lbs, without the activation key you'd literally need to drag it around. the weight of the unit, a couple great locks as well as using common sense should keep your ht safe and secure."
What the heck is this guy thinking? 70 lbs is NOTHING. Most men ought to be able to pick up 70 lbs and toss it on the back of a pickup. I know I could, and I only weigh 230. I hear about motorcycles being stolen all the time on the news by 3 guys picking it up and putting it in a truck, even heavy harleys.
The guy's a fool if he thinks the weight of the unit will deter anyone from stealing it.
p.s. My 21" monitor weighs 80 lbs, and who do you think carried it in?
Just pick the damn thing up (it's not that heavy) and run with it or throw it in the back of a pick-up truck.
Screw going down to K-Mart in one of these only to have some hick throw it in his truck while I run inside.
Sure, the hick won't be able to do anything with it until hacks come online so you can make your own keys and stuff.. but still, these are worth stealing for novelty value alone.
How can you avoid someone stealing these damn things? Get ready for sky high insurance.
mogorific carpentry experiments
If you ever have to ride at night, in the rain, or carry stuff, expect to pay extra for lights (as required by law), full-length fenders (unless you like the "dragged through the mud" look), and luggage racks, possibly panniers or a trailer for larger loads. If you go the Boy Scout method and have lights, speedometer (bikes have to follow the same rules of the road including speed limits (I learned the hard way in downtown)), luggage rack, fenders, airhorn, and a rear-view mirror, expect to pay closer to $850.
Either way, you're right, bicycles are far more practical and far less expensive than a Segway.
Help us build a better map!
User Friendly is ssooo on top of this one....
In these little clips, the riders look very awkward, like they're struggling to keep going. Or, like they're trying to hold a massive bowel movement in (or both). They seem to be thinking "Damn it, I paid $3000 for this, I'm going to enjoy it whether I like it or not! HEY! LOOK AT ME!"
Then in winter, you know they'll be hitting you up for a ride to work. Just you wait and see!
"Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
hey all you fat rich americans
;-P
try WALKING
i mean really, this segway thing is so ridiculous, i am absolutely ashamed looking at it. can you imagine what other people think of you riding around on this thing? it's like training wheels for our electric scooters when we're old, fat, with diabetes. i have nothing but derision for anyone who buys one.
negativity disclaimer: i am an american, i get paid an above average salary, and i am trying to lose weight.
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Sure, you can look at the Segway as another excuse not to walk or ride. But the truth of the matter is, for distances greater than 3 city blocks, most people will hop in their cars and drive. This leads to community designs without sidewalks, an absence of shops that can survive outside of a mall, shopping, strip, or otherwise, and other omissions (shade trees, pedestrian crossings, etc.) that tend to reinforce the impulse to drive.
In this light, the Segway is an ideal tool for getting people who otherwise would have driven the mile or so distance to the grocery store, video rental place, or local strip mall, and putting them on the local streets. Consider this a way of boosting pedestrian traffic by extending the 3-block distance people would choose to walk, and thus displace auto travel. This is what Jobs and other people who saw the Segway meant when they said that cities would be redesigned around them.
Sure, I'll walk, or ride my bike, or ride the bus. But then again, I don't own a car. If a Segway can displace cars for short-distance travel, then all the more power to them, fat lazy Americans be damned!
BTW, 15 miles on a single charge is far more than many people tend to commute, even in their cars, in highly urbanized areas. Hell, I used to bike the 15 miles from West LA to Burbank and back (up the Cahuenga pass and back every day) - that trip took me 1.5 hours (each way). If you're willing to bike that much, more power to you, but complaining 15 miles isn't enough range for a Segway is missing the point - 15 miles is overkill for the purpose the Segway is meant to serve - bridging the gap between the 3 blocks most people are willing to walk, and when they whip out their car keys and start contributing to traffic, pollution, and parking problems.
Also, if you think about it, you get a lot more exercise standing on a Segway than you do sitting in your car...
Well, my school was just happy to announce that they are the first university in the world to use Segways. Campus police is using them for patrols (I haven't seen this yet, but I hear they're out there), and the press release even says they plan to use them for tours. Tours? Come on...no one wants to follow one of these around unless the whole damn tour group gets them.
