Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

TacticalJack writes "Rob Owen, a retired clown, and two other riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph, the AP reports. It took the Segway riders two and half hours to complete the 7.6 mile endurance test. The team used six batteries, fought off 50 mph winds and battled bitter cold to reach the 6,288-foot mountain summit. All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?"

Comments

*gasps*

[Exiler]

He asked why. On a segway article. I'm at a loss for words.

What happened to the standard geek, 'How?'

Re:*gasps*

[CaptBubba]

More importantly: 'When?'

Re:*gasps*

[bersl2]

All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?

Remember, this is the same crowd that will build antennae out of Pringles cans and will try to put Linux on every conceivable device with a microprocessor. We're geeks; it's because we can, and we'll do it with geek style while we're at it.

Re:*gasps*

[CurlyG]

Well yeah, it's a cute toy, but the Segway just seems like such a pointless, expensive, inefficient and above all inelegant solution to something that wasn't a problem in the first place... to me that makes it profoundly un-geeky.

Re:*gasps*

[rmohr02]

Or the /. geek: "Does it run Linux?"

Re:*gasps*

[euxneks]

Yes, to you or I, walking is no big problem. But we're not talking about the _average_ computer user geek here are we? =P

Imagine a huge guy who stays on his computer for days on end.. Or even the malnourished walking stick variety. Is he going to want to actually walk around when he can get some computerized device to do it for him?

I didn't think so either. =D

Re:*gasps*

[MegaFur]

Actually, I think segways do have a point or a certain niche in which they would be useful. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, this niche is way too small to support a product so expensive. (I don't think they'd be very good for mountain trails)

I mean, sure it would be nice to take the car down to the downtown area, find a parking space *somewhere*, then just segway around to wherever you need to be, but... problems:

1) Almost no one has a segway so there aren't any special parking accomodations set up for them for when you get where you wanted to be.

2) Segways cost over $1000. That's waaay too much for something that will be used so little. Also, since it is so expensive, you don't dare let anything happen to it. Safest place for it is in the closet, actually...

IIRC, the guy that made segway tried to set up a sort of "master plan" (like get it guarenteed street legal everywhere, get a number of business organizations with $$$ to be early adopters, build up a lot of hype before revealing the device, etc) but the plan backfired in various ways. One example: I don't think he ever intended for the IT campaign to go nearly as far as it did. The resulting disillusionment hurt badly: "Oh..." (long pause) "So it's a... it's a scooter..."

Re:*gasps*

[Anonymous Coward]

Segways cost over $1000.

It's worse than that, Segway's cost nearly $5000. If I owned a segway I'd feel damned uncomfortable about chaining it up at the bike stand thinking no one will steal it, or fuck with it.

As well, they weigh like 60 lbs and can't climb stairs. So when you go somewhere that has stairs, you have to get off the thing and carry it up the stairs yourself. Pretty much negates the benefit of riding if you ask me. Old people and the cripples certainly aren't going to do that.

Re:*gasps*

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

The average speed of a car in a major city is 6 mph. A segay can do 10 - 12, at least. Think about the population of major cities and then consider whether or not this is a limited market. Before you go criticizing someone or something, you should consider if you have thought through all possibilities.

Re:*gasps*

[Felinoid]

You don't walk to work every day.
The car was an inelegant solution where there was no problem as far as anyone who owned a horse was conserned.
But to people who can not afford to own/train/feed a large animal for transportation the car was the ONLY option.

And you can't drive a car up and down the office hallway.

Re:*gasps*

[Anonymous Coward]

The average speed of a car in a major city is 6 mph.

Care to site that? At any rate, segways are designed for sidewalk use. People walk on sidewalks. Crowded cities have crowdes sidewalks (New York as an example). People are slow. Whole hell of a lot of good that does there, huh.

If anything, I'd take a lesson from big city messengers: use a mountian bike. It's bunches smaller, can go between cars to get around the trafic, and is pretty much acceptible to use on sidewalks. It uses your own power (get in shape at the same time), is pretty light, etc etc.

Segways are, as another poster so aptly pointed out, a poor solution to a problem that dosen't exist.

Re:*gasps*

[MegaFur]

(I'm agreeing with you)

If anything, I'd take a lesson from big city messengers: use a mountian bike.

Mountain bikes are also much cheaper. :-) Or, you could use a conventional "non magic" scooter--although they can get tiring rather quickly. Yeah, go with the mountain bike.

Re:*gasps*

[Anony Moose Cow Turd]

Well yeah, it's a cute toy, but the Segway just seems like such a pointless, expensive, inefficient and above all inelegant solution to something that wasn't a problem in the first place... to me that makes it profoundly un-geeky.

It's got five fricken gyroscopes!

What is this word solution? I do not think it means what you think it means.

Re:*gasps*

[catbutt]

The first cars were very expensive too. (whether or not you believe that cars are good things is beside the point) I think Segways are neat, whether or not it is cool to think that on slashdot. Would I buy one? Probably not anytime soon, unless I had a lot of money to blow, and in that case yes. I am impressed with an actual working implementation of artificial balance. I predict that while the first-generation Segway itself probably won't catch on in a big way (because of its price, size and weight), artificial balance vehicles will be huge in the future. But then again maybe you've got something more interesting you're putting together in your garage. Can't wait to see it!

Re:*gasps*

[Anonymous Coward]

When did geek style come to represent such a shitty solution? Segway was supposed to change how cities were going to be built?!?!?! Last I checked, the technology is good but there isn't that high of a demand for overly complex people mover.

Get a bike if you are in between the upper end of the range for your feet and the lower end of the range for driving. Oh wait, I forgot that if it doesn't have Steve Jobs preaching for it than it isn't tres' cool.

Re:*gasps*

[Anonymous Coward]

A segway can do 10-12mph, but it's got to compete with the cars (dangerous, and since they're averaging 6mph there goes the benefit of being able to go faster) or the pedestrians (slower, and still mildly dangerous - think rolled-over feet, heavy segway in addition to its rider's weight).

It could work in a city designed for them, though - extra-wide sidewalks, maybe, or a wheelchair-width lane along the sidewalk in the road. Parking is not an issue, you'd bring it with you into the office and park it in your cubicle (you'd want to do that anyway to charge the battery). Malls and such could have *indoor* parking because they're so small - and that'd go a long way towards stopping segway theft because they'd be easy to keep an eye on bunched together inside like that. Buildings would have to be a little bigger to do that, but it's a net space savings when you compare it to parking garages and car parking spaces along the roads.

It'd be pretty difficult to retrofit an existing city for them, though.

Re:*gasps*

[innosent]

Agreed, why not just have everyone buy a scooter? They're much faster, more intuitive, and can be used on the street, to actually go somewhere. I've seen 49cc scooters that get 110 mpg around here selling for about $800... Which when you consider the price of a segway, kinda makes you wonder why anyone would want a segway. Sure, you look goofy on a scooter, but you look goofy on a segway, so what difference does it make. At least on a scooter at 45mph, you won't have to see them make fun of you for as long.

Besides, if you didn't want to walk for 2.5 hours, why would you want to stand on a segway that long? Let's try educating the public on important things (like not running into things with their cars while gawking at a segway on the sidewalk), then worry about building machines to save them from the hassle of walking.

Re:*gasps*

[Golias]

The average speed of a car in a major city is 6 mph. A segay can do 10 - 12, at least.

The "average" speed of cars driving on downtown roads during rush hour includes stopping for traffic lights and slowing for congestion... both of which a Segway would need to do on a crowded urban sidewalk (assuming the city even lets them on the sidewalk, instead of on the street with the bicycles where they belong.)

In other words, you just compared the Segway's top potential speed to the real-world speed of cars in traffic. A completely invalid comparison. A Segway in the city during rush hour will go at almost exactly the same speed as the cars... and on a cold Minnesota day, with sleet pounding down on you, that would be completely intolerable.

Not to mention the fact that most cars are out of downtown traffic and flying down the interstate highway in a matter of blocks, at least in the Twin Cities area. A Segway might get me from the Metrodome to the Target Center in 10 minutes, but can it get me out to Lakeville (a distant suburb) in under 45? Obviously not.

Take notes, inventors who wish to change the world. No personal vehicle will ever replace the car for daily commutes in the US unless it offers the following:

1. A comfortable enclosed cab to protect from the elements.
2. A top speed that at least approaches one mile per minute, and do so reasonably safely and under control.
3. Enough passenger space for a mother of two to drop her kids off at day care on the way to the office.
4. Luggage space allowing enough room for a laptop case, a gym bag, maintenance parts for the vehicle (just like cars almost always have a spare tire, a jack, and jumper cables in the trunk).
5. A convenient way to keep it powered on demand - extended downtime to recharge batteries is not acceptable.

Until the "Segway 2.0" or whatever meets all five of those points, anybody who wants to buy it would need to own both that, and a car... which means that it will remain nothing more than a toy for yuppies.

Re:*gasps*

[penguin7of9]

We're geeks; it's because we can, and we'll do it with geek style while we're at it.

"Geek style" means using one's ingenuity to create things, not spending lots of money on expensive toys.

Re:*gasps*

[tiled_rainbows]

The average speed of a car in a major city is 6 mph.

Wrong. Not often I get to argue from a professional standpoint on /. but IAATPT (I Am A Traffic Planning Technician) in London and I know for a fact the average speed of vehicular traffic in this unusually congested city is a speedy 9 mph. Sure, that's 1 mph less than what it was when we were all using horses and carts, but it's still more than you're claiming, and enough that I would guess that a Segway with a top speed of 12 mph would not be able to get an average speed, in terms of a complete door-to-door urban journey, much faster than the average - the ability to weave through traffic etc would be outweighed by the short stretches of open road you get, even in rush hour, where everyone else accellerates to 30 - 40 mph.

Never thought my transport-geekery would ever come in handy. Just don't get me started on buses...

Re:*gasps*

[Moraelin]

Well, doing something just because they can, is one thing.

But I'm more like thinking "thinking one's so elite and superior for doing/using/whatever some pointless gimmick that the rest of the world can do without" that would be the yard stick for qualifying as a proper /. kind of a nerd. (You'll have to admit that while indeed Linux or Macs have their strong points, at least 90% of the reason to have one at home is merely the fact that normal mortals don't.)

For extra points, though, Segway owners should invent a conspiracy they're opposing. You know, sorta like having Linux at home helps fight the Microsoft and Intel monopoly. (Never mind that it's on an Intel box or compatible anyway, and the other partition has Windows on it anyway.)

Dunno... maybe that owning a Segway helps fight the motorcicle and car manufacturers' conspiracy?

Re:*gasps*

[el-spectre]

The huge guys can't use 'em. I'm 6'5" 270 and too damned bug for the things. Maybe if I got 2 and welded them together...

Re:*gasps*

[Anonymous Coward]

People have different needs when it comes to vehicles, for me to get to college I simply need one with a top speed fast enough to get me there in under 15 mins (for this a pedal bike does fine at an average of 10mph), i need enough luggage space for a couple books, only has to seat one person and can be open, of course, moped's suite this perfectly, so i don't know why i'm complaining, but still.

Re:*gasps*

[suwain_2]

...which leads to the logical question:

Can you put Linux on the Segway? ;)

Re:*gasps*

[Upphew]

Then one must buy a car that has Segway included

Re:*gasps*

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

In London it is 9 but I merely said most major cities. My statistics are coming from an average across many major cities. You may also want to note that when you say "Wrong.", you are being rude and I would suggest you learn how to converse more pleasantly for the future.

Re:*gasps*

[rblancarte]

How about the even more Segway-esque: "Who cares?"

Re:*gasps*

[rblancarte]

If anything, I'd take a lesson from big city messengers: use a mountian bike.
While i will agree with what you say here, as a guy who uses a bike for most of his commuting, I don't agree with the rest of your post.

It's bunches smaller
True. IMHO, the 2 major failings of the Segway are the price and size. Smaller is better when you are talking individual transport.

can go between cars to get around the trafic
While this is true, it is not a good idea. I take my life into my own hands when I get on my bike, but I make it 100 times worse when I start doing stupid things like break traffic laws. Plus it draws the ire of some drivers, and with road rage now a days, you could end up with something like this. (however, I will say that this was a VERY EXTREME case and the bike riders involved were being very militant toward all motor vehicles on the road, but that would never justify the actions of the driver)

and is pretty much acceptible to use on sidewalks.
Tell that to the traffic cop who will stop you and give you a ticket. We see bikes as ok for the sidewalk, but they are not supposed to be used there. While the dodging of traffic pisses off driver, use of the sidewalk will generally piss off pedestrians. It is like above, just try not to do anything that is too stupid, and you should not get people TOO mad.

It uses your own power (get in shape at the same time), is pretty light, etc etc.
Some more valid arguments. I agree with these.

Personally, if I can tinker with the answer even more, I always felt that the Segway was a bad solution to a problem that the BEST answer was a bike. While they do have their issues, and the user base is at odds with other people on the road, it is still the best solution for personal transportation.

Re:*gasps*

[valkraider]

[a mountain bike] is pretty much acceptible to use on sidewalks

In some cities, bicycles are illegal on sidewalks downtown.

Re:*gasps*

[cosmo7]

Yes, in the future be more pleasant and less rude, as Acidic Diarrhea says.

