The Segway, Five Years Later

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Posted by ryuzaki0 on Tuesday September 5, 2006 @03:00AM from the makes-a-guy-a-few-bucks-at-gen-con-every-year dept.

abb_road writes "The Segway was introduced with a promise to transform cities; BusinessWeek has an article on what the Segway has accomplished in 5 years, and how 'personal transportation,' and the company, have changed. From the article: 'The first Segway — a clean-running, technologically dumbfounding, fun-as-hell-to-ride device that was pretty much impossible to fall off of — was introduced to so much fanfare five years ago that the public-relations agency that helped engineer it still uses it as a case study in how to create a media frenzy. It may be an even better case study in media backlash. The initial euphoria had hardly worn off before a new consensus emerged: This was all much ado about a $5,000 scooter.'"

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Cities redesigned by UbuntuDupe · 2006-09-05 03:03 · Score: 5, Funny

Does anyone have the list of the cities redesigned to accomodate the Segway?

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Apology to Ubuntu forum.
1. Re:Cities redesigned by Scaba · 2006-09-05 03:08 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Just make up a list and add it to Wikipedia.
2. Re:Cities redesigned by rblancarte · 2006-09-05 03:27 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Does the banning by San Francisco count?
  
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  It is human nature to take shortcuts in thinking.
3. Re:Cities redesigned by Billosaur · 2006-09-05 04:02 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Honestly ... I remember that quote about how cities would be re-designed around the thing - was anyone anywhere actually expecting something like that to happen in 5 years?
  
  Heck, they haven't even redesigned New York City to handle cars efficiently -- what made anyone think the Segway was going to force changes that millions of drivers couldn't?
  
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  GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
4. Re:Cities redesigned by rucs_hack · 2006-09-05 04:56 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  In Soviet Russia, Cities...oh never mind....
Segway Not Impossible to Fall off by SirStanley · 2006-09-05 03:05 · Score: 5, Funny

It's surprisingly not hard to fall off of a segway if you've never been on one before. You have no idea that you can't stand on it before it's been turned on. (I did that fell over caught myself)

In addition. The Turning controls are on one of the handles and if you're drunk and jousting on Segways (Which is REALLY FUN btw.) falling off is pretty easy as well. I leaned to far forward which makes you go very fast I was attempting to charge through a hallway and while going fast I realized that I was quickly drifting towards the wall. I attempted to fix this but twisted to hard on the steering grip and it very quickly spun me in a 360 into the wall.. Which actually hurt pretty good. You don't have to be a president to fall off of one.

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1. Re:Segway Not Impossible to Fall off by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · 2006-09-05 03:16 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  It's surprisingly not hard to fall off of a segway if you've never been on one before. You have no idea that you can't stand on it before it's been turned on. (I did that fell over caught myself)
  
  George, is that you?
  
  --
  "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
2. Re:Segway Not Impossible to Fall off by CagedBear · 2006-09-05 03:28 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Olympics 2008:
  
  ... and the Irish team remains the one to beat for the the drunken Segway jousting competition.
3. Re:Segway Not Impossible to Fall off by Anonymous Coward · 2006-09-05 03:50 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  if you're drunk and jousting on Segways
  
  all of a sudden, the price tag seems worth it...
4. Re:Segway Not Impossible to Fall off by Silverstrike · 2006-09-05 04:23 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  You don't have to be a president to fall off of one.
  
  No, just inebriated and attempting to renact a medieval sport. ;-)
5. Re:Segway Not Impossible to Fall off by Lumpy · 2006-09-05 05:16 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  and if you're drunk and jousting on Segways (Which is REALLY FUN btw.) falling off is pretty easy as well.
  
  that explains the strange marks I saw on the hallway floors during the white house tour.
  
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Case study? by E+IS+mC(Square) · 2006-09-05 03:06 · Score: 5, Funny

>>it still uses it as a case study in how to create a media frenzy. It may be an even better case study in media backlash.