-Stype
Bus error -- driver executed.
Sure, plenty of people will buy Segways because they just have to have one. A guy I used to work with showed me his 1970 vintage, 4-function pocket calculator that cost him $400 new. That would be about $600 in today's dollars (or $2800 dog-dollars).
This machine is for some attention starved numbnut with a few thousand bucks laying around so that he can tool around his neigborhood for a few weeks and amaze his friends. Once the novely wears off and he realizes that a skateboard is more practical (shit, a $400 repair bill to replace the broken gyro???) for getting around town, it'll end up right next to his pushmower in the garage.
Sure it was super cool when it first came out. But now that's it's been a year since we've all seen it, most of realize the segway for what it is: an over-hyped machine with little practical application.
<a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>
Just last week, Reuters bought and CNN published as a front page story this Amazon /Segway press release. Reuters must not employ any of those hard-driving investigative reporters we loved in old 30s movies.
For example the "story" "reports"
- "pre-orders already place the high-tech scooter in the top half percent of sales" Yeah? Each Segway costs $5000, while the average Amazon item costs maybe $50. So if Amazon sells 100 Segways in a month, it's in the same percentile as a book that sold 10,000 copies in the same month--that's pretty impressive sales for a book, pretty lousy sales for an item that got the publicity buzz Segway did, an item featured on Amazon's front page.
- "It's selling better than many of our digital cameras" Yeah? And is Amazon the only retailer selling digital cameras, the way it is the only retailer selling Segways? In fact, do you know anybody who would go to Amazon to buy a digital camera?
- "Frazier declined to provide actual pre-sale numbers" I am sure the carefully phrased hype provided is much closer to what CNN readers care about.
What got left out of the "news story" is also interesting. There is no mention of the financial stake that Amazon has in pumping up Segway sales by releasing phony hype aimed at making the product look more popular than it is. Jeff Marshall at Mercury News has some interesting background on the financial ties involvedSome Reuters Clark Kent may have added one note of reality in the final sentence: "in San Francisco a debate is raging over whether the human transporter should be allowed on that city's streets. " That debate stopped raging a week before this press release came out. According to the Dec. 20 SF Chronicle , after extensive public discussion 9 of 11 supervisors have voted to ban the Segway, enough to overturn the mayor's veto if he decides to try one.
Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
Once the initial price-gouging subsides, I see these things becoming very popular.
Anything to get us fat lazy Americans farther away from having to do anything physical is going to succeed. The Segway does a fantastic job of doing just that. (Hell, when I finished watching The Matrix the first time, my initial impression was, well isn't that what we're all working toward anyway?)
No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?
Looks like this guys route takes him right by my house... I'll have to keep an eye out.
I see a number of people talking about the $3,000 price tag of this thing (which, in my opinion, is about $2,500 too much ;-)
Yet Amazon, who claims to be "the only place to buy the Segway HT," is selling them for $4,950.
What am I missing?
We saw a couple of Disney managers zipping around on the things - they're just right for EPCOT's big sidewalks and flat terrain. One of them said that Disney ordered a bunch of them when they first became available, and had to bully the Segway folks a bit to get the N of them they wanted out of early production (there were some early investment connections there...) They're fast enough to be helpful, but unobtrusive-looking and not so fast that they'd cause problems, and the managers are obviously having fun cruising around on them. And after all, cost-effectiveness in the Magic Kingdom is at least as much about image as practicality, which makes them way more effective there than at most businesses.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
From the article:
washington is one of the 32+ states that have specific legislation that states that the segway ht can go anywhere a pedestrian can go
Fascinating that they can pass a law that allows the Segway to go up ladders.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
That's why.
How in the world did I survive my childhood of high speed, daredevil bicycle and scooter riding without a helmet?
Maybe I'd have retained a few more IQ points taken away by the unprotected falls. (hmmm - also may explain why I like slashdot...)
Cake or Death? Cake Please!
Of course, I also believe all that 'The network is the computer' stuff also.
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
The Segway HT is not about what it can do now, but about what it promises about the future of human transportation.
Yes, you're absolutely right. The fools that cannot see this have no vision. The segway represents the future of humanity, the start of a new evolution... In the future humans will no longer need legs.