Re:*gasps*

[Reziac]

All good points, and you're right, nothing can replace the car for practical all-purpose transport. But bike paths have become a regular commuter route in some major cities, including parts of Los Angeles. So why not treat the Segway as a powered bicycle, and allow it on bike paths? (Which presently don't allow motorized scooters, but I think that's meant to exclude the 30-40MPH crowd with noisy two-cycle motors, not the quiet and almost-like-a-wheelchair-but-faster set.) It runs at around the same speed, and I gather has similar maneuverability.

I remember a TV special on traffic in NYC. One thing they pointed out was that downtown auto traffic is so snarled, that rapid delivery of small packages was best done by bicycle. Same for very large warehouse situations. Seems to me the Segway could enter those markets, were it more-reasonably priced.

Re:*gasps*

[Golias]

So why not treat the Segway as a powered bicycle, and allow it on bike paths?

The same reason you don't currently allow pedestrians on them.

Segways go about 5-8 MPH slower than a good athlete on a bike. If I were an LA cyclist, I would be pissed off to find my riding trails suddenly crammed with those things. At least powered scooters are thin.

If Segways ever start to become popular, then some cities might add paths for them, just like many cities have added bike paths. However, at $5000 for something that does not effectively replace cars, bicycles, or wheelchairs, I doubt that will happen any time soon. The only function Segways really can displace is pedestrian traffic... but since walking is free, and Segways cost a fortune, you won't see that catch on soon either.

One thing they pointed out was that downtown auto traffic is so snarled, that rapid delivery of small packages was best done by bicycle. Same for very large warehouse situations. Seems to me the Segway could enter those markets, were it more-reasonably priced.

You mean, if it were one-tenth of the current price, light enough to easily lift up a flight of sidewalk stairs, considerably faster, and didn't make you look like a total dork? Because then, sure. Otherwise, no.

Also, there's the office assistant lust factor: A thirtysomething female office assistant needs to have a package brought to her. Is she going to go with "SpeedyBike Bicycle Delivery", and have the package brought to her by a young guy who works out all day, every day, and will arrive wearing spandex shorts? Or will she go with "SegwayDeliveries-R-Us" and get the package from a fat retiree on a scooter?

Re:*gasps*

[Reziac]

The commuter bike paths don't move at an athlete's pace. They're not designed for a fun ride nor a workout, but rather for getting from point A to point B without being in the auto traffic lanes, and they tend to be fairly flat and boring as a result. You see a lot of middle-aged business types using 'em during rush hour, doing not much more than a good jogging pace.

Large warehouse and manufacturing situations are typically either flat, or have freight elevators. If you're using the stairs, you need more work to do. :) Bikes are already in use in some of the very large facilities, such as aircraft mfgr'ing. The problem is that not everyone is an athlete, and you can't limit your whoever-has-to-move-around-the-facility-a-lot positions to those who can ride a bike. And bikes are not so good in areas where you don't have much turning room (not everyone is a stunt rider, either).

As to the handsome young bike rider in spandex... if I were a package delivery company, would I want my delivery dudes wasting time with every sweet young thing they met along the way? Hell no, I'd want the ugliest guys I could find, so the sweet young things would sign for the package and show 'em the door posthaste. Time is money! :)

Clown

[Anonymous Coward]

A retired clown!

LOL!

Re:Clown

[Anonymous Coward]

I think that was the only thing that made me smile about this article, clowns just make me *shudder*.

The only thing better than a retired clown is a dead one.

segway

[theSpear]

A segway would be awesome.. i wonder if there legal on highways lol

Re:segway

[Anonymous Coward]

Go back to the AOL ass you crawled out of.

lol

Re:segway

[Anonymous Coward]

I immediately ignore anybody who says "lol".

Or just buy a damn Rascal.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's no different, and there is no wasted energy in keeping a gyroscope leveled. As for the geriatric connotations of a Rascal, well it's not like a Segway is a chick magnet either.

Re:Or just buy a damn Rascal.

[Call Me Black Cloud]

I guess I don't watch enough late night television. I didn't know what a Rascal is. For those similarly ignorant, may I present....the Rascal. Actually, that's the iRascal, an "online exclusive". The crowd here would probably more enjoy the Rascal High Speed 325: "This Rascal is as exciting as it is stylish. Enjoy the thrill of accelerating to top speeds of 8 mph." From the spec sheet:

Weight Capacity: 450 lbs

Maximum Range: 20 miles

Hell, that could have carried CowboyNeal to the top of Mt Washington!

Re:Or just buy a damn Rascal.

[Anonymous Coward]

Stop making excuses for yourself. Just because you bought a Rascal and can't get chicks doesn't mean the two are related.

Re:Or just buy a damn Rascal.

[Anonymous Coward]

450 lbs???

Wow, must be designed to Americans so fat they can no longer walk.
Not really a niche market. I'm sure they sell well.

Answer?

[sokk]

"All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?" Because then they wouldn't have hit the press.

I was thinking more like...

[hangareighteen]

It begs the question: Why mention that he's a retired clown?

Re:I was thinking more like...

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know, some people hate clowns, some are afraid of clowns, and then some, like me, love clowns...

But does a clown really retire? Is "clown" a profession? The ones I knew never retired... I guess being a clown is a personal trait for them.

Re:I was thinking more like...

[secolactico]

Because only a clown would ride the segway without being snickered at.

Would he have done better time in a monocycle? Or a tiny VW with other twenty seven clowns? Now *those* questions should be answered!

Note: I like clowns. A great deal better than I like mimes, at least.

Re:I was thinking more like...

[HoppQ]

I like clowns. A great deal better than I like mimes, at least.

Somebody should explain to me this hatred of mimes all Americans seem to share (and is constantly referenced to in American popular culture). Where did it originate and why? I'm baffled. (OK, so mimes may not be the most entertaining of performers, but I don't think they deserve to die any more than the Jackass etc. dudes).

Re:I was thinking more like...

[McAddress]

It begs the question: Why mention that he's a retired clown?

More like: It begs the question: If this is what he does after he retires, what did he do when he was still working?

When I was a kid...

[hypermike]

I had to ride my segway to school uphill in the snow without TIRES! gosh darn young wippersnappers - no respect at all!

Re:When I was a kid...

[Anonymous Coward]

back in my days, i had to CARRY my segway, uphill in the snow...when it ran out of juice.

Re:When I was a kid...

[EverDense]

I had to ride my segway to school uphill in the snow without TIRES! gosh darn young
wippersnappers - no respect at all!

uphill! uphill! you were lucky to have a hill.
When I was a lad, I had to carry my segway 5 miles up a shear cliff while it hailed golf
ball-size ice. You were lucky to have a hill!

Begging the question

[LadyLucky]

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Re:Begging the question

[Dr. Evil]

Oh the irony.

Re:Begging the question

[blitzoid]

Inconceivable!

Re:Begging the question

[Anonymous Coward]

Oddly enough, it now does. "Begs the question" used to mean only to "pass over" it. The dictionaries of my youth confirm this. However, modern Websters dictionaries, possibly others, basically indicate that "begs" is now its own antonym, and can also mean "suggests the question". Go figure... Dictionaries are descriptive not prescriptive and all that rot...

Re:Begging the question

[0111 1110]

Question begging as a logical fallacy or as an improper but popular slang usage meaning "raises the question"?

Re:Begging the question

[operagost]

Just like rain on your wedding day.

Re:Begging the question

[DJGreg]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGHH!!!

Dammit, now i have to go rent Princess Bride again :)

Re:Begging the question

[JPM NICK]

None one appreciates a good Alanis Moressette anymore? C'mon, she was the it thing for at least 11 minutes in 1995.

Re:Begging the question

[miu]

"Begs the question"

The only person I've ever seen use the term correctly was Darl McBride, and he used it to say the kind of silly crap he always says.

Re:Begging the question

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh great, now my Princess Bride joke is going to be marked redundant just cause I didn't read all the posts first!

Re:Begging the question

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone eles think that quote is fucking gay? Am I alone here?

Re:Begging the question

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, you are alone.

Any quote can be used in a gay manner. The original use (even if you find the movie gay) is quite amusing and well done. The grandparent's usage... well... is as camp as a row of pink tents (gaaaaayyyyyy).

Re:Begging the question

[Jethro]

I've got two copies, want one?

Re:Begging the question

[Empiric]

I the entire Adobe corporation couldn't get it right, perhaps the Slashdot message queue can be forgiven? Adobe managed to incorporate this and yet another non sequitur in a single sentence, on national TV... repeatedly.

Of course, Adobe, being a competent software firm, knows how to use the English language. Er... oops.

Re:Begging the question

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I used to fight this one, but it was allowed by the editors of the large newspaper here (Dallas Morning News) and now I've given up.

Re:Begging the question

[DiveX]

For those that are interested in learning something: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/begs.html

12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[colnago]

huh? Somebody school me please.

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[HaloZero]

Stopping to swap out batteries, lunch breaks? Rest. Pissing. Falling over. Flat tires?

That brings up another two interesting questions. Can Segways get flats? And did they need special 'mud-like' tires for these things?

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[Anonymous Coward]

The segway runs on a single watch battery (SR920W 1.5V). You need to stop every 2 seconds to replace it.

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[Kadagan AU]

That brings up another two interesting questions. Can Segways get flats? And did they need special 'mud-like' tires for these things?

First, I'm not sure if they can get flats. Second, I think you misunderstand about Mt Washington. I've hiked it before and it's quite some climb, but it has an auto road going up it with a gift shop at the top. I'm assuming that they used the road, so didn't need special tires. I just pitty the cars that may have been stuck behind them (it's a small road).

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[HaloZero]

Oh, I've been up Mount Washington. Did it in a AWD Subaru. Just wasn't clear which method the Segwayers used to climb the mountain.

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[pyrrhonist]

Yes, they used the road.
See the picture.

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[operagost]

We used a RWD 1976 LTD with two adults, two kids and luggage. On the friggin' road! It's no big deal!

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[localghost]

7.6 miles at 12.5 MPH would take ~37 minutes. Are you suggesting they spent 4 times as much time lunching, resting, pissing, and falling over as they did riding?

And another thing, what would they possibly need rest from? All that strenuous leaning forward?

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[bobKali]

it's that new math

Re:12.5MPH, 7.6 Miles, 2.5 hours?

[jshazen]

7.6 miles at 12.5 MPH would take ~37 minutes. Are you suggesting they spent 4 times as much time lunching, resting, pissing, and falling over as they did riding?

Perhaps it took the extra time to change out those extra 6 batteries.

And another thing, what would they possibly need rest from? All that strenuous leaning forward?

Well, in the article, the guy says "It's like doing a boogie dance the whole time. You're using your muscles all the time."

Hah

[ascalon]

For how much they cost, they should be able to do more than climb up mountains.

Re:Hah

[Exiler]

For how much they cost they should make pancakes, serve them to you in bed, have an included coffee maker, come with several gigs of mad lesbian pr0n, and have a small kitchen sink in-dash

Re:Hah

[Call Me Black Cloud]

Perhaps they rode them down as well?

Re:Hah

[patman600]

forget several gigs of mad lesbian porn, if I'm shelling out 5 grand I want real live lesbians!

6 batteries?

[Anonymous Coward]

hrrrm. i wonder if they had to carry their batteries... because, we _all_ have 6 specialty batteries lying around just incase the first 5 die.

Another example of...

[Arae]

... People with too much money AND time.

dressed up like a butler

[gnurb]

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/US/Northeast/08/28/offbe at.segway.ap/vert.segway.ap.jpg

he looks very funny.

Re:dressed up like a butler

[Call Me Black Cloud]

Hmmm...that link didn't work...try this one.

Of course he looks funny...he's a retired clown.

Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

[TrollBurger]

In Other News:
John Ashcroft Calls for Mount Washington to be placed on Schedule 1

Re:Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

[schnits0r]

This isn't a troll or something. I tinhk this should be modded up. It's funny as hell.

Re:Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

[Idarubicin]

I was riding a Segway up the mountain and it was like 'beep beep beep.' And then, like, I rolled halfway back down, and I was like, 'huh?'

It was kind of a ... bummer.

Re:Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

[Lord_Dweomer]

" I was riding a Segway up the mountain and it was like 'beep beep beep.' And then, like, I rolled halfway back down, and I was like, 'huh?'"

And then I went back to the Oval Office.

Six batteries?

[msobkow]

Wouldn't carrying six battery packs on a Segway be even more absurd than as trying to carry a couple five-gallon gas cans on a motorcycle?

What's next -- a shoebox on rollerblades as a "trailer"?

Re:Six batteries?

[r00zky]

The difference being that the Segway eats 6 battery packs in 7.6mi and the motorcycle can walk that with the gas inside a Zippo.
Segway: useless tech for senseless people.

Re:Six batteries?

[tessaiga]

Also, at some point, wouldn't the increased capacity of carrying more and more big heavy batteries be offset by the fact that you need more power to haul all that weight uphill?

I suspect that they had someone/thing else pacing them carrying the extras.

Re:Six batteries?

[Anonymous Coward]

A 50cc Vespa would kick a Segway's ass.

Re:Six batteries?

