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Driverless Car Hype Gives Way To E-Scooter Mania Among Technorati (nbcnews.com)
Millions of dollars in funding and billions of dollars in valuations have made scooters the next big thing since the last big thing. From a report: When Michael Ramsey, an analyst for technology research firm Gartner, started in February to put together his 2018 "hype cycle" report for the future of transportation, he had plenty of topics to choose from: electric vehicles, flying cars, 5G, blockchain, and, of course, autonomous vehicles. But one type of transportation is conspicuously absent from the results of the report: electric scooters. "At the time, outside of California, these scooters were really not that common," Ramsey said. "That's how much has happened." As for autonomous vehicles, which have enjoyed years of hype as the next big thing, Ramsey labeled them sliding into "the trough of disillusionment," which Ramsey described as "when expectations don't meet the truth."
In a matter of months, electric scooter startups have gone from tech oddity to global phenomenon. In some cities, hundreds of scooters suddenly showed up on streets from companies including Bird and Lime, leaving municipalities to figure out how to handle the sudden influx of two-wheeled travelers. The concept behind the scooters is simple: A user can grab any available scooter, unlock it with an app, ride to their destination, and leave the scooter there for someone else to use. Even by the hyper-growth expectations of Silicon Valley, the rise of scooter companies has been dizzying. Scooters can be found in more than 125 cities in the U.S. and more than 10 across the globe. In the year after their launch, both Lime and Bird said their scooters had been used for more than 10 million rides.
In a matter of months, electric scooter startups have gone from tech oddity to global phenomenon. In some cities, hundreds of scooters suddenly showed up on streets from companies including Bird and Lime, leaving municipalities to figure out how to handle the sudden influx of two-wheeled travelers. The concept behind the scooters is simple: A user can grab any available scooter, unlock it with an app, ride to their destination, and leave the scooter there for someone else to use. Even by the hyper-growth expectations of Silicon Valley, the rise of scooter companies has been dizzying. Scooters can be found in more than 125 cities in the U.S. and more than 10 across the globe. In the year after their launch, both Lime and Bird said their scooters had been used for more than 10 million rides.
suicide
nothing to see here - move along
they homeless are having a field day with them. It's pretty easy to yank off the GPS and walk off with them. The batteries have value as scrap too and there's plenty of shady recycling centers that don't ask questions.
This'll go away when the investor cash dries up and they'll be clogging landfills the world over.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Technorati is a person who knows how to change a font to bold in Microsoft Word, according to old people.
You are an elite hacker because you have figured out how to post on Slashdot.
Don't really have much to say about the scooters themselves but it's really bizarre how they showed up almost overnight. I've read stories about some American cities bitching about them even here on /. but there wasn't a single shared scooter here (city in central Europe).
Occasionally you'd see some dork ride an electric scooter or one of those unicycles and even those were pretty rare. I went away for three weeks on vacation, and when I got back they're all over the place.
One thing I've noticed before though is that a lot of successful local startups are essentially clones of what's been tried before in the US. One of a major and oldest companies here is a clone of Yahoo, there is also a clone of Groupon, and so on. I'm not really sure how financially successful these scooter companies are, but somebody is probably making money so this might've been a decent opportunity.
I don't see this as lasting very long--haven't we already seen an article about a city banning these things? And my first run-in with one was with somebody who was of the definite opinion that "I am on an electric scooter!" means that they automatically have right of way over everybody & do not have to obey the traffic rules. (I admittedly don't know which set applies, but I'm going to bet that you won't go wrong by assuming that the ones that apply to bikes apply to scooters, powered or not.)
I'm not advocating for it or anything, but...if you have a significant percentage of people using these things being idiots and assholes, it's going to only be a matter of time until they either get banned or start requiring a license to use. I don't particularly care, though; I'm just gonna kick back and enjoy the show.
Every one I see on a sidewalk gets tossed by me.
1. You can't just leave your shit in the middle of the sidewalk. That's called littering.
2. You can't operate a business in the middle of the sidewalk. That's illegal in every municipality that I know of.
3. The really hurt disabled people, such as people in wheelchairs and the blind.
If I can, I just one foot underneath the middle of the things, and launch them somewhere else, out of the way. I'd put them in the trash, if it were worth my time.
I don't respond to AC's.
So wait, first it was driverless cars, now it is scooters that are hot...
Obvious next new hot trend: Autonomous Scooters.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Winter will see a major dip in scooter usage.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
free batteries, charging systems, maybe sim cards, and some metal to sell as scrap. Yay makers
Not to forget an emoji based authentication system.
Always some new BS isn't there?
Remember Segways?