Screw my bike.. Bikes are for suckers. Those fools will be peddling away on the shoulder, while I glide effortlessly on the sidewalk.
And, those walkers.. jostling with the other peasants. Let them dare to cross my path, and the will feel the force of my massive Segway travelling at it's top speed of 12.5 mph.
Reading that site, there is a link to http://www.segwaychat.com/ and links for the legal status for each state.
Checking on my state Washington, its legal on bikepaths but not local highways or sidewalks. Some local highways act as streets, with stop lights, and all major streets intersect only on them. They should really allow people to use sidewalks in absence of a bike trail. Makes a segway useless around the area I live, shame...
- The technology behind Segway is cool.
- It could work well inside a closed environment like a big warehouse.
- The inventor Dean Kamen has done other good things.
But the Segway gets my goat for the following reasons:Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
It's funny to hear so many slashdotters condemn something because it results in 'less exercise'!
It's like... Geek LaLane... Hoo!
Cake or Death? Cake Please!
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.
I know this will be modded to troll immediately, since I'm questioning something everyone considers wonderful. That said:
1) I can see this device being a real help to the elderly or people with various handicaps, but:
2) I notice the submitter pointed out he jogs every day, but I hear more and more reports about how over 50% of the population is overweight. I can only wonder how this will effect that particular issue. I would guess that it won't be long before they have to make sure the HT is even sturdier because so many people using them are over 250 lbs (or over 325 w/ cargo).
3) I can't help but to remember what Ray Bradbury discussed in Fahreinheit 451. The fire chief is explaining how books became eliminated and people stopped thinking (or was it Faber talking about how people stopped thinking). He pointed out buttons were replaced with a zipper, and that was just that many fewer minutes to think in the morning when getting dressed.
I've spent the last 2 years chained to a computer. (I'm not complaining, my salary is going up and up and I'll never have to worry about my retirement or having a job for the rest of my life.) Now I'm back to exercising every day at the gym. I've got over 50 lbs to lose.
It's great that we can do more faster than ever before. But if we don't balance all the new toys and gadgets we have to make life so easy, we will lose a significant part of the quality of our lives. For example, computers were supposed to save time (and paper, too), but now we get more done and we're asked to do more. Sure, they save time, but then the company wants even more from us (and numbers show computers have driven paper use up -- due to number of drafts printed out and number of extra documents printed -- and docs printed in multiple copies).
I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I am saying it seems we should seriously question how it is used in life. We can make the choice of a life crammed full of too much to do, or one where we can take the time to enjoy life. I've noticed that the people that take time to enjoy life (like many friends I know through Quaker Meeting) live life such that they don't need to save the extra half hour here or rush to another appointment at some other time.
Saving time, or making it easier is not the answer. Segway, for most of us, is not the answer. Finding a way to reduce the clutter and meaningless activites in our lives would help save much more time than a Segway HT.
Just my 2 cents worth. Go on and mark me as flamebait.
On the security page he wrote
since the segway ht is used for our commute, we take it in our office and plug in while we're at work. so the segway is safe and secure at all times. other places, we stick to the guidelines above
Since the damn thing is a single seater (so to speak) who is the "we"? He sounds like Gollum to me...I kept expecting him to refer to it as his "precious".
P.S. "month-iversary" doesn't make sense. Each year does he celebrate his wedding "year-iversary"?
You mean like this?
The real question is: why not use a bicycle? It's proven technology, it's a lot cheaper, it's faster, and it gets you a little, but not too much, exercise on that 4 mile commute.
The only thing that leads me to believe this guy is for real is that no company would actually hire this moron to do astroturfing. His persona is that of a shallow, uneducated douchebag. That's not the kind of person I'd want pitching my $5,000 machine.
<a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>
The adapter was part of the Linux dev kit. The headset that came w/Navy Seals is not limited to use with SOCOM apps. I can use it as an internet phone...how about that for saving money?
:)
"...most likely Microsoft will charge maybe $50/year for XBox Live in the future..."