[Technician]

Empty batteries do not get much lighter, much unlike a gas can. I wondered if they left the empties behind for someone else to carry, or did they take them with them. Does this have regenerative braking? Did they recharge on the way back down?

Re:Six batteries?

[JFMulder]

Maybe the Segway uses 2 AAs every half an hour. So bringing the batteries around wouldn't be too heavy. Look how much power it can give to a Gameboy advance. I wouldn't be surprised. ;)</just kidding>

Re:Six batteries?

[maddogdelta]

That's why he carried the batteries on his back... to lighten the load.

Simple Math

[saider]

7.6 mi / 2.5 hr = 3.04 mi/hr.

The way the article is written, they make it sound like it breezed up the mountian.

Still, 3 miles per hour is a pretty brisk pace for mountian climbing.

Re:Simple Math

[FlyingRobin13]

...especially seeing as the article said
riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph

Re:Motorized

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, there's a road to the top of mount washington, along with a train.

Obvious answer

[Stephen Samuel]

All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?"

If they'd done it on a moterbike, would they have been written up on slashdot?

What more reason does a geek need?

Astroturf?

[SunPin]

Any chance that this was engineered by a marketing firm? Will we see it in Mountain Dew commercials?

Re:Astroturf?

[heli0]

"The Segway belongs to Heritage New Hampshire, a tourist attraction in Bartlett. The drivers were employees."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a p/ segway_mountain

Re:Astroturf?

[jcsehak]

Will we see it in Mountain Dew commercials?

Um, this is about as "extreme" as playing bridge with the Ladies Auxillary. Now, tattooed chicks and Sugar-Ray-esque guys riding Segways on a half-pipe -- I wouldn't put it past 'em.

Re:Astroturf?

[babbage]

The people running operations at Mt Washington were probably just as interested in the publicity as the Segway folks -- I wouldn't be at all surprised if the idea started on their side, not on DEKA's.

"Picture it, the world famous New Hampshire invention climing the side of New Hampshire's most famous landmark."

Somehow I don't think that would have been a difficult sell...

Re:Astroturf?

[libnatel]

that would be the coolest thing ive ever seen jus the idea of it makes me want to go out and buy their horrible tasting product.

Re:Astroturf?

[Drathos]

That would be second most famous landmark.

But then again, the most famous fell down in May, I guess it's not much of a landmark anymore..

Re:Astroturf?

[babbage]

Then how about "most famous currently existing landmark"?

Better? :)

Segway hacking?

[RajivSLK]

If a segway can go 12.5mph up a 12-18% grade then it must have enough power to go considerably faster that it's advertised 12.5 mph top speed on flat ground.

How long until people start hacking their segways to achieve maximum speed?

Re:Segway hacking?

[damiam]

Judging from the times they quoted, I doubt it did get 12.5mph. It probably actually got 3mph and the lazy reported wrote 12.5 cause that's what's in the product literature.

Re:Segway hacking?

[thebigmacd]

The Segway is governed at 12.5 mph. It has the power to go faster. Hence, 12.5 mph uphill too.

Re:Segway hacking?

[Anonymous Coward]

Next in the news, Segway Overclocking Exposed!

Re:Segway hacking?

[ergo98]

Errr...you basically just repeated exactly what he was overtly implying. When he mentioned "hacking", clearly he was talking about overriding the limiter.

Re:Segway hacking?

[KiwiEngineer]

You could always take the simple road and get yourself the "go-faster" speed stripes favoured by drivers of preludes, or alternately paint it red, because red cars go faster.

Geeks, already used to chipping their playstations will take with glee to the project of modding segways for speed.
Wait for the segway case mods to come into vogue at lan parties

Re:Segway hacking?

[GlenRaphael]

How long until people start hacking their segways to achieve maximum speed?

One hacker claims it's been done. He calls the fast, poor tuning radius setting "SUV mode".

Re:Segway hacking?

[StikyPad]

Actually, to defeat the speed governor and increase acceleration, all you have to do is place an "R-Type" sticker in a conspicuous location. The hard part of doing this on a Segway is finding a conspicuous location. The wheels would work, but spinning makes the sticker less effective.

Re:Segway hacking?

[infestedsenses]

If a segway can go 12.5mph up a 12-18% grade

It didn't. If it really went 12.5mph at that angle, they would have needed less than an hour to complete the 7.6 mile track. They needed 2 1/2 hours, however.

That concludes that they were moving at an average speed of 3.04mph @ 12-18% slope. I don't know in how far the 50mph winds had an affect on this, but a ca. 75% decrease in max. speed seems a little overdrawn.

Re:Segway hacking?

[Anonymous Coward]

They needed 2 1/2 hours, however.

That concludes that they were moving at an average speed of 3.04mph @ 12-18% slope

Mt Washington trails are not 12-18%. "12.5 mph up a 12-18% grade" is a design spec. 2.5 hours up Mt Wash is real world performance and includes time for SIX battery change.

Re:Segway hacking?

[sadomikeyism]

In June a friend of mine drove his Prius, that hybrid electric car, up and down Mt Washington. He needed no extra battery packs, no refuelling, and did not overload anything either way (the brakes did get a little hot). The Mt Washington road is obviously not equipped with power outlets along it to recharge one's Segway. For those using it out of town, I'd suggest it be equipped with some sort of hybrid electric system, perhaps a small two cycle engine of 25-50 cc. Better yet, considering that riding a Segway gives one the reputation of being a bit of a panzy, I suggest an ubilical cable to a thermocouple that the rider should insert into their rectum, converting body heat into useful propulsive energy. Power bars, anyone?

Re:Motorized

[damiam]

Nope, sorry, it's a road. Never been to Mt. Washington, have you?

Why use a motorbike?

[shird]

When he could have just jumped in the van that was following him? For that matter, why even go up the damn mountain in the first place?

That said, motorbikes are 'cool' and I ride one and would rather that over a damn segway anyday. :)

Short grammar lesson

[meowsqueak]

There is a time when one may be pedantic and in some cases it can be quite interesting:

What 'begs the question' really means [worksafe].

You can mod me 'flamebait' or 'troll' if you like but consider this - I'm just trying to enhance and improve your grammar-life, with no money down!

Re:Short grammar lesson

[fireman sam]

Slashdot this is. Here you must be new, no?

It is amazing.

[pr0ntab]

It is amazing how difficult it is to form an intelligent response to this article.

I can understand slashdot's collective interest in all things Segway, but I think at this point there's probably nothing more that can be said about the subject.

I see this as a parallel to a prophetic article in which the Hurd is used to power the next Furby, thus sounding the death knell for both technologies.

Furby = nearly dead retired clown, and Segway = The Hurd, in case you didn't get my analogy.

It's an interesting technology looking for a market that doesn't exist. People in densely packed cities are doing just fine with inexpensive bikes. Americans like their cars. The Segway is the butt of a lot of unfunny jokes, and publicity stunts like this.

I predict that someone below this post will undoubtedly compare this to George Bush's run-in with the Segway, claiming he is less intelligent than a clown, and less fit to run the country.

Go at it slashdot. You'll only find +1 Funny posts here.

Re:It is amazing.

[CitizenJohnJohn]

To put this dumb stunt into some sort of perspective, there's an annual bike race up Mt Washington. This year's winner, Tom Danielson, rode up in 51 minutes and 5 seconds.

Danielson is an elite athlete, but most of the far-more-ordinary 500+ riders completed the trip to the top in under 2.5 hours, including all those in the '60-65 Male' category.

The Segway isn't faster than a 60-year-old on a bicycle. I think that says it all.

Re:It is amazing.

[theonetruekeebler]

There is a use for these devices: People who have to spend eight hours at a time moving around in large, relatively smooth areas.

In downtown Atlanta, the downtown Ambassadors ride them from place to place, helping visitors get where they need to go all around a roughly six square mile area.

In factories and plants, supervisors, inspectors and sundry maintenance folks have to traverse the floor/compound all the time. Making all the passages wide enough for two golf carts to pass one another makes for some expensive design decisions.

And of course, there are many, many folks with disabilities such that they can stand for a good while, but can't walk very long at all.

Folks need to quit asking what kind of toy this is, and start asking what kind of tool it is.

Of course, as toys go, it is kinda funky...

Re:Motorized

[RevSmiley]

dam it's a Joke. And only 50 MPH winds? hehehe.

Retired Clown == John Howard

[wigam]

That retired clown looks like John Howard the Prime Minister of Australia!!

Re:Retired Clown == John Howard

[Anonymous Coward]

he looks nothing like him. he doesnt even have glasses on. what the hell are you talking about.

Re:Retired Clown == John Howard

[CurlyG]

Ah, if only that damn clown would retire... One can but hope, I guess.

Re:Retired Clown == John Howard

[B747SP]

That retired clown looks like John Howard the Prime Minister of Australia!!

No, if he was the real John Howard, PM of Australia, he'd be wearing a bright yellow tracksuit with 'VODAFONE' emblazoned across the front, and he'd be power walking, not riding a segway. 'course, the eyebrows do look kinda similar, don't they.

Re:Retired Clown == John Howard

[wigam]

We'll I just sent the link to spike (SMH). We'll see what they have to say about it.

Coming out of retirement?

[jmt9581]

Rob Owen, a retired clown, and two other riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph, the AP reports.

Did all three of them ride the same scooter? Can a clown who rides up a mountain with two other guys on an underpowered scooter in very unpleasant weather really be called "retired"? Or is this his "coming out of retirement" show?

Good thing it's not April 1st, or else I never would have believed this. :)

Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

[Lord_Dweomer]

"Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington"

Personally, I think a slightly more literal interpretation of this headline would be a lot more hilarious/interesting than the real story.

Stoned Segway Rider: "Whoah man....like, I lean and it moves and I don't fall over.....I wish I could do that on my own....."

It

[bob_calder]

Who knows why they decided to go up a mountain. It is not the machine's fault!

The Segway allows travel at an intermediate rate - between walking and biking. As to the path issue, there is no rational reason that it couldn't re allowed on foot paths.

It is intended for places where rigid infrastructure doesn't exist. Unfortunately, the US is too rigid by far as the posts amply denonstrate. However I was referring to the road/sidewalk system. ;-)

Re:It

[CurlyG]

It is intended for fat, rich, lazy, credulous morons.

Any imbecile riding one of these toys on a bike path anywhere near me will be receiving a gentle nudge into oncoming traffic (or off the side of the mountain).

Re:It

[Daniel_Staal]

The Segway allows travel at an intermediate rate - between walking and biking. As to the path issue, there is no rational reason that it couldn't re allowed on foot paths.

Sure there is: the same reason you don't have bikes on (some) footpaths. That is: a human foot is primarily downward force, while a moving wheel puts in quite a bit of horizontal force, as well as the downward force. Also, a wheel puts down a continuous rut-like impression, which can easily lead to real ruts and speed up erosion. A footprint does not. Not to mention the twisting force in a turn, that in a human foot is usually absorbed by the ankle...

Basic foot traffic is the lowest impact traffic we have. On a path who has a main attraction that it is naturally beautiful, restrictions to keep that natural beauty make sense.

Of course, one or three Segways isn't going to make much difference. But you don't want to make too many exceptions...

Re:It

[T-Ranger]

The reason why it shouldnt be allowed on foot paths is that that would totaly defeat the purpose of foot paths.

Footpaths exist for a varity of reasons, from pure entertainment of walking / hiking to encourging a healthy lifestile to allowing for the appreciation of nature.

A segway would destroy any entertainment value of walking / hiking. It promotes sedation, not activity. And if the path is good enough to allow for a segway to travel on it, then your conquring nature, not appreciatin it.

New Segway target

[TACD]

Hey, if they're not going to redesign cities around the Segway, maybe now they'll redesign mountains around them...

Re:New Segway target

[Anonymous Coward]

that explains strip mining....

Motorbike or Motorcycle?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, what is the difference? Or are they the same thing? I would think a motorbike is like a scooter, while a motorcycle could be an off road stunt bike or harley.

Hike it?

[stefanlasiewski]

All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?"

Or, here's an insane thought, why not just hike it? Even part of it?

When hiking, you can stop and smell the flowers. When Segwaying, you can stop and change your batteries.

What did they do all that time?

[ttyp0]

Is anyone else confused by the fact that it took them 2 1/2 hours to go 7.6 miles at a speed of 12.5 mph? With those numbers it works out to be 36 minutes... okay, i'm a dork.

Anti SCO T-Shirts donates to the Open Source Now Fund.

Re:What did they do all that time?

[PoitNarf]

'2 1/2 hours to go 7.6 miles at a speed of 12.5 mph'

Someone forgot their high school physics and the whole inclined plane thing. It's not going to maintain the same speed going up a 6% grade or whatever is was that it would if it was on a level road. Blasted gravity.

Re:What did they do all that time?

[Anonymous Coward]

they mentioned switching batteries out... not sure how long that takes. plus, i'm sure they had to stop for water breaks. don't want to get dehydrated standing on an electric scooter!

Re:What did they do all that time?

[eht]

uh physics has nothing to do with it, if you move straight up at 100 miles per hour, it only takes one hour to move up 100 mph

the article says "surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph" which means his driving speed was 12.5 miles per hour UP A MOUNTAIN

therefore he should have made it in 36 minutes

the article may be wrong, but his math isn't

Re:What did they do all that time?