Mainly homosexuals in Silicon Valley who consider themselves the technological elites. Characterized primarily by the "soylent grin", dopey beards, and a slavish devotion to the latest techology trend, these "technorati" consider themselves to be the natural aristocratic class by virtue of their education and cushy tech sector jobs making important decisions about things like what color the buttons in "Generic Social Media App #11223" should be. Because of the nonsensically large salaries from their largely pointless jobs, they tend to have a certain sense of guilt for their entirely unearned privilege and as a consequence tend to espouse "socialist" political views through which they imagine they will a) assuage their upper middle class white guilt, and b) be the controlling elite in the future Socialist Utopia. Both of these are patently untrue as they, too, will be murdered unceremoniously by the third-world proletarians they advocate importing en masse and whom they believe ought to inherit the country.
To summarize, a technorati is a self-absorbed Silicon Valley elitist. See also: futurist, technologist, narcissism, hubris.
If I can, I just one foot underneath the middle of the things, and launch them somewhere else, out of the way.
Where is more out of the way than they are? I've usually seem them propped against posts or buildings, standing up so they are not taking up much walking space.
If you "launch it with a foot" it will land on it's side - either on the sidewalk, or on the street, or maybe into a side of a car. There is no scenario I can see where tossing the thing several feet results in better placement, in fact all possibilities after landing seem quite a lot worse and more like actual littering.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'm guessing that this infatuation with scooters will end very quickly in many cities once there's snow and ice on the roads.
Am I part of the core demographic for Swedish Fish?
The Segway was released with a lot of fanfare and after a lot of a secrecy and teasing. Some luminaries (like the late Steve Jobs) who had privileged previous access to it, claimed that it was going to revolutionized transportation. We all know what happened. Motorized scooters, albeit less expensive, are trying to occupy the much-needed gap that the Segway tried to occupy. My prediction: motorized scooters are a fad. In a year's time, most of us will have forgotten about them. It will still be possible to see some in the wild, but they will be nothing much beyond a niche product. They might even come and go, over the years, like the yo-yo; but they are not going to revolutionize anything.
For one or two days, 2 years ago.
Technorati is the name of a business that got bought out in 2016 and got shut down. Did Google type stuff.
Sig. Sig. Sputnik
Exactly. In addition he hates shorts, just like the Enron guys did before they went to jail. I wonder why.
Cry me a river.
Fossil fuels are over.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Companies brought in these scooters into cities without any interaction with city goverment.
I have also seen a number of post's about idiot drivers who haven't a clue on safety.
I am not against the idea, just think it should have been thought out better.
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
Scooters have a fundamental problem for adults. Small wheels combined with high centre of gravity gives a very small reaction time for unexpected or misjudged obstacles.
Who funds this crap anyway? Too easy too steal, too easy to have accidents, littering side walks. What's wrong with 'gasp' walking?
46137
I usually put them (sometimes with force) into the area between the sidewalk and the street.
That puts them where cars might go (either for parking or just driving), or especially a problem for bikes which tend to hug the curbs if cars are on the street, so it is still a worse idea.
People around here clip the exposed wires, at least that is a peaceful end that does not hurt either pedestrians or cars... re-arrange them if you must, but anywhere on the street is worse than the sidewalk. Maybe hang them over traffic lights?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I nominate asshat. =P
(Yes, Technocrat is the actual word that is too sophisticated for the pompous author.)
I'm not clear why they are allowed to be left blocking the sidewalks... do they pay the city for the privilege of using up acres of sidewalk space?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Don't just release scooters without any means to park and store them properly.
Work with the cities and towns to install locking parkings. In order to return the scooter, you need to dock it. If you don't, the bill is still running on your account.
#DeleteFacebook
The need for a plausible (for some value of) idea to get VC money from gullible investors? The need to be able to tell themselves they are innovators and can change the world? All sorts of non-obvious (unless you're a cynic) payoffs to be had. Most startups pay their C suite guys pretty well off the VC money, and just cut and run when it runs out. Easy peasy - and now you have "ran a startup" on your CV.
Why guess when you can know? Measure!
Q. What acute problem does an E-Scooter solve? A. Nothing!
The acute problem is the "last few miles" problem of urban mass transit rail systems (the "Metro" as it is called in many cities around the world). You can take a Metro into the city center to commute to your job, but then you have get to that final destination on foot. On a Metro can cross an urban area at an average speed of 30 MPH, but then you have to get to your final destination at 3 MPH. The whole commuting strategy is much improved if you can do that final bit at 15 MPH.
Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
Once the lawsuits start rolling in on injuries, and people begin to realize these things are rolling accidents waiting to happen,they will fade away into the sunset just like hoverboards.
walk. it still works.