You know, when you talk out your ass like that...no one listens (and your breath wreeks worse than ever). MS has not announced those costs, so in reality, you have no idea. You're simply waving the MS flag. Get back to us when MS beats up on your parent's credit card...over and over. Only a fool would agree to charges without knowing what they will be.
It used to be that when someone talked about other OS's, in favor of MS, the big argument was "no software". Now, with xbox having a very small percentage of software, compared to Sony PS2, MS fools ignore the fact, and wave the vapor flag, about how good the future will be...that future will only be good for MS, as long as fools keep their wallets open and their eyes/ears closed. Have fun helping bg build a new home...sleep well knowing he couldn't do it without you. bahhhhhh....sheep that you are
I'd love to see whether the Segway makes people more or less active.
You'd think so, but you're also the guys also put out Lilo and Stitch, built Blizzard Beach, run Sunrise Safari at AK and the backstage stuff at Living Seas, which more than makes up for doing endless Lion King sequels for twelve years. Y'all still get my $7k a year for our yearly two week Haj to the Mouse (DAKL) and I'm already booked for next December. B)
I find WDW amazing in that some guy from Bumfuck, Mississippi can stay in a tent for $20 a night at Fort Wilderness and have just as good a time on the same attractions as the poser in the Presidential suite at AKL. Anyone ever do an analysis of why WDW appeals to Southern religious conservatives and New York liberals; college geeks and uneducated dullards; 90 year olds and virtually every kid on the planet?
Probably the reason I keep going back is to find out the answer to that question.
"The pie shall be cut in half and each man shall receive.....death. I'll eat the pie."
"to be crystal clear, this is a car replacment for us. i cannot convey how thrilled i am to be getting rid of a car. to have a choice, a better one, and to be part of a movement is exhilarating. car, buh-bye. walking to work isn't possible since i need to carry 2 laptops and 4-5 pieces of equipment every day."
I beg to differ. This is not a replacement car. How many passengers can a Segue carry? Will you drive this thing in incliment weather? Rain? Snow!? And is this person saying he actually carries 2 laptops AND 4-5 pieces of EQUIPMENT on a Segue? I'd like this equipment defined. I mean really. Ok, bag+2 laptops = Bulk. Since we don't know what exactly his equipment is, i'll assume a briefcase of some sort. More bulk. Plus whatever else he's toting along. Does he cruise along in his suit to work? Open air? Change of clothes maybe? I have no doubts the Segue can handle the weight, but it almost sounds like he's forcing it to fill the roll of a car.
Make no mistake, it's not a replacement for a car. A bike or motorcycle maybe, but not a car unless ALL you use it for is A->B travel within a short range, then sure. Hit the Segue cuz your wasting money with a car. But don't fool yourself into thinking it is if you step outside those very narrow parameters I mentioned.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
He says somewhere that he has a "mid-range BMW" which probably means a $40K-55K 5-series. Calculate the monthly payment on a 4-year loan for *that*, son.
And $600 a year for auto insurance? Riiiiight. You're driving a Tercel in Omaha, I take it.
Yes, I realize I've just been trolled by a 19-year-old.
One simple rule for its versus it's
Buy a biycle. Cheap, fast, and actually good for you. Get one with front suspension and some nice riser handlebars. Maybe even a suspension post seat and a cargo basket. All of this will cost you less than a $1,000 U.S. dollars.
How many people do you know that can admit to getting too much exercise?
This guy is way out there
http://www.everythingisnt.com/features/segway.html
Talk about comparing apples and gold-plated oranges. If you're the kind of person who feels the need to drive a $40-55K BMW 5-series, you're sure not likely to give it up for a Segway. Unless you've just had a pretty major conflict with your state's motor vehicle laws.
But given that this guy seems to be employed by a grass-roots ad-agency, it's not surprising that his math's a little generous. And I wouldn't be too surprised if BMW was also one of his clients.
PS With proper maintenance you should be able to drive that BMW for years after you've paid it off. What's the estimated lifespan of a Segway?
Let's all write him and ask?
Get off my launchpad!
This guy seems like a incredible tool.
The pile of fuzzy photos, even of the FedEx guy.
His iPod and Palm on the bookshelf, tilted towards the camera. Oohh look what I bought!
A cheezy self portrait with him, his ht, and his haircut.