[Denver_80203]

Obviously, they stopped and changed batteries.

Re:What did they do all that time?

[CausticWindow]

What did they do?

As others have pointed out, the title of the article is "Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington".

Re:What did they do all that time?

[D4MO]

The stopped and smelt the flowers. With the hikers.

Re:What did they do all that time?

[Banjonardo]

OK, people just don't seem to understand:

12.5 mph is the fastest possible speed a Segway can reach in flat land.

Flat. That means not a mountain.

GET A BIKE!!!

[iCharles]

In relation to an earlier query, this artical points out it was the auto road.

Of course, a bicycle got up in in under an hour--40% the Segway time. And to think that one day, I might be on a multi-use path, having to shout at these morons to yeild right-of-way!

Dotcom Era Fads...

[B747SP]

Oh yeah, Segway, that's the other now dead fad that was missing from yesterday's Dotcom Era Fads story on Slashdot :-)

Use a bike, it's faster

[markw365]

I could do that climb on a bike in about an hour, and it'd be better for my cardiovascular system than a segway. Cheaper and better for you. :) Unless of course it's a $5000 ti or carbon bike then it's just better. :)

Re:Use a bike, it's faster

[CottonEyedJoe]

Considering Tom Danielson, one of the best climbers in the world took 49 minutes last time around... "About an hour" makes you a very fit cyclist. The average chainsmoking cheeto eating nerd would probably have a coronary after a few hundred meters. At any rate... 2.5 hours is very generous for the average person.

Re:Use a bike, it's faster

[Richard Mills]

"Unless of course it's a $5000 ti or carbon bike then it's just better."

Sadly, its still cheaper when you factor in the cost of the six segway batteries.

BTW, if you can do the Mt. Washington climb in an hour, you ought to be a pro bicylist. =) Check out the times for the pros in the annual hill climb.

Meanwhile ...

[DogIsMyCoprocessor]

the fastest time running up Mount Washington is 58 minutes 20 1/2 seconds -

Mount Washington Records

The only thing more pathetic than a clown is a clown riding up Mount Washington on a Segway.

Re:Meanwhile ...

[Anonymous Coward]

The only thing more pathetic than a clown is a clown riding up Mount Washington on a Segway.

Or maybe a clown hoping his post on slashdot will impress a girl.

Re:Meanwhile ...

[mcgroarty]

The only thing more pathetic than a clown is a clown riding up Mount Washington on a Segway

Don't forget that this was a retired clown riding up Mount Washington on a Segway. Too arthritic to make balloon animals, too slow to be funny. And yet the years of clown makeup have left their cruel stain... he'll be smiling forever, crying on the inside.

Which begs the question...

[pr0ntab]

that the American bastardized usage is any less useful as an alternative to "makes one wonder", especially since it is even catching on across the pond.

Frankly, it's a slippery slope. First you use begging the question to discount your opponent's argument, accusing them of skirting the issue. Then the person with a weaker position uses it against you, implanting a "glossed over" proposition which is NOT in dispute, but attempting to make you look like you ignored it, or getting someone less ignorant watching a debate to side with you.

Eventually you use it to throw out onto the table any old idea that you think might have been ignored, asking a hard question, or using it deftly to change the subject.

It got that way not because of people picking up it's usage incorrectly, but by loosening the confines in which it is used to better suit poor argumenters looking for semantic wins, not factual wins.

Eventually enough people hear it being used to twist things around, and it gets it's flabby repurposing.

I'll still use it in it's original form, as it still reads correctly to an unlearned reader. They'll always be thinking to themselves, ahh, but I already know the answer to that issue, and I'll always leave a sentence in there to let them know they're right.
But don't feel you have to correct anyone, that begs the question if they care since no one else is expecting them to use these technical english thingies good either.

I could go grammar punk on your ass

[Anonymous Coward]

to you or I (sic)

...but I won't...

Whoopdee-friggin-do!

[Anonymous Coward]

Holy fucking shit! 6,288 feet! Amazing!

Christ, that isn't a fucking mountain, i wouldn't call it a foot hill. I struggle to call it a hill. Climb a real fucking mountain some day.

this story would have been more interesting if a clown car with like 20 clowns went up there and we had some video of them all filing out of a volkswagon bug, or something.

Re:Whoopdee-friggin-do!

[bourne]

Christ, that isn't a fucking mountain...

While I have heard that other, lesser states have higher mountains... none of them have the same fame as Mt. Washington, except perhaps McKinley in Alaska. (Rushmore, of course, is not famous as a mountain per se...)

Of those that are famous, I daresay Mt. Washington is the only one with an auto road leading up to the peak. Insofar as they were on Segways, that kind of limited their choices.

Re:Whoopdee-friggin-do!

[Anonymous Coward]

Pikes Peak, another 14er has annual car races. you can catch them on tv, sorta like rally racing, but more of a sprint than endurance.

whether or not you can get a segway up there... who knows?

Re:Whoopdee-friggin-do!

[bourne]

Good point. Pikes Peak, at least, people have heard of. So there are acceptable alternates.

Re:Whoopdee-friggin-do!

[NoCleverName]

From the Applachain Mountain Club guidebook to Mt Washington: "Mt. Washington has a well-earned reputation as the most dangerous small mountain in the world." "... the worst conditions on Mt. Washington are approximately equal to the the worst reported from Antarctica." Not to over-emphasize, since hundreds play around there daily, but, at least for mountains, size doesn't matter.

Somebody clearly misquoted a top speed...

[pr0ntab]

clearly the couldn't go that fast through those hairpin turns, eh?

What is this doing on /.???????

[pkoduru]

Has anyone rated the topic??? It isn't supposedly an informative nor a good Joke... what is it doing on /.???? ... Well I was pretty bored hearing segway.. segway.. it ain't future.. it is just the gap between guys who can't accept technology (of plasma engines, or fuel cells) and the a techno freak who wants everything from his condom to milk done with electricity.... Come on guys.. in next 50 years this is going to be the worst invention ever..

Re:What is this doing on /.???????

[motox]

Paid advertisement ?

I think Slashdot should start being fair and mark the "articles" that are advertisement just like newspapers do

[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[achurch]

As any linguist will tell you, language changes. The dictionary is not the final word (so to speak) on word usage; real live speakers are. If the vast majority of current writers and editors say that "begs the question" means "provokes us to ask", then it does, no matter what some huffy dictionary author may try to convince you.

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[Lord Ender]

I would prefer to communicate in a world where words had one meaning each. Makes things much easier.

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[jpatters]

There are some things in language that evolve in the way you describe, but using "begs the question" incorrectly just sticks out like a glaring billboard that says "I am an ignorant boob."

In any case, how much harder is it to use the phrase "raises the question"?

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck you!

(By that I meant "thank you". Hey, maybe if it catches on, fuck will now mean "thank.")

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[dumbunny]

Which begs the question, "isn't it ironic?"

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[AdeBaumann]

Oh, go thank yourself, you bastard!

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[DavittJPotter]

Hmm. I was tempted to say "Sorry, no." in response to your comment, but in a way, you are right. Even though the vast majority of English 'speakers' can barely communicate with each other with common vernacular, it's too bad that people try and make themselves seem smarter by using a word or phrase that they don't understand. In which case, you *should* crack the dictionary or thesaurus before committing your thoughts to paper/web/some sort of printed media.

Spoken language is pretty fast and loose with its rules and manners, but I prefer to have my written words not cause me to wince when I go back and re-read them.

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[xigxag]

I think it's fair to say that that line of reasoning is begging the question.

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[rabidcow]

If the vast majority of current writers and editors say that "begs the question" means "provokes us to ask", then it does, no matter what some huffy dictionary author may try to convince you.

If the vast majority of current writers and editors say that "begs the question" means "provokes us to ask", then I think that says something about the vast majority of current writers and editors. (not that that would be surprising.)

Seriously, most readers would understand "squirgles the question" to mean "provokes us to ask." Which squirgles the question, why bother with the existing meaning of words at all? Isn't getting your mudgin across all that's foobly about communication? Or is not sounding like a total grubt foobly as well?

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[Anonymous Coward]

It's tea time!

Re:[OT] Short linguistics lesson

[Anonymous Coward]

If they did, then it would. They don't. "Slashdot posters" and "the vast majority of current writers and editors" have very few people in common. When did you last see "begging the question" misused in a professionally-edited medium?

"Begging the question" may be controversial, but "avoiding the question" is pretty clear -- don't do it and expect not to get called on it.

Speaking of retired clowns

[HidingMyName]

We had aa retired clown as a teacher in middle school, and pound for pound he was probably the strongest guy there (we had an ex U.S. football player, he was definitely the strongest). If you go to a circus and watch what the clowns do, they are often very athletic. Still it is kind of a strange stunt they did.

All this begs the question:

[MKalus]

Why not use a bicycle?

What is "endurance" about doing this on a Segway?

Or am I just missing something here?

every day

[skydude_20]

i scale these altitudes and more, everyday, no biggie,
but then again, i do live in Colorado

...like a fetishist on his way to the sex dungeon.

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I wonder if they were trying to harken to the roots of the US interstate system (although I think Germany's Autobahn predates it).

I recall a small expedition done by the military to show that an truck caravan can be used to cross the continent. Everyone thought it was stupid because, well, anyone who is anyone carried their freight by rail. Eventually some people realized that the interstate highway system could be used.

But, even in light of this, I would rather hike all the way up that mountain than ride one of those dorkmobiles.

Here is a fun article:
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20 030810-081 911-2985r.htm

I quote:
"Anybody who rides around on a Segway is a mewling pantywaist passive-aggressive dork with arrested-development issues who probably saves his e-mail in tidy little folders organized with happy-face icons.

I already feel better."

and:

"One thing that makes me very very happy about the current political debate is that most lawmakers agree that Segways should require a helmet. Since an actual motorcycle helmet would conflict with the eco-friendly coolness of the Segway experience, they're tending toward some kind of modified bicycle helmet that looks like one of those strap-on leather jobbies worn by the Fighting Horsemen of Notre Dame. Put a computer programmer in a tieless linen suit on a Segway with a leather football helmet on his head, and he looks like a fetishist on his way to the sex dungeon."

heh

[smash]

All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?"

Because motorbikes are actually *cool*.

smash.

Re:heh

[Kadagan AU]

Why not buy a motorbike you ask? Well, here's why:

Dick's pain and effort won't go without reward. In addition to the obvious glory and inevitable fame associated with riding a scooter, Dick and his two companions will receive a bumper sticker.

The bumper sticker makes Dick's pain all worthwhile =D

Re:heh

[Anonymous Coward]

Robot ninja clown posses on segways are cooler!

Re:heh

[smash]

The bumper sticker makes Dick's pain all worthwhile =D

All he needs now, is a bumper to stick it on :D

smash.

Retired Clown?

[Bocaj]

Doesn't seem to have retired just yet.

Battery replacement logistics

[Animats]

How did they get the extra batteries up there?

Exercise: if you had to do this with nothing but Segways to carry the batteries, how many would you need?

Re:Battery replacement logistics

[tftp]

As a general case, if f(m) describes fuel consumption speed depending on current vehicle mass, and M(x) describes vehicle mass as function of distance, then the total amount of fuel would be an integral from 0 to full distance of f(M(x)) dx, where 'x' is the distance between the starting line and the current position of the scooter. It can be easily solved by assuming that the vehicle makes fuel instead of burning it; then the "produced" M at the end of the trip is what you are looking for.

Re:Motorized

[Anonymous Coward]

dam it's a Joke. And only 50 MPH winds? hehehe.

Actually it isn't a joke. See, if it were a joke, it would have been funny. Instead you used words such as "assholes" to indicate that you were better than the submitter when you didn't even know what your were talking about. I guess that means the joke's on you.

Well, it could be worst...

[Anonymous Coward]

His name could be ShakeSpear...

Not the question I had in mind...

[Guppy06]

"All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?"

No, it begs the question "What the heck is this doing on the front page?" I can see how the Segway was at one point an interesting piece of technology when it first came out, but that was a long time ago. It's less "technology" and more "silly fad." I would sooner expect an article about who is going to win such-and-such "reality TV" show than this on Slashdot. What next, world's larget pet rock collection?

Heck, if anything the Segway is a shining example on exactly why the bottom fell out of the 90's IT economy. And the fact that mention of it still makes headlines in Slashdot demonstrates that people in the 21st century are still just as gullible and short-sighted as they were ten years ago.

Re:Not the question I had in mind...

[Anonymous Coward]

I would sooner expect an article about who is going to win such-and-such "reality TV" show than this on Slashdot.

Speaking of which, I missed Paradise Hotel tonight, anyone know what happened? Maybe Slashdot should post stories about reality TV! Did you notice all the cool plasma screens on Big Brother 4? Now there's a good use of technology! ;-)

Re:Not the question I had in mind...

[foniksonik]

People haven't changed at all... in the last thousand years much less the last ten. One example of it is when sad jaded fellows like yourself can't be excited or even amused by something as cool as the Segway... Segway's problem isn't technology it is price.