Well, its looking only half the picture. Best case study would be "How to create media frenzy, completly fail to deliver it, and still remain in business"
Never say never by gr8whitesavage · 2006-09-05 03:07 · Score: 4, Funny

"pretty much impossible to fall off" - unless you are President Bush. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2989000. stm
1. Re:Never say never by RexRhino · 2006-09-05 03:21 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  "pretty much impossible to fall off" - unless you are President Bush.
  
  So what you are trying to say is that President Bush can do the impossible? :p
2. Re:Never say never by bladesjester · 2006-09-05 04:25 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  As I get the mental image of a bunch of guys wearing desert camo, heavily armed, and playing segway polo as they roll into battle...
  
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  Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Maddox took care of this 3 years ago. by Mikachu · 2006-09-05 03:13 · Score: 5, Funny

How to render the Segway obsolete...

BAM! Third wheel.
Hype vs. reality by Rob+T+Firefly · 2006-09-05 03:20 · Score: 4, Funny

A few months ago I finally got the chance to ride a Segway, at the HOPE convention. They had rented a pair and sectioned off a safe area to zoom around in, and it was a load of fun to ride around the hotel's mezzanine while laughing like Pee-Wee Herman.

However, there was also a little bicycle that someone left lying around, and I got the chance to ride around the mezzanine on that for a while, also while laughing like Pee-Wee Herman. That was also a load of fun, one that wouldn't cost me four-figures to duplicate, require me to remain standing, or control my direction with what may be the most unnatural steering mechanism ever.

Both rides gave me a sore throat friom all that Pee-Wee Herman laughing, though.

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1. Re:Hype vs. reality by Josh+Hiles · 2006-09-05 03:27 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  But did the Sedgeway revolutionize your life?
  
  It totally changed mine, since I bought one I have been cured of my cancer, am in the best shape of my life and am dating a super model.
  
  But I just saw a commercial for a little magnetic bracelet that could fix that nagging lower back pain.
  
  Where's my phone?
Re:Segways are great by theStorminMormon · 2006-09-05 03:27 · Score: 3, Funny

I'd like to see the segway handle the recoil of a minigun. I imagine that would make the ride more interesting.

-stormin

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Re:Segways are great by Chaffar · 2006-09-05 03:31 · Score: 2, Funny

But if they sold them in NYC, you'd really have to sell models equipped with miniguns to defend yourself against crazy taxi drivers.
Sounds like a good plotline for a Carmageddon III: Segways from Hell...
Re:Segways are great by $RANDOMLUSER · 2006-09-05 03:33 · Score: 2, Funny

...models equipped with miniguns to defend yourself against crazy taxi drivers.
I think you're on to something here!

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No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
i heart slashdot by NoData · 2006-09-05 03:36 · Score: 5, Funny

Only here would a caveat about drunken Segway jousting be modded "informative."
Re:As Does Chicago by ConsumerOfMany · 2006-09-05 03:39 · Score: 5, Funny

These tours are also conveniently known as the "tourists who we will beat up and mug" pre-screening process........
Re:The segway has a perfect market by RCO · 2006-09-05 03:52 · Score: 3, Funny

Yeah, I've seen police using them too, and the first thought I had was "Great, now they get absolutely no exercise. The only thing they don't have is a place for their coffee and doughnuts." Granted, I was in a bad mood, so I may have been a little harsh with that thought.

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'And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo Every day you meet quite a few...'
If Paris Hilton can fall off a Segway ... by kiddailey · 2006-09-05 04:08 · Score: 5, Funny

... it can't be impossible! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxtc75biScU

She almost had a shish-ka-Paris with that mop strapped to her backside.
My mistake... by StressGuy · 2006-09-05 08:43 · Score: 2, Funny

I started the word in question with "Acc", what I needed was some "Ass" to come along and fix it.

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A goal is a dream with a deadline
Re:The segway has a perfect market by RCO · 2006-09-05 08:45 · Score: 2, Funny

Yeah, I suppose the segway doesn't leave road apples in it's wake.

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'And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo Every day you meet quite a few...'