"Saving" $10K a year on an extra car pmt. and insurance.
That's something like a $750 car payment. Screw him.
If he does have any friends, I wouldn't like them either.
Yeah. What a tool.
Speaking of never having seen one of those things in real life, I just happened to see someone using one of those a couple months ago in Bel Air, MD. I was driving down through and did a double-take as the guy was crossing the road on an intersection crosswalk. Looked like he was leaving from the supermarket (which was rather close -- and he had grocery bags) and he was heading towards a residential area.
I thought to myself "Bastard!" Man was I jealous...
Looked pretty cool.
Cheers!
Sean
This man says he lives near downtown Seattle, how is he dealing with riding his Segway in the rain. They do get rain almost every day of the year (well not every day of course but still its very rainy there...)
siri
You're confusing your scooters. Kids ride around standing on two-wheeled things. Adults ride bicycle-like motorized things. The latter are comfortable, convenient, and not (too) weird.
Did some digging and came up with a nifty little comparison. both vehicals are electric, so it all comes down to the nitty gritty.
Segway
Range: Appox 15 miles/charge
Speed: 12mph
Cost: $4,950.00 [Amazon.com]
Viento Scooter
Range: Appox. 50 miles/charge
Speed: 30mph
Cost: $2,999.99
There are three main advantages the Segway has over our competitor. 1) It's really compact. 2) It's "sexy" 3) You can drive it on sidewalks, however flawed I may find that. Oh, and auto stabilization for those who didn't learn to ride a bike. That's nice until you realize for about $2,000 less you gain speed, range and utility, only sacrificing some size, percieved coolness and the legalities of driving on sidewalks while gaining Speed, range and utility.
And no, I'm not considering the supposed saftey of the Segway, because people can still be idiots whatever they drive. Mixing a maximum 250lbs at 12mph on a sidewalk full of pedestrians is a BAD idea. But hey, the Segway is still cool. (I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find a neato looking scooter too).
Revolutionary? It's not as if alternatives didn't already exist.
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I live in a suburb, and have a grocery store about a mile and a half away from me. Though I could bike, I think I've only done so once - after all, my workplace is far enough away (37 miles) over terrian and roads I don't want to bike along, that my car gets maintained and my bike does not. Even now, my biike sits ignorned with a flat tire... for a casual biker a bike is not convienient for anything.
With a Segway, I would definatley use it most of the short trips I take right now in my car.
Right now it is priced at the "toy" level, but when they start to cost $500 or so OR be included with a house in a designed community (not so far fetched, look at custom communities they are designing right now with mixtures of houses and live/work units) then it really could reach widespread use.
It might seem like the refuge of the lazy, but the fact is it would be a lot safer for most people carrying small loads (like two or three bags of groceries) on the Segway than on a bike.
If you want a real stretch, how about this thought - it would help people eat healthier because it would be more practical (and environmentially sound) to get fresh vegetables more often. So there, health fanatics!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I honestly dont understand how this got passed, but you can bet someone will be run over in one and that will be the end of it.
I don't know where your getting your numbers from, but total paper use has been decline for quite some time. Personal use via printers may be up, but total paper use is declining.
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.)
This is an expensive tech product marketing guy's wet dream - create a fake diary and get it posted to Slashdot. The bare fact that the site hasn't melted yet is proof that it's not a personal diary.
This isn't as much "normalization" as it is "don't take so many drugs when you're designing tables."
The Segway HT is not about what it can do now, but about what it promises about the future of human transportation.
It reminds me of some of the criticisms levied against the first cars: it costs too much, the horse carriage is better, it requires changes to the roads, laws are not ready, it will disturb pedestrian circulation (remember laws from the turn of the last century forcing someone WALKING in front of a car to warn people it was coming?), etc.
However, it should be mentioned that the automobile is only one of a large number of transportation innovations to come out of the turn of the century. What about the Stanley Steamer?, the light rail trolley? the ordinary? the interurban? the zepplin? Heck, the compact car was first unveiled at the '49 New York World's Fair "The World of Tomorow" and needed 25 years and an oil embargo to even get market share.
The point I am making is that the objections have some validity, but it doesn't invalidate the usefulness and promise made by the Segway about future human mobility.