If I could get one of those for $500 I'd already have one... when you start charging the price for a Motorcycle I'm going to expect it to be as mature and as accepted as a motorcycle. Where's the Segway License line at the DMV? Where's my license plate? What about insurance policies and aftermarket accessories and repair shops? Apparently IT is just an expensive toy, like a Playstation 2 and it should be priced as such.

What an achievement!

[sco08y]

Wow.

The most inspiring part of this is that they did it on a gay little scooter.

Mt. Washington Auto Race(hillclimb)

[SuperBanana]

Slightly off topic, but this might be of interest to readers tonight, so what the hell!

This reminded me of the Mt. Washington Auto Road Race. To be a little more on-topic, one year they had a Geo Metro electric car 'do' the race- it looked really funny, because both driver and 'navigator' were required to wear helmets since it was a sanctioned race. Unlike some of the 600hp cars, the starter didn't exactly have to jump out of the way with them).

The hillclimb is the US's oldest motorsport event, believe it or not- however, it's also one of the most troubling. Despite attracting a healthy crowd every year, Audi pulled sponsorship after Frank Sprongl(driving an Audi S2 rally car) stopped winning, despite numerous VW and Audi entries.

The final straw for Audi, sponsorship-wise, was most likely the guy in the Legend car(motorcycle engine, 4 wheels, micro-sized chassis) who went off, clipped a rock, and was pulled from his car by a 16 year old cornerworker, right before the car burst into flames from a severed fuel line(the engine compartment was severed from the car by the rock). Long ago Audi had stopped their factory rally teams after a slew of deaths in the Group B category in various rallies; Piesch, now head of Volkswagon Audi Grouppe, declared at the time that he "never wanted to see rings stamped on a spectator's chest". Audi of America management were probably sneaking the Mt. Washington race under the radar of the parent company, but all that changed with the big crash(the kid even got a medal from the Governor).

Another factor is that Audi now considers rallying a been-there-done-that(Audi dominated rallying in the early 80's with the first Quattro Coupes and Sport Quattros), no-longer-cool kinda deal; their customer base just doesn't care, or so they think; guys who drive A8's don't like hanging out in the rain watching cars go by throwing rocks into their faces; they like sitting in a hospitality tent in cool comfort. So that's why Audi threw themselves into LeMans and ALMS(American LeMans Series), along with the Speedvision(er, SPEED Channel) SpeedGT(S4's, last year) and ProGT(RS6's, this year) races.

Mt. Washington management has given a variety of excuses for not continuing the race; first it was Audi, because they couldn't find another sponsor(rumor was they were looking for 1 million- an ABSURD amount of sponsorship money; it may be the oldest motorsports events, but it's also one of the lowest profile). Then it was because the road needed resurfacing(although honestly, having driven it myself three times as well, it WAS getting really bad). Then it was because the lodge, which had absolutely nothing to do with the race, burned to the ground and was 'behind schedule' on being rebuilt, or some such nonsense.

There are rumors going around that the race will continue next year. The local region of the Audi Club of America might attend(as it has for many, many years- we were the yahoos with all the Audis parked to the left of the starting area). Depending upon how solid the Audi+VW marques are represented, I'll be there- our little sub-event is a great family affair and I've always enjoyed myself; it's pretty gosh darn cheap, and getting there and back is half the fun(there are some GREAT roads in the area). Spectators can do whatever floats their boat- you can go up to any of several points on the mountain via van to watch the races(warning- you're limited as to when you can get back down!), you can hike the mountain(not for the inexperienced), you can watch from the start line and see trap speeds etc...and you can also watch from a nice point that's just a few minute's hike and gives you about 20 second's view per car.

The basic idea, if you're wondering, is simply to get up the mountain as absolutely fast as possible. Frank Sprongl was a regular winner, but his S2 is no longer competitive against some of the cars that started showing up- Jerry Driscoll(sp?) kept building meaner+meaner purpose-built tube-frame cars with insane engines in 'em until he started winning, despite not having all wheel drive(which is a MAJOR advantage, to the point that it's a seperate class in any sanctioned rally).

Re:Mt. Washington Auto Race(hillclimb)

[BrainInAJar]

LeMans? Racing?

I own a 92 LeMans HB, that POS couldn't win a race against a metro (but it's cheap on gas, so I drive it anyway), especially a rally (more to do with my shocks being shot to hell)

Re:Mt. Washington Auto Race(hillclimb)

[SuperBanana]

LeMans? Racing? I own a 92 LeMans HB, that POS couldn't win a race against a metro.

Yeah, Pontiac has a habit for naming cars which are complete pieces of shit after famous races; it's an insult of the deepest kind to some truly great events, since Pontiac, for the last couple of decades, wouldn't have known perfomance if it bit them on the ass(everything after the mid-60's GTO was just downhill, sorry). I know you're making a joke :-), but for those who are interested:
http://www.americanlemans.com/
http://www.lemans.org/2003/24auto/index_gb.shtml

(by the way, the top 4 finishes at LeMans were all Audi cars; the Bentley cars are essentially Audi R8's.Champion Racing was a 'real' Audi R8, AudiSport Japan was also, of course.)

Oh, and so you don't sound like an idiot to any gear-head friends, it's "Lehmoh" with a nearly silent H, nearly an N. Not "Le Mans" :-)

Re:Mt. Washington Auto Race(hillclimb)

[EaTiN cOfFeE bEaNs]

Piesch, now head of Volkswagon Audi Grouppe...

I'm sorry, but Ferdinand Piesch retired recently from Volkswagen AG. It was widely covered in just about every single car magazine. I know b/c I subscribe to a good portion of them =)

puff puff pass

[Anonymous Coward]

Wonder if being up that high affected their "high" at all....

(lovin' the article titles lately)

But the IMPORTANT question is...

[bourne]

Did they get bumper stickers that say This Segway climbed Mt. Washington?

Re:But the IMPORTANT question is...

[Anonymous Coward]

you'd probably get modded up if anyone else actually knew that bumper sticker really exists...

(This Car Climbed Mt. Washington)

Re:But the IMPORTANT question is...

[mikeyrb]

Or more importantly, did you RTFA?

Re:But the IMPORTANT question is...

[bourne]

Not until after. Oops!

Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya?

[babbage]

Segway / DEKA Research is a New Hampshire company.

Mount Washington is the highest point in New Hampshire (or New England for that matter, but not -- as is commonly believed around here -- the highest point on the US east coast: that title goes to North Carolina's Mount Mitchell).

As a popular landmark & attraction, Mount Washington has great appeal in New England. The "This car climbed Mt. Washington!" bumper stickers are ubiquitous, and driving up the mountain's wind-swept road in the family minivan or station wagon has been a rite of passage for generations of New Englanders.

That is why they had to drive Segways up the mountain. This is a New England transportation invention, but that just wouldn't be complete without the obligatory drive up Mount Washington.

The real question is whether or not the Segways they took up the mountain have any space for the bumper sticker :-)

Re:Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya?

[Anonymous Coward]

I know you're a big troll, but New Hampshire is the exception to all of that. Really.

Re:Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya?

[Spunk]

After I climbed it, I got a t-shirt that says "This body climbed Mt. Washington". Ah, the local in-jokes.

Re:Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya?

[Anonymous Coward]

Great point fellow New Englander, but you forgot to point out one other fact. Mt. Washington holds the hishest wind speed record at 231 mph with common speeds of around 75+ mph. I know what your thinking, and yes, "it's wicked fast."

Jason.
Wolfeboro NH

http://www.greenscreen.org/newsletter/archive/Ex tr emes.html

Re:Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya?

[VHDLBigot]

Speaking as a Milford, NH resident, babbage is right. Both the Segway and Mt. Washington have their local appeal. Dean lives a couple of towns northeast of me in Bedford. "* climbed Mt. Washington" signs and bumper stickers are common. New Hampshire Public Radio covered this a few days back. You'll need the Real Player or Windows Media Player to listen to their coverage. Otherwise you can at least read the transcript of their report.

Re:Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most people in New England are lazy, big government, tax and spend ultra-left wing socialists who want to steal more of your pay check. The life ambition for a New Englander is to to qualify for more Federal "programs". They can't get enough welfare, food stamps, and what not. The dole--it's a New England way of life.

Re:Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya?

[FroMan]

My cross country jersey had the bumper sticker on it for a couple races one year. Our CC team would head up to the mountain towards the end of season and do a camp out after a meet, then climb the next morning.

Very cold streams run through there for taking a bath in october. Brrrrr..

Re:Motorized

[Anonymous Coward]

Joke is on you, don't feed the trolls.

Re:Motorized

[pyrrhonist]

50 MPH winds are *tame* for Mt. Washington!
Highest wind (world record, April 12, 1934): 231 MPH

Mt. Washington Observatory

Why not a bike ?

[Anonymous Coward]

because a 2 wheel converted wheelchair looks way cooler no ?

why not buy a motorbike?

[Anonymous Coward]

"because it's there"

Foole

Re:Motorized

[RevSmiley]

I am better. I have no doubt that at $5000 a pop for the Segway this is the act of assholes, who by the way took longer than many people who have run up Mt Washington on their own 2 feet. Maybe they will do it in winter when the wind at the top can gust up to 200 Mph. Until then it is a joke just like teh parent. As everyone knows there is a road up there you could drive on.

I for one ...

[Anonymous Coward]

welcome our new retired clown Segway-riding masters.

I don't know about you

[appleLaserWriter]

I want mine lowered first.

Re:I don't know about you

[Anonymous Coward]

Yea man! Lowered... hydraulics, and those "babe magnet" lights under it. Talking about a RIDE then!

Re:Motorized

[RevSmiley]

That is why is said "only 50 mph winds." Sigh it is true geeks are clueless. Some place I have seen a photo of horzointal ice formed at the top from the constant wind.

Why not a bike ?

[Anonymous Coward]

because a powered lawn roller looks cooler no ?

Hmm. Nice copyright infringement

[WolfWithoutAClause]

Hey, guess what? The Register article that TacticalJack took this from, says exactly the same thing, in the same words; and TacticalJack apparently used the words as if he said it.

Check it out for yourself here.

Re:Motorized

[operagost]

And there is no "bitter cold" this time of year. The termperature drops near freezing at night, but during the day it usually gets to 50-60. The wild chill factor may make it seem frigid, though. Wear a decent windbreaker over your butler's getup and you'll feel fine.

When I visited Mt. Washington as a kid, the temperature was no problem even though I was wearing just jeans and a T-shirt. However, the 58 MPH winds were a concern.

Re:Motorized

[pyrrhonist]

Sorry, sometimes its not apparent when posters are being funny, or as you said, "clueless".

they got high?

[kelnos]

is it just me, or did anyone else read the headline and wonder why a bunch of guys smoking joints on their segways was newsworthy?

then again, i'm on medication now so i may not be thinking clearly...

Re:they got high?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure if thats a good thing but you're not the only one :)

Is Slashdot getting paid for these Segway articles

[Jagasian]

Is Slashdot getting paid for these Segway articles? I mean, really, this was the most overhyped toy EVER! Not only that, but Slashdot has been guitly of posting blatent plugs for this overpriced scooter. Astroturfing if lame. Slashdot backed asrtoturf is even worse.

Get a style manual, Register!

[Lulu of the Lotus-Ea]

The whole Segway on the mountain bit was amusing. But it's just plain alarming to see not just /., but also _The Register_ make a crudly common English usage error. The phrase "begs the question" DOES NOT mean "demands to be asked." Instead...well, this is such a common error it's easy to research. But quoting from http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/begs.html:

An argument that improperly assumes as true the very point the speaker is trying to argue for is said in formal logic to "beg the question."

Wow

[jpmkm]

The really cool part is that they were able to get all 3 segway owners together to do this.

a few random thoughts

[sacrilicious]

Rob Owen, a retired clown, and two other riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph, the AP reports. It took the Segway riders two and half hours to complete the 7.6 mile endurance test.

7.6 miles in 2.5 hours. Average speed: 3 mph. Speed of a human walking: 4 mph.

It remains unclear as to why Owen dressed up like a butler for the epic ride up Mount Washington.

Why do clowns do anything?

Re:a few random thoughts

[damiam]

Speed of a human walking: 4 mph.

Up Mt. Washington you'd be lucky to average half that. Try it someday - it's not the world's easiest climb.

Re:Motorized

[Anonymous Coward]

There is a road, but I've climbed Mt. Washington twice via the trail. The first trip had to be abandoned after the 4th night waiting out a wstorm that triggered a landslide that came to a stop just a couple hundred yards from our lean-to. from our lean-to. Made it to the top on the second trip; there's a weather station up there that's encrusted in about a solid foot of ice. You had to keep low or the winds would catch you and start pushing you across the ground.

Bicycle beats Segway

[Anonymous Coward]

As a 210 lb 40 year old tourist bicycle rider in 1991 I was able to ride the last 9 miles to the top of Wolf Creek pass (10800 feet) on a 40 lb touring
in a bit over 2 hours. This was not with any batteries, but on a 40 lb steel bike with trunk, 96 oz water, pump, jacket, and a 3 lb rock hidden by a ?friend? . Racers easily made the same distance in under 90 minutes. Temp was 95 degrees F (not really that bad in the dry mountain air) and there was a 10 mile per hour headwind comming down the mountain.

We don't need no stink'n segways!