Even gas scooter get 92MPG (Piaggio Liberty 150)
Many motorcycles get 65MPG.
Make things safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, scooterists, and motorcyclists.
Reduction of Preventable Bicycle, Motorcycle, and Small Vehicle Hazards
Signaling
No traffic light may ever direct a motorist to drive toward a pedestrian.
Currently, many traffic lights direct left-turning traffic to cross while the pedestrian is directed to walk. While many drivers yield, often the motorist will false-start when/if they notice the pedestrian.
All traffic lights must detect even a composite bicycle, or not utilize detection at all.
Cyclists of all kinds cannot be expected to wait indefinably at an intersection for a traffic light that will never change for them, thereby placing them at increased risk of a rear-end collision.
Infrastructure and Construction
The road surface must be safe for 2 wheeled vehicles as well as 4 wheel vehicles.
Painted and applied lines and markings must have and maintain a non-slip surface.
The current markings are too smooth. When they become wet, clearly they dangerous to those who ride motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles. A little sand mixed into the marking paint will make them reliable.
Roads must not be made with groves parallel to the road direction.
Road cuts should have a minimum angle as not to deflect wheels.
Curb construction should not meet the road where a bicycle is expected to be ridden.
This dangerous construction technique is used throughout Campbell and San Jose. Obviously, storm drains must be safe for cyclists/motorcyclists to cross.
All steel plates used for temporary construction must have a textured pattern on them such as diamond plate to reduce wheel slippage.
Often, cold-patch asphalt is used to create a ramp at the edge of the plate, which creates an oily surface on a slick metal plate.
Post-Accident Refuse
Any accident where a vehicle part touches the road surface must be reported.
The road area must be inspected and signed off by authorities after an accident has occurred.
The roads are often littered with fragments from car accidents.
[In the cleanup of Los Gotos creek trail, volunteers found most of the front end bodywork of a Mitsubishi: nose, signal lights, fenders, ect.
Dooring
Drivers must be held responsible for doorings, where an automobile is opened into a moving bicyclist’s or motorcyclist’s path.
A motorcyclist or bicyclist often cannot see into the car because of a total internal reflection condition exists with the side windows. A cars and trucks have a side mirror, which can be used to see if the way is clear before opening the door. It is impossible to stop a vehicle as fast as someone can open it into passing traffic.
Accident Violations Should Be Higher for Drivers Who Strike a Pedestrian, Cyclist, or Motorcyclist, who do not have a roll-cage around them.
Bicycle Theft
In larger cities, a task force, should be set up to reduce bicycle thieves.
It would be beneficial if larger cites if larger cities were the place where your bicycle is safer, than more likely to be stolen.
Moving Vehicle Violations
The operators of all vehicles who fail to use signals, follow too close, and use cellphones while driving, need to be reduced.
Licensing
Drivers need to be educated and tested about cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians.
Many drivers remain unaware that bicyclists have a right to be on the road.
Hand Signals
Bicyclists cannot be expected to use a stop while stopping.
It is nearly impossible to safely stop a bicycle without having both hands on the bars.
The current hand scheme better suits drivers than cyclists, scooterists, and motorcyclists. Simply pointing where you intend to go, with coarse arm motions is far more visible than signaling with fine hand motions.
https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
This is a solution only for the young and fearless (e.g. reckless) because I've yet to see a middle aged person hop on one of these kiddie toys to get to the office. Also, given the enormous numbers of workers in the city centers, it would require having tens of thousands of these toys to move people from buses/trains to office buildings. Where will all these be stored in an unobtrusive manner?
Have a Day!
I started seeing these BIRD scooters in my area recently. If I'm walking and I come across one, I'm chucking it in the nearest dumpster. They're fucking blocking the sidewalks.
How about where they store the two tons of metal most workers bring with them every day?
More people voted for Hillary than voted for Trump.
*Love* seeing how obviously that still sticks in your craw.
Yeah, they can do that, as long as the cities are okay with that. Of course that means the pedestrians are going to have to go searching in the multi-level garages to find the scooters, and then find a garage at their destination to re-store them at end of use.
Have a Day!
God Damn you!! That's all I gotta say...
[($)]
10 cities worldwide. I understand that some people in the US have no idea how big the world outside the US is, but still.
The piece reads as if the streets are blocked with 2wheel vehicles like an old Asian town. I call bullshit on the whole thing because of it.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
They're essentially fast pedestrians and slow, low-mass wheeled vehicles, so the laws of physics say they should be on the sidewalks
I didn't notice that there were laws of physics related to sidewalks. Forces, charges, voltages, sure...but sidewalks?
Ezekiel 23:20