The segway would not bother so many people if it were not so overhyped as something revolutionary. It is not all that revolutionary in terms of battery powered transportation. Small battery powered vehicles have been a niche market for over a decade now and don't appear to be on the virge in the near future.
I guess /.ers won't be buying any Segways.
Maybe when they come out with a Lugaway.
The Segway is the most overhyped letdown in recent history!
Ummm, bullshit.
"the segway ht unit is about $5,000, for my household having one this year will have paid itself off by delivery.
so we ordered one..."
http://www.bookofseg.com/diaries/index.html
Dave
I write a blog now, you should be afraid.
Twice in one day I post then find I'm talking out of my arse. Possibly:
t ml
http://www.bookofseg.com/diaries/Img_2033_JPG.h
So he paid for it, *and* won a contest. How weird.
Dave
I write a blog now, you should be afraid.
I agree with you - they're not "geek" as in nerdy cool. I was using geek in its most pejorative sense as in silly, stupid or daffy.
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Participating in FIRST costs way more than a Segway.
Tim
Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
Except huge losses in 2003.
And wave to Clive Sinclair for me when you see him on the way down.
Okay, right now the segway is an overpriced lard transporter, but once it gets past the stage of being an early adopter thing, think of the possibilities!.. these things could bring about a whole renaissance of chariot racing!
:)
C'mon, you know you love the idea of tearing down the street on one of these things - or at least, trundling down the street - razor-sharp wheelblades glinting in the sunlight, whip in hand, dressed in your finest mock-roman armour (yes, there's a U an armour, dammit. I'm british), ramming the other gladiators - sorry - Segway riders - out of the way while the crowds cheer your name...
Well, you have to admit, it would be interesting
And for the sake of not totally wasting this comment on rambling nonsense, two other things come to mind about this:
Firstly, the stuff on the guy's website about the Segway replacing his second car was pretty interesting - he jogs every morning.. but the Segway lets him jog when he chooses and ride the rest of the time, instead of being forced to jog to work, or whatever - sounds pretty sensible to me..
But then it falls down with all the near cultlike worship of the Segway team. I mean, this isn't anything new - there are plenty of those around here who worship Linus, or even Bill (you know who you are).. but rarely with such a degree of fervor.. to quote just one bit of the diary:
"everyone at segway ht is part of the vision, the trainers, marketers, product development teams, to dean kamen himself; you get the immediate feeling that what you're part of isn't just another form of transportation but an evolution of our species and maybe society."
A bit much, don'tcha think?
Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.
Any ideas?
O'WONDERWe're working on it.
And we suppose the ad agency thing has nothing to do with any of your so called writing, eh?
I'm positive that is a negative thing. And we all know the saying "any publicity is good, and good publicity is even better"... ~ I'm sure you are very happy with your latest rabbit out of the hat.
Nice try tagging someone else as the bad guy. Better luck next dodge. Can't wait for your next (paid) revelation.
So a Segway has a zero radius turns as opposed to what, 3 foot radius turns?
Well, I can understand why you don't want to publically deny the Fallin ad agency thing...ok by me :)
pt...wasn't that what P.T. Barnum used to sign with?
Powered individual transit ought to be able to merge in either with pedestrians or with cars. Otherwise it's too limited--if you can only ride on the road, or only on the sidewalk, if you can't hop curbs, etc., then it's kind of pointless.
How about bike lanes in every slightly urban area? The skaters use them as well. Works like a charm.
Any sufficiently advanced libertarian utopia is indistinguishable from government.
You're a pitch man...a mouthpiece...a shill. You claim one thing, while masking the truth. Your opinion and endorsement are paid for. Your segway love affair is a timed and scripted event that you planted (Amazon last month...CNN last week...Slashdot this week). It did not spring forth as you suddenly realized it had been one month since you'd been swept away in the magic of dean. That's a nice touch, but then any story needs a lead in.
And the more you deny it, the more it sticks. Save your breath, you'll need it for your next pitch. I'm feeling guilty for giving you a chance to keep talking as it is. If you were the innocent contributor you're trying to be, you'd keep quiet and let all the chatter flow around you.
Seattle, eh? That explains the xbox live endorsement.