Saw a Segway for the first time today...

[berniecase]

It was actually quite intriguing to see it in person. This old guy was crossing the street in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. My friend commented "is that legal?"

The old guy made it across the street in a jiffy and was a block and a half away by the time the light turned green. From the looks, if an older person can master a Segway, then they shouldn't have as big a need for a car, particularly in urban areas. Perhaps it'd be safer for them to have a Segway (so long as they're not falling off it and breaking a hip)?

Guerrilla marketing

[MillionthMonkey]

It is amazing how difficult it is to form an intelligent response to this article.

Well what can you say about it? If this were merely a case of entertainment posing as a news story, that would be one thing. But this is advertising, pretending to be entertainment posing as a news story. It's not even infotainment, it's advertainment.

So far all the Segway stories I've seen on Slashdot (aside from the San Francisco sidewalk controversy) have had the character of guerrilla marketing. "Hey, we got to play with a Segway for a week, here are some movies of us having fun with it!" Other products appear on Slashdot this way, but usually only when their users have made strange or noteworthy modifications that the designers never intended. Like creating a case for it made of Legos, or incorporating it as a part in a rail gun, or running a free operating system on it.

This thing has been on the market for years now. At this point we should only be seeing Segway stories when people do similar things to Segways. If someone modified a Segway by installing a feeding tube, so that the rider could suck a high calorie substance like gravy through the tube while simultaneously avoiding exercise, that would be a cool Segway story. Another newsworthy modification might be converting the Segway from electric to diesel. Using the product normally, in the manner that was intended by the manufacturer, is simply not worth our attention. (Dressing up like a butler while you do it is cute, but hardly changes this.)

I think stories that are essentially guerrilla marketing, or that are about guerrilla marketing, should have their own icon. I'm picturing a gorilla on a Segway.

Re:Guerrilla marketing

[kfg]

"If someone modified a Segway by installing a feeding tube, so that the rider could suck a high calorie substance like gravy through the tube while simultaneously avoiding exercise, that would be a cool Segway story."

This is already a commercial product. It's called a Camelback.

Since the Segway is a high tech solution to a nonexistent low tech problem pretty much anything you could do to enhance one has already been done by the hikers, cylists and motorbike crowd.

I really can't see much on the horizen of relevant Segway "hacks" much beyond putting playing cards in the spokes and plastic streamers on the handlebars.

Neither of which would work half as well as they do on a bicycle.

KFG

Poor NH

[LordMyren]

Now not only do they have to update their coins and license plates (old man in the mountain fell), but they need new bumper stickers.

"this segway climbed mount washington"

hey, its funny if you know it.

walking machines, and the people who need them

[SolemnDragon]

These are machines that can provide a small amount of fun and ease for most people, and a LOT of extra function and ease for a small segment of the population. For most, a hike up a mountain is a lot of good exercise. For me, it's impossible. So my two cents says that field tests like this are incredibly important to people in that minority. Like me. I watch for stuff like this.

I have a wheelchair. I can walk just fine- for distances of a mile and a half or less. Any more and my joints can't take it, the inflammation gets too bad and i'm out of commission. So i can get through my workday, but i have the wheelchair for group adventures where it's more fun if i can keep up. Great for museums, but more difficult outside, especially on hills. My arms aren't any better than my legs, so it needs to be pushed, rather than wheeled by me. It works out great, we all take turns, and while i can't push anyone in it, everybody gets a chance to ride and that way i can walk for a little of it and still be part of the adventure. For them it's novel and fun; for me, it's my chance to take part in these excursions. Without it, i'd miss out on a lot.

A segway would be a great thing to have, but before i spend that kind of money on it, i need to know how it does in real-world operation, with real-world surroundings like dirt and tree branches and so on. So i watch for things like this. It's not a wheelchair and it's not a walker and it's not a little red wagon to be pulled in- it's a scooter that you don't have to propel on your own. Believe me, the energy it saves will be put to use elsewhere. I would love to be able to keep up on a hike!!!

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Anonymous Coward]

i have the wheelchair for group adventures where it's more fun if i can keep up. Great for museums, but more difficult outside, especially on hills. My arms aren't any better than my legs, so it needs to be pushed, rather than wheeled by me.

Umm, you do know they have mororized wheelchairs, don't you?

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[OzPixel]

I expect they're an order of magnitude more expensive than a normal wheelchair - in fact, probably around the same price range as a Segway.

David.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Forget the segway, get yourself an ibot. The ibot is what Kamen was really working on and the segway was just a an offshoot. Since the FDA finally approved the device, it should soon be commercially available. Convince your health insurance or medicare or your rich uncle that you need one and you'll be ten times the geek a segway would make you.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[catbutt]

Given that he is able to stand (and walk for short distances), why would he want to be in a wheelchair? I don't know, there's nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair, but I doubt many people really want to be in device specifically made for disabled people if they don't have to be.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[SunPin]

uh... probably to just get on with his life. We all make choices. If he hadn't dealt with his condition in comparison to what he wants out of life, I'm sure he'd still be trying to use a cane or a walker. I was in a similar quandary 10 years ago. Flat out exhaustion would win many points in the "poster child" category but gain nothing in every other aspect of life.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Anonymous Coward]

So he can be ten times the geek a segway would make him.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Chutzpah]

They cost more than the segway, but they have considerably longer battery life than the segway as well, and are capable of moving quite a bit faster, if you decide to set them that way, but it makes it VERY hard to navigate in small areas, they are very jumpy. I used to date a girl who has muscular distrophy and needed one of them.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think your standard motorized wheelchair can navigate stairs (which the ibot can, if you acutally checked out the link).

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know, there's nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair, but I doubt many people really want to be in device specifically made for disabled people if they don't have to be.

If those people would benefit from the functionality of a "device specifically made for diabled people" but won't use it because disabled people use it then I guess they have problems way beyond their disabilities. Pretty sad.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Anonymous Coward]

Because navigating a Segway (by shifting your weight) might turn out to be almost as hard on your joints as walking. The iBot handles the terrain better and is infinitely cooler. In fact, as somebody who needs no assistance, I would want to own an iBot before a Segway.

(Of course, being reasonably fit and wanting to stay that way, I would take a good mountain bike over either one of them.)

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Anonymous Coward]

(-1 Liar) You never dated a girl.

Re:walking machines, and the people who need them

[Johnny Mnemonic]

I hope that the SegWay provides the level of motility that you will enjoy. However, wouldn't the requirement that you stand for the entire journey cause the same kind of issues as walking?

Retired?

[the_womble]

Rob Owen, a retired clown

HAS he retired?

Looks more like continuing the same career to me.

Re:Motorized

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah no shit, half assed people drive, real men hike

Bicycles do it in under an hour

[Anonymous Coward]

Pointing out how retarded the segway is. If more geeks would just ride a bike now and then, they wouldn't be wondering why their beer is causing so many problems with their gut.

US Pro Bicycle record

[Anonymous Coward]

Is under 50 minutes. These records need updating. And the bike didn't have to stop half way up for more air and water.

Re:US Pro Bicycle record

[pocopoco]

How did this get a +1? The comment replied to is talking about *running*, not bicycling. You know the thing that doesn't give you prostrate cancer?

Re:US Pro Bicycle record

[Anonymous Coward]

sigh...prostate...at least cyclists can probably spell better than me ^^

simple solution to math problem

[meekg]

they were 3 people.
their combined speed was 12.5 MPH.
Hence about 4.2MPH each.

2.5 hours, but at least 5*10=50 minutes changing batteries, so 1.6 hours

so 4.2MPH * 1.6Hrs = 6.7 miles.

So why 7.6 miles? someone switched the digits!

Re:simple solution to math problem

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn mods, this isn't intresting, it's funny. You don't add speeds together to get adverages.

Fucken assholes...

Re:simple solution to math problem

[meekg]

I'm ahead of my time, is all.

One day they'll all look back and be sorry, but by then it will be too late to resurrect civilization.

Video clip of Segway Theft Arrest

[PhiberKut]

here

COMING SOON!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Build your own segway-imitation. Plans to appear on slashdot before the end of the year.

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST.

Not

[Anonymous Coward]

Mount Evans (in Colorado) has a paved road to it's peak, and tops out at over 14K. Sorry, Mt. Washington is not real impressive.

Contest and innovation - how about solar vehicles?

[unsung]

Hey guys, go easy! These guys are simply pushing the envelope of design constraints. It's like the cross-country solar car contest, no one is suggesting that cars will be 100% solar powered in the future, they're just demonstrating the power of solar power and creatively finding ways to do research.

Re:...like a fetishist on his way to the sex dunge

[Anonymous Coward]

The expedition wasn't to show that they could; everybody knew it was possible. It was to test how fast it could be done, in case rapid deployment were necessary to either side of the country(ala Blitzkrieg). That's why we now have an interstate system: defense. It allows us to very rapidly deploy in case Mother Russia strikes, wiping out our rail and everything else.

In fact, stretches of interstate have to meet certian specifications for landing of (large) aircraft, in the event that airbases are destroyed.

Mt Rainier had one, too

[marksven]

I was up at Mt. Rainier last month and saw a guy on a Segway powering up the mountain. He had an oxygen tank sitting on one of the wheels and had a tube running under his nose. He was already a few miles up when I saw him, I just hope that he had enough battery to get down. Maybe it charges it one the way down?

It's pretty cool that because of the Segway he was able to go to one of the most beautiful places on earth, which he wouldn't have been able to get to normally. It does help that the first few miles are paved from the base of Paradise.

Re:Mt Rainier had one, too

[MoggyMania]

I agree...the media (as well as the company that makes Segway) should be focusing far more articles on the positive use of the machine in helping people than just as some overpriced novelty. I have to wonder how many people in wheelchairs are in one because there's never been a self-propelled version designed for standing up before, that could rely upon a Segway-type device instead.

Not bitter, just frigid... SOOOO much better...

[Anonymous Coward]

And there is no "bitter cold".... The wild[sic] chill factor may make it seem frigid...

Solution looking for a problem

[Siergen]

I think that the Segway has some interesting technology, but I also think that it is still "a solution looking for a problem". For the same weight in batteries, a simple foldable inline scooter could go much further at lower cost. The extra energy expenditure for balance gyros /motors is simply not needed to move ordinary people around on level surfaces...

man

[SweetAndSourJesus]

That totally sucks ass.

Charles Bronson was a bad motherfucker, there's no denying it.

Re:Segway hacking? Not fast enough?!

[gmby]

I don't know about you but falling off at 12.5mph hurts enough for me. I'm an overweight, out-of-shape, round as a ball geek; I'd roll perty far if I fell off! ouch!

clown

[tannhaus]

A RETIRED clown? He still sounds like a clown to me.

Right tool for the right job

[maliabu]

is Segway ever intended for climbing a hill 6,288-foot high? from what i remember it's for day-to-day city/urban commuting. imagine you hire a servant (for house-keeping) and require him to carry you to work by foot.

Batteries..

[Espressoman]

are just temporary of course - until someone creates the combustion-engined Segway Generator! That of course will last only a short while before the Segway Fuel Cell! But I'm going to hold out until I can run mine using the Segway Zero-point Energy Power Pack Extreme!

NO, that does NOT beg the question

[gujo-odori]

Don't look now, but "to beg the question" does not at all mean "to invite/ask for/provoke a question." Rather, it means to base a conclusion on the foundation that what is being discussed must be true, although such truth has not been established. In other words, circular logic. Put another way, you beg the question when you assume the truth of whatever it is you're trying to prove.

"Bet the question" is an English translation from the Latin "petitio principii." Look it up.

Am I terribly disappointed that a number of /. readers perpetuated the erroneous usage instead of correcting it? Not particularly, because A) This is /. and the standards are low, and B) The truly functionally illiterate are all over at http://www.forwardgarden.com/ (you probably don't want to know; if you go there anyway, don't say I didn't warn you :-)

Of course, someone will probably mod me as a troll for having the temerity to point out blatantly incorrect English usage, but I don't care. It's not like /. karma actually means anything. That may shock some of you, but it's true. Uh-oh, now I'll get modded as a troll even more for daring to say such a thing :-)

Re:NO, that does NOT beg the question

[basingwerk]

What does illiterate mean?

Dignity? You gotta be sh*ttin' me!

[GuyMannDude]

It remains unclear as to why Owen dressed up like a butler for the epic ride up Mount Washington. It surely won't help reduce the ridicule he receives from neighbors and friends. Perhaps he felt it lent a bit of dignity to the affair.

Is it just me or would it take an awful lot more than a butler's outfit to bring some dignity to a ride up a mountain on yuppie-gocarts organized by a retired clown?

"Winds were gusting from all sides and I had to stay down, just like skiing," Dick Norris, 69, a train conductor and fellow rider told the AP.

A train conductor? Good grief. Where are they getting these guys from?

Rob Owen, a retired clown, and two other riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph, the AP reports.

Okay, who wants to take a crack at guessing the career of the mysterious third rider? Former jet-setting CEO of a dot-com company who now works as the janitor in an adult bookstore? What about the dude who has to stamp "Inspected by #42" on all those pairs of underwear? Maybe it was Retired Machinist and A.A.P.B.-Certified Astrologer Lloyd Schumner Sr.?

The Register, huh? This is the kind of hard-hitting news I would expect CNN Headline News.

GMD

EHM

[Anonymous Coward]

They used the AMERICAN system of measure why?

Segway plus robotics?

[theCompPotato]

What if Segway, Honda and Microsoft (or the open source community) got together with WalMart to make the kind of retail robots that an earlier /. article Distribution of Wealth in a Robot-Driven World talks about? It doesn't seem long before we start working 70 hour weekdays. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

high?

[sahala]

Did anyone else read the headline and think that a bunch of segway riders smoked a fat one on top of a mountain?

That said, a segway is *perfect* for your average pot-head. I mean think about it. When the munchies sets in you can hop on your segway for a short cruise to the 7-11. It's a gentle ride. Also it's fast enough that you don't get distracted and forget why you hopped on in the first place, but slow enough that you don't get too bored.

Disney

[Anonymous Coward]

They're all over Disney...I saw at least a couple dozen different people (I don't believe they were workers either). I am thinking they rent them?

Anybody?

Dr Zuess' Version of Dick's Journey

[lendude]

Here is Dick. Dick is a clown. Dick is going to conquer the peak on his Segway.

See Dick astride his Segway. Dick loads up his Segway with his fat arse and many batteries. Dick is pushing the limit. Check out Dick as he scorches up the mountain. Dick is being passed by cars...and motorbikes...and bicycles...and wheelchairs (motorised and non-motorised)...and crawling infants...and tortoises...and slugs. Go, Dick go!

See Dick battle against the forces of nature. See Dick pummelled by 2km/h winds and inconvenienced by semi-chilly temperatures. Go, Dick go!

See Dick reach the summit. Watch Dick celebrate. Dick is pumped to the max.

Dick will be rewarded. Dick gets a bumper sticker and a story on slashdot. Dick is a hero. Dick is a dick.

How about a bicycle?

[tentimestwenty]

I hate the Segway. 99% of the time a bicycle or one of those Xootr push scooters outperforms it using less energy at a fraction of the cost. I don't even have to go into the grotesque image created when someone rides a Segway, a picture will do:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2989000.stm

Re:How about a bicycle?

[Anonymous Coward]

Riding a Segway is like riding in the back of a pickup. There's no way to look cool either way.

aren't these designed so you can't fall off hem?

[Anonymous Coward]

Bush fails the Segway test

Inspired piece from usatoday columnist

All the benefits to crippled folks aside...

[skogs]

You know the major market for these contraptions are going to be the 'mildly overweight' that can't seem to do anything without whinning and complaining. You know the ones, they are the people that sandwich you in the grocery store isle and don't even notice that their kids are screaming bloody murder and throw a candybar in their mouth to satiate themselves(I have a theory that they are crunching and therefore cannot hear their little neglected brats).

Honestly, you know michael jackson is going to buy a fleet of them and lure kids to his playland to ride them.

The second largest consumer for this product is going to be the United States government - as it purchases them thru medicare and medicade with the vast billions earned on the taxpayers back.

makes me irritated just thinking about it. course, it also has its advantages. Perhaps I should become 'overbese', sprout 5 gangly children that bear no resemblance to the woman I am married to, and live off the government so that I can get one of those nifty little gadgets...so that I don't have to walk all the way to my new favorite gas station to purchase my new favorite hobby snack - cheap brand cigarettes.

the segway

[hpavc]

recently segway had a demo of its products at an airshow near me and i got to try one out. they are very neat, they are not racals that for sure and i didnt have the thing in its higher speed key so i didnt get to run it its fastest.

there will be a new segway coming out soon (a smaller ighter version - 'son of segway' type thing that will be substantually cheaper) and the segway thats out now will go down in price.

Re:the segway

[CitizenJohnJohn]

Test-driving a Segway cripples your ability to use the shift key!

Grounds for banning them in and of itself.

New Hampshire

[Anonymous Coward]

gets back $0.71 for every $1 it puts into the federal government. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, assclown.

Huge guys need not apply.

[fmaxwell]

Imagine a huge guy who stays on his computer for days on end.

One problem: The Segway is limited to a 250lb. user. That's big, but for a 6'-something man it's not huge. There are even a lot of professional NFL football players that exceed 250lbs and run the 40 yard dash in well under five seconds.

If only I new that in school

[Chuck Chunder]

I could have defended my English errors with cries of "it's a living language!".

Seriously though, the fact that languages inevitably change over time does not mean it isn't worth putting in a little effort to maintain consistancy and specificity of a language.

I realise I missed the k in "knew"

[Chuck Chunder]

It was an unintentional typo, rather than an attempt at witty wordplay.

im so sick of hearing about the segway

[Anonymous Coward]

and all of it's elitist owners who have nothing better to do than get dean press with cheap stunts.

It is, in fact, completely correct grammar.

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm...

What "begs the question" in fact means is "to assume the truth of an argument or proposition to be proved, without arguing it"... A not-bad way of understanding this meaning is: You beg a question when you skip over a matter that's disputable.

All of the given examples (even the "incorrect" ones) are correct by that definition.

"Hey! Never mind publicising the blog, first prove that it's excellent!" "Hey! Never mind criticizing that other poem about hate, if you've got hate in your own work it invalidates that as a criticism!" "Hey! Never mind all the problems climbing the mountain on a Segway, first tell me why I shouldn't just use a motorbike!"

They're all completely grammatically correct. Just because "2blowhards.com" says something is incorrect grammar doesn't make it so. You may argue whether the assumptions are strong enough to actually "beg the question", but that's purely a matter of opinion and has nothing to do with the English language.

Of course, if you go by the definition given in the comments on the page...

The proper meaning of begging the question is 'basing a conclusion on an assumption that is as much in need of proof as the conclusion itself.' The formal name for this logical fallacy is petitio principii." ...then *none* of the examples, even the "correct" one, meet that definition, as none of them offer a conclusion.

"We're going to publicize the hell out of this excellent blog" doesn't actually suggest any causal link between the blog being excellent and the fact that we're going to publicize it.

Look at it this way: "We're going to publicize the hell out of this long blog" is still a prefectly good statement, whereas "We're going to be publicize the hell out of this blog because it is long" begs some rather obvious questions.

Re:It is, in fact, completely correct grammar.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, that 2blowhards explanation of "begs the question" sucked. As far as I'm concerned they are just some random bloggers; so it's not surprising to me that they didn't know what they were talking about because the original technical sense of "begs the question" is kind of obscure. Since the original sense is so obscure, I don't care about its preservation. If you wanted to use it in its original sense, more people would know what you are talking about if you instead said something like "that's circular reasoning". It's probably best to avoid "begs the question" in any case, in whichever sense, so that there can be no confusion.

Linux port for segway

[lars_boegild_thomsen]

Speaking of this - anybody working on porting Linux to the segway? Would enable all kinds of neat stuff - like wireless networking, built-in VoIP soft phone and IM client.

correction...can't increase maximum speed that way

[GlenRaphael]

A little more web research finds that one can increase rotational responsiveness a bit by changing the key coding, but apparently the Segway ignores forward speed settings above the maximum allowable value. So you can set the speed value to "FF" if you want - and some have tried it, but you still get the same 12.5 as the next guy.

Motorbike?

[Eunuchswear]

Walk, you insensitive clod.

Ride a motorbike up Mount Washington, hah, why not just clear cut the trees, quarry the granite, and build a Wal Mart where it used to be?

Bah!

[Terminal Saint]

As a maple syrup swilling squirrel worshiping New Hampshire resident, I have to say this annoys just as much as the "This car climbed Mt. Washington" bumper stickers. To hell with cars and segways, my legs climbed Mount Washington over terrain that would turn any land vehicle into a pile of smoldering rubble. They should have never put that bloody road up it...

$5,000...

[DavittJPotter]

Wow. For $5,000 you could buy:

38 pairs of fairly nice (~$130) hiking boots

a decent used car and the tank of gas

Or.......

A nice used motorcycle that can go way faster than 12.5 mph!

Nope, don't know the guy, just getting an example... :)

getting high?

[jmobley]

Man, they could have saved all that money on a segway and used it to get really high on the ground. :)

Incorrect use of "begs the question"

[tomkit]

I am not commenting on the content of your entry, but on your use of the term, "begs the question." "Begging the question" is used in cases of circular reasoning when you "[t]ake for granted or assume the truth of the very thing being questioned." It is incorectly used in your case where you state that another choice, other than riding Segways, is a more practical and obviuos mode of transportation.

Why not?

[pantherace]

because it wouldn't get put on /.!

6288 feet.. whoopidedodah

[garfunkalow]

If you can drive a car to the top then what is the big deal? Also what is the deal with getting to the top, it is only 6288 feet. Where I currently live the elevation is approx 7500 feet and i am in a valley. (info I climbed Mt. Blanca (14,345 ft) a few weeks ago and i must say, it would be newsworthy if i saw a segway up there. The road up to como lake (around 10,000ft) is one of the hardest in the nation with few vehicles being able to get up to the lake (aside from ATV's, which still have problems)

Re:6288 feet.. whoopidedodah

[zakezuke]

What you call foothills the people on the east cost call mountains. I noticed this perspective diffrence between the east and west cost a long time ago. Not that the east cost doesn't have a mountain range, they are NOT the Rockies.

But hey, since you live in a place with much more in the way of impressive peaks, why don't *you* get your own segway and test to see how well it works in your enviroment.

Re:6288 feet.. whoopidedodah

[sadomikeyism]

Hey Garfunkalow, do the math: 14345-7500 = 6845 vertical drop. i.e. not much more than the height of Mt Washington. I've lived out west, and if y'all didn't have volcanos out there, your mountains would have absolutely no significant difference in *vertical drop* from peak to base than any east coast mountains.

In fact, excepting the volcanos out there, the only difference between our mountains and yours is that ours are round on top and yours aren't.

Given this, our mountains have more *mass* and *volume*, and *footprint*, and so technically, are actually bigger than western mountains.

For the geological history buffs, Maine's Mt Katadin was once a volcano that reached 35,000 ft in height millions of years ago. Most of it is now in the Gulf of Maine.

segways are shit

[Anonymous Coward]

since segways look like the old hand-pushed lawnmowers, they should just chuck in a set of blades into it and let the worthless piece-of-shit become useful by cutting the lawn.

gay

[schematix]

that is really fuckin gay.

Why not buy a motorbike?

[vesamies]

Because in that case, you won't be in slashdot, the register.

Subject.....

[hashwolf]

"Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington"
Oooh.... *that* kind of high!

Coming soon..

[Channard]

The world's first Segway tractor pull. Possibly. Though I can't help but feel that any Segway could be decimated by even the weediest competitor off Robot Wars.

A little observation...

[MoggyMania]

First type: proud of what he/she is and focuses energies on interesting "geeky" stuff.

Second type: would rather be fashionable and focuses his/her time on bashing everybody that isn't.

Funny, all the geeks I know in the first category have little problem getting dates (usually with others that enjoy the same interests :) while the ones in the second group spend their time sneering about how geeks like themselves are supposedly too "dorky" to have a relationship.

Personally, I find guys that are secure enough in their self-esteem/masculinity/whatever to ride a Segway or do other "dorky" things quite attractive/cool. That is why I am marrying that kind of guy, and have turned down the immature/insecure/vicious mudslinging kind constantly -- I want to be with an adult, not an oversized angsty teenage boy.

Segway

[evildogeye]

Someone please enlighten me - what is the advantage of a Segway over a regular, well built electric scooter like you can buy on www.hardcorescooters.com

I've been trying to figure this out for ages. Granted, you can stand up on a Segway, while you have to sit on convential scooters, but what is so great about standing? Given my druthers, I would sacrifice the gyroscopes, add an extra wheel, and spend the $3000 I saved on a new state of the art laptop.

Re:...like a fetishist on his way to the sex dunge

[Anonymous Coward]

BTW. The Autobahn does predate the American Freeways, But Itay has the World's first Freeway. It was three lanes in total. The middle lane was for overtaking.

MOD PARENT UP +FUNNY+

[Anonymous Coward]

hahahahah

of course if Ashcroft's nephew was caught growing Mount Washingtons Hydroponically in his garage, he'd probably just get off on a good behaviour bond.

See here for more hypocracy

:)

sad...

[Anonymous Coward]

because my father was killed by a clown when i was 5.

The funny thing with the pringles antennas

[Anonymous Coward]

is that they don't work.
The German computer magazine c't once these such set-ups and the Pringles cans failed miserably.
They wrote that a open cable stump would do better.
However, coffee cans is a different story. They do in fact work. That's be cause their diameter is larger and thus make decent receivers. The Pringles cans are simply too small.

My little observation...

[Anonymous Coward]

"and have turned down the immature/insecure/vicious mudslinging kind constantly "

I've noticed that adults never use the word "immature" when describing someone. More interestingly, the adults who do, tend to have emotional problems of some sort.

Not referring to you, of course.

Re:My little observation...

[Anonymous Coward]

Here, have some more feces to fling about with weird pseudo-intellectual observations about human nature.

Wha-wha-whaaat?

[Anonymous Coward]

" Stopping to swap out batteries, lunch breaks? Rest. Pissing. Falling over. Flat tires?"