If you store it in the front of your car, instead of in the trunk, you can use the HOV lanes. Totally legal, I swear!
I'm working on some ideas for overclocking and streamlining it... I imagine it will involve removing some (or all) of that fibrous covering. Does it come with or without a "bra" for the front end, like cars?
Get off my launchpad!
Does Phillip Torrone have an undisclosed financial interest in promoting Segway and his BookOfSeg website on Slashdot? Google-able info suggests he does.
- His website prominently features its Segway store with purchase links that presumably pay him commission.
-
The front page of the Segway chat group links to "Another great article by Phillip Torrone aka 'pt'" , one of 333 posts he had already made there, this one and probably many others clicking through to his "BookOfSeg site.
I have no objection to Phillip Torrone turning an honest dollar on his website. What I do object to is seeing on Slashdot publicity stories that don't mention the author's financial interest in selling you the product being so lavishly praised.Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
What about riding your bike into a sewer grate with channels that catch your front tire and flip you. What about riding your bike, or rollerblades into a narrow channel formed where a sidewalk meets a driveway. My point is that every mode of transportation mas its limitations. Drive your average car into a 5 inch curb and let me know what happens. Not only did Segway training address what you can and can't to....but it also gave me training in the ways to properly get the Segway up a high curb, down a high curb, or drag it up the stairs in its power-assist mode.
Teh car was a major advantage because it allowed people to go relative long distances at relatively high speeds, carrying a relatively heavyier load. By contrast, the Segway goes much shorter distances, much more slowly, carrying much less. I hardly see this as an "advance".
No, the place that I think the segway will clean up in is the airport for moving staff around between checkins. Bicycles and gate taxis are great but they are not that manouverable when people are around. The Segway is sort like a slower bicycle and usually the passenger density is less than the crowd at shows.
Apart from that I can see the thing being used by maintenance workers to move around production lines and plant. Bikes are often used, but again this may be better because of the better manouverability at slow speeds.
For private use, I can't see it being useful.
When do you reckon they'll launch a version with a seat for people who complain that standing is too much effort? :-))
I think it's really interesting somebody's having a go at selling self-balancing machines, I got a feeling the practical use for this might come pop up in a completely different area (military? industrial? space?). May help put some research time into alternative fuel power supplies as well. Maybe even get "urban transport lanes " (bicycles, skates, etc) into more towns outside of Denmark and Netherlands, which would be a good thing.
Me, I think the self propelled transport angle is a loser, I go with the other postings which vote for the zero-emission ultra-efficient, gets-you-fit option, the bicycle. You can do an office job and cycle in, you just don't have to cycle for an Olympic Gold sprint medal. Cycle easy and you'll still get there in a third the time it takes to walk :-)
AC, you probably won't read this, but the guy who developed/invented the Segway did create such a wheelchair-like device, which could roll around at normal wheelchair height, but "push a button", and it could stand up to normal height, balancing on two wheels (it had six total wheels, and could climb stairs as well). I don't remember the name of the device, and I don't think they are widely sold, but it led to the development of the Segway.
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Providing the motors are strong enough, the mountings and case mounts are solid, the motors should just rotate the rider to an upright position. If anything (but the sensors would stop it, unless they fail as well), the rider would be bashed or flung off backward. The Segway is really a form of servo-like feedback device, always trying to gain it's equalibrium - I wouldn't be a bit surprised if very little current is used to keep a rider balanced, and only when moving do the motors really use power...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
I have no objection to Phillip Torrone turning an honest dollar on his website, or linking to that website from a story posted to Slashdot. I do strongly object to seeing on Slashdot yet another technical-content-free puff piece about Segway.
Making trouble today for a better tomorrow...
A Vespa is a perfectly acceptable way for adults to motor around on two wheels and will probably get you a nicer kind of date than either an SUV or a motorcycle. And an electric bike is the choice for environmentally and health-conscious folks.
I did read the site but didn't see where they got 2. Could you point it out? Everywhere I look (like on this page) I see a reference to a single Segway. Even the "why page" reads why did we get a segway?
This list of pro's and con's seem pretty fair and balanced. (At least, when taken from a pedestrian or bicyclist's point of view.)