These guys can't go a hour without a piss? Or a flat tire, or resting?

If this is your advocacy, please grab a rope and hang yourself. Honestly, do you think about what you type? Has your school failed so miserably that you can't think clearly? Are you so enamored of a stupid stunt that you'll defend anything?

impressive

[spare.dave]

So some guys climbed the hill in 2 1/2 hours on a Segway. I'm sure it was difficult. It's cold up there and the winds are fairly strong. I know this because I've run up the bloody thing. It took a lot less than 2 1/2 hours, so forgive me if I'm unimpressed. As for Segways in general, isn't America already lazy enough? A little walking isn't going to hurt. If a Segway can give a person freedom that they lacked before (due to age, injury, ect.) then I'm 100% for it. But for the rest of us, I'll let you in on a little secret. There's this amazing device on the market. It's a form of transportation that's even better than the Segway. It's lighter, cheaper, faster, and gives a rider more control. It's legal on roads, and can go just about anywhere... It's a fucking bicycle.

Let's hear about the buses

[Anonymous Coward]

You brought it up :-)

jest all you like.

[Phoenix666]

the segway is still perfect for cities like new york and tokyo. seems that a lot of you who scoff at the segway live in auto-centered cities. to a person who commutes in an SUV everyday, something like this device must seem like a silly toy to be mocked. but to someone who lives in a city like new york and who commutes in the subway every day, it is still a cool thing. you would get there just about as fast, you would save a lot of money in tokens, and it is far more convenient than a bicycle. ever try cramming a bike through the revolving doors of your office building, jamming it into an elevator full of people, and then finding room in your cubicle to put it? not to mention the effort of doing which makes you completely sweaty--very professional.

then there's the security aspect that became clear after last week's blackout. nothing but a segway could have gotten you off manhattan as fast. cars couldn't move, and bikes weren't much better: the streets were so crowded cyclists wound up not doing much better than pedestrians. but from what i've seen of the segw

Poor Babies

[Bobman1235]

fought off 50 mph winds and battled bitter cold to reach the 6,288-foot mountain summit.

I did it on foot, up the second toughest trail on the mountain. Took 8 hours round trip. And these guys are "battling" bitter cold, riding on a machine going up a paved road. Excuse me if sympathy doesn't flow from me.

They did it because....

[vudufixit]

.... "it's there?"

Missing the point

[El]

The Segway is not intended to be a replacement for cars and motorcycles. It's intended to be a replacement for walking! The inventor's background is in medical devices, and IT was originally conceived as a wheelchair that put the user upright instead of sitting. This has advantages as most stores are layed out for standing, not sitting people.

segway & endurance don't go together.

[Anonymous Coward]

The headline makes it sound like they're athletes or something. Yeah right.

Re:...like a fetishist on his way to the sex dunge

[myc_lykaon]

It was to test how fast it could be done, in case rapid deployment were necessary to either side of the country(ala Blitzkrieg)

< fx: ride of valkyries >
Hundreds of marines on Segways riding over the hill to repulse invasion of Ivan.

Niet! Comrade! They are trying to make us piss ourselves laughing!

Begging The Question

[Anonymous Coward]

It doesn't beg the question, it raises the question. Get it right. The following is an explanation of what begging the question means.

Fallacy Name:
Begging the Question

Alternative Names:
Petitio Principii

Category:
Fallacy of Weak Induction > Fallacy of Presumption

Explanation:
This is the most basic and classic example of a Fallacy of Presumption, because it directly presumes the conclusion which is at question in the first place. This can also be known as a "Circular Argument" - because the conclusion essentially appears both at the beginning and the end of the argument, it creates an endless circle, never accomplishing anything of substance. Other names include Circulus in Probando, Circulus in Demonstrando and Vicious Circle.

A good argument in support of a claim will offer independent evidence or reasons to believe that claim. However, if you are assuming the truth of some portion of your conclusion, then your reasons are no longer independent: your reasons have become dependent upon the very point which is contested. The basic structure looks like this:

1. A is true because A is true.

Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

[Zakabog]

Well I've walked to the beach to get high a few times but climbing a mountain, that's insane! You'll probably eat all your food and end up dying on top of the mountain cause you're too lazy to come down. You'll also end up make a bong out of your oxygen tanks. I really don't think getting high and climbing mountains would mix very well...

You forgot number 6

[twoslice]

6. It is something chicks dig and you actually have a slight chance of getting some action if you own one.

Why not buy a bike??????

[pestel]

The Segway could not have been going 12 mph when it took over 2 1/2 hours to get to the top all told!!!! See this article.

The current human bicycle record up Mt. Washington is 49 minutes and change. Yes this is a professional cyclist, but the majority of people who get into the one day ride to the top make it in under 2 hours.

So your questions should not be, "Why not buy a motorbike?", but why not just buy a bike?!?!?!?!?!? It's cheaper, less maintenance cost, and with a set of panniers can make your weekly run to the store/work/play.

For the Karma!

[MoogMan]

"All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?"

Why, because it wouldnt get on slashdot of course! Who wants to hear about someone riding a motorbike up a mountain?!

I thought I said "It's the DRIVER."

[bob_calder]

You guys are way too hung up on delicate ecosystems. The footpaths in our National Park system ALREADY look like they're used by dump trucks. Arches is an exception. (HA HA that's a joke for those of you who haven't been there.)
I'm not saying they deserve to be abused, just that the system should be closed down if you are concerned about damage. Lots of it is years past the point of no return, like the perimeter of the Everglades where phosphate pollution has made cleanup a Sysyphus-like labor. (never able to be accomplished as in FUBAR)

The segway is nowhere near like a bicycle. It is more like a runner as far as impact goes. The primary market is going to be in countries with cities where foot traffic and bikes are the primary way of getting around and cars are for wealthy people. I really don't think it is going to be used in National Parks in the US by hordes of fat people. Also, please remember that you are the fat, lazy, rich people of tomorrow. (Another joke for the knee-jerk crowd.) Now let's get out there and let some mink loose in a department store!

How about...

[Anonymous Coward]

A retired train conductor clown.

Going down

[gr8_phk]

They should have got a helicopter ride to the top and then taken the segway down hill. They wouldn't need to change the batteries so much. In fact, because the thing does regenerative breaking they may have had an energy surplus. I'm not sure if those guys ever built in a place to dump excess power. ???

Why GO anywhere?

[NSupremo]

We've ruined our world by building roads to go to places we dont need to go.

Keep old people on the road to thin the population

[bob_calder]

Every year a couple of my elderly clients used to kill people with their cars just because they felt that they were entitled to drive. When it was a young person that was killed, it was particularly disturbing. But what the hell, that's what I got paid for, right? One of the old farts killed a pregnant girl a few years back. Another hit the side of a van and skidded it into another van sidewise. Unfortunately there was a lady in a wheelchair between them! Those are memorable examples. This stuff never hits the news unless tons of people get squished as in the greenmarket in Ca this summer.

Using the Segway would promote better balance and they wouldn't fall down all the time either. How did you like my Troll-like sub? Gotcha!

South Florida, where the incontinent meet the illiterate.

Interstates are NOT wartime airstrips

[Sabu mark]

In fact, stretches of interstate have to meet certian specifications for landing of (large) aircraft, in the event that airbases are destroyed.

That is a myth.

Re:Interstates are NOT wartime airstrips

[mnmlst]

FYI. If you read Pierre Clostermann's "The Big Show" or "The First and the Last" by Adolf Galland (longtime commander of the Luftwaffe's Fighter forces) or any of a variety of books about the last six months of the air war over Europe 1944-1945, you will see plenty of references to German aircraft operating from clumps of trees (under which they would be parked) and then using a nearby stretch of highway or autobahn for the airstrip. Frequently, the roadway was painted with fake shellholes to throw the Allied photo reconaissance (sp?) flights off. General (later President) Eisenhower had to have been greatly impressed by the autobahns and later signed the Act creating the Interstate Highway System. I heard much of the impetus for the creation of Interstate Highways was to allow for the rapid movement of military forces across the USA. BTW, the big road in Hawaii is NOT an Interstate and Alaska has no such roads. Perhaps at one time there was some thinking that stretches of interstate might have to be used for flight operations during a future war (see "Red Dawn"- a lovable cheesefest with a surprising cast). When I was stationed in Germany, I heard rumors that stretches of the autobahn alongside major airports were indeed used for flight operations periodically. (See the short film "405"). Does anyone know if those rumors were describing actual facts?

For all the hype you'd think it would fly...

[tjstork]

Now if everyone was going around on flying segways that would be something to see... (thud... thud... from drunk segway drivers falling off thud )... well, or dodge at least.

This -body- has climbed Mt Washington

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry I'm just -not- impressed...

I'll assume that they got down again on their segways, though it's not explicitly stated..

But I've climbed Mt Washington on foot several times, from both sides.

As for the inclement weather that these two wthrough.. I don't think it's something to laud them for. It's easily avoidable if you watch the weather reports.

SHT is *not* an assistive device

[chipotle_pickle]

If you think you need a Segway, then you should not have one. This is a device for the dexterous, not the handicapped. On it, the handicapped are dangerous to everyone around them.

Please just don't say "beg the question"

[chipotle_pickle]

Question begging is circular reasoning, but leaving important questions unanswered. If you don't understand this, just stop using the expression. Another usage hint, when properly used, the phrase "begs the question" is almost always followed immediately by a period.

What about the way down?

[zlexiss]

Having been up and down Mt. Washington, including a trip in our college's solar-electric car, I'm not sure that the Segway could make it down safely.

With no brakes and only a small battery pack to soak up regenerative braking, I'm fairly sure a trip back down the mountain would result in the scooter being reduced to a smoky, overheated ruin without very frequent stops with enough time to let it cool down.

Our solar car, with six car batteries hooked up in series, still got kind of warm even though we weren't near the car's full range. $0.25 worth of electricity on the way up, gained back $0.15 on the trip down with the regen brakes. Figure at least a nickel's worth of heat generation in the batteries and electrics on the trip down..

I think it's safe to say he packed the scooter into the back of the Beetle clown car for the trip back..

Whamo

[Anonymous Coward]

That one nailed you like 10 penny through a 2x4.

Or will you blame that on the assburger?

Proof if proof be needed

[gilgongo]

The segway is dead.

It is now for ever more locked in people's minds as "comedy transport" along with monocycles and pogosticks.

Does anyone know what Dean Kamen was thinking when he came up with this idea? What was his elevator pitch? "Americans have such a small country, take far too much physical exercise and hate driving cars - they will all jump at the chance to ride electrified sticks on wheels."

Oh yeash! What a fantastic ideah!

yes and no

[SolemnDragon]

Standing for half an hour is easier than walking for half an hour. Especially if the standing for half an hour gets you farther than the walking would. It's not viable for people who can't get around at all, but for people who just wear out quicker than normal, it makes more sense. Anyway, it costs too much for me to buy out of pocket yet, and my odds of convincing my health coverage to shell out for it are negligible... for now it's girl on foot or girl in chair... so in the meantime, anybody wanna downhill race? *grin*

dude!

[Anonymous Coward]

duuuuuuuuude!

Re: Bikes Never Need Batteries

[johnrpenner]

BIKE VILLAGES

bikes never need batteries, and will always be cheaper and simpler to build -- less to go wrong. why not build a village for bicycles. segway users would find it a great place to get around in if they so choose.

john

In other news

[cpuenvy]

I have personally seen Dean flop over while on his contraption in a resturaunt in Manchester, NH, and it was the most hilarious thing I have ever witnessed.

I have also been up to Mount Washington many times, and I would just love to see how one of these guys controls the unit with the wind, next to the guardrails that protect you from a 1000 foot drop. The highest winds in the world were recorded up there.

All I can see in the current model is a device to make lazy people lazier.

Show me a flying segway, and then I will be impressed.

Bitter Cold?

[Mortanius]

The poster is obviously a southerner. Perhaps from the Deep South, like NYC or DC.

It's summer, I bet the air temperature didn't even drop below freezing! Even with the wind chill, I'm sure it was still in the positives.

Weenies.

Possible uses

[zipwow]

I have to disagree, I've seen two people using Segways recently that made a lot of sense.

The first was a utilities worker, who has to check gauges around downtown here in Seattle. I walked past him when the segway was stopped, and he was crouching down looking into the little door on the sidewalk. Moments later, he steppd onto the segway and whipped past me to the next point where he got off and did his job again. He used the handles of the segway like a belt, and had the tools of his trade hanging from it.

The second was the sanitation crew at the Pike Place Market, a sort of outdoor grocery, craft store, and food court. Two people, both on segways with their equipment hanging from the 'handlebars', this time pulling a little trailer holding trash. They looked very efficient, since 'cleanup opportunities' were somewhat spread apart among the different little niches where tables are found.

Makes a lot of sense for letter carriers as well, I would think.

I'll grant that $1000 is too much for personal use, but what happens when a segway costs the same as a bicycle? I'd ride one to work if I couldn't bike.

-Zipwow

Because it is there

[ministeroforder]

I have a Segway. Have been trying to figure out how to hack it, but the buggers wrote their own OS or sump'n. Had to send it back to the factory once because of a short that caused random jerks to the right at high speeds sending the rider flying. Glad their machines didn't have this!