This is a laugh riot. Never forget that this was the product that, according to the big shots who invested in this turkey, was going to revolutionize transportation. “Whole cities would be redesigned,” according to Steve Jobs, one of the suckers.
I actually was on top of this story for Forbes after Paul Saffo connected the dots and found the patent applications for the product that was a some sort of big secret at the time. So I wrote up the whole scheme in Forbes weeks in advance of the actual announcement. I got a ton of hate mail from weirdoes saying that I was full of crap since I was saying that all this thing – code named “ginger” – was nothing more than an elaborate and expensive self balancing scooter. It never made any sense to me that it would become a rage (and it didn’t). I was more than a little amused when weeks went by and then the scooter was unveiled and claims were made that nobody ever found out and it was this amazing secret. What a crock of crap.
The biggest money man and promoter of this white elephant was high-tech venture capital genius and apparent transportation doofus John Doerr of Kleiner-Perkins. If you visit the Kleiner-Perkins offices each partner seems to have one of these things plugged into the charger near their desks. For what? Art?
I suspect that 100 years from now these machines will become incredible collector’s items. And like many items looked at in an historical context people will ask themselves, “What were they thinking?!?”
Now they are up for a recall.
The government says if you own a Segway, you should stop riding it immediately.
The company’s calling back more than 23,000 of its personal transporters because of a software glitch that could throw the wheels into reverse, causing riders to fall off.
The consumer product safety commission says people should stop using the self-balancing scooters immediately.
I wonder if the recall includes the nifty new off-road model.
Reverses without warning??? Hmmm. It must be the John Kerry Special Edition Segway.
Huh. My bicycles never have had this problem.
Here’s a really, truly revolutionary idea: WE ARE GOING TO DIE!
Seriously, have you ever thought about that? It blows my mind. The first thing I say to myself is: Why the hell are we fighting one another?!? Dude, it’s gonna be all over, let’s party. Let’s have a world party!
People are fighting and are miserable because they want to hold on to life.
The Segway is a clunky toy. A Razor scooter is more fun.
For such an out of shape society, wouldn’t it make more sense to invent something that requires a modicum of exercise? Or considering our energy dependence, something that doesn’t require tapping the power grid? Oh yeah, there was this novel 19th century invention that already filled this niche.
5.
It’s joke how much power we use: electric toothbrushes, electric shavers, vibrators (can’t leave the women out), massage chairs, electric knives –as sold, and seen, on TV for cutting those hard-to-cut loaves of bread, battery greeting cards, kids’ shoes that light up with every step, etc. Damn, even the electric chair replaced the good ‘ol mechanical guillotine.
Jonny Quest had a good one.
Actually, Jobs thought it was a bad idea too.
Those guys look like George Bush Jr and Sr. What are the chances?
Nothing but a stupid fad. I wouldn’t be caught dead on one.
*9…Carl….I noticed that as well.
#9, 11
It’s because it is Bush Jr and Sr… http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2989000.stm
From #12’s link: The machine’s creator, Dean Kamen, wants to see US Special Forces troops eventually ride Segways into battle.
LOL!!!
It was Steve Wozniak not Steve Jobs who is the Segway fan. Even plays Segway polo
http://news.com.com/1606-2-6066511.html
#12… Holy Sh*T… I really thought it was. But I could not believe it actually would be.
I’ve found some material about Segway’s next product, the Segway II:
http://www.irider.com/kenb/SegwayII.htm
Still the most overrated story dealing with technology of all time.
Wasn’t this device supposed to lead to cooler stuff, and things that could help the disabled? Where are they?
If you use your imagination a little, the two guy in the pic look like President Bush and his father.
My friend, in his thirties, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He has to use canes to walk and cannot walk long distances. He had to stop shopping because of the M.S. and hates the idea of using the motorized wheelchairs or having to use a scooter. To look at him he doesn’t seem to have anything wrong when he did use the store scooters, and people stare at him, probably because of his young age. He is an I.T. guy and hit on the idea of using a Segway. The local malls and food stores told him they would allow it inside, since he has the handicapped placard. If using a Segway allows him to feel better about his mobility issues, then I say “go for it!” Apparently other individuals with disabilities also use the Segway for mobility, so don’t automatically discredit it.
Every time John posts something about the Segways, it’s with a leer in his return key.
He’s on record for calling it a nerdy, geeky thing to be seen on, but like most of those who chalk it up to being yet another cause of out-of-shape America, he hasn’t spent an hour on one of these things and is only giving his distant impression.
I have one. It makes my not-out-of-shape body not one whit fatter. But it does make my 60+ year old legs into 14-year-old legs whenever I use it. It’s not a spreader, it’s an amplifier.
I did get yelled at though, for laziness, while tooling along a sidewalk — by a guy lashed into the cushy seat of an SUV! Never mind that at speed, the Segway is about 25% of the experience of water skiing (bumpy suburban sidewalk) and the SUV under his derriere was a true spreader.
But this column lives for the ironies, eh?
Whatever the “fault” condition is that forces the behavior they’ve programmed an upgrade for, it’s never happened to my machine, which was one of the first delivered. From the description at Segway.com it sounds like you have to pull a major overspeed condition, forcing past the column’s push-back action, lift your feet off the foot plate and return them there in quick order to cause the effect. In other words, you have to be a total hot-shot, pushing the machine way into the red to get the effect.
The new models have a completely different operating system so they’re not at all prone to the conditions that cause the fault.
But for all the “Bwwwaaaa ha ha haaaa haa haa” that folks like to try to attach to these gizmos when some code issue arises, I must say that in the HT’s entire time on the planet, only two such “issues” have ever arisen. Put that in your Micro and Soft it.
Really, the software that makes these things go has only shown two bugs in 3.5 years and have demonstrated a track record that is the envy of every mission-critical software module of smart machines of all types. Your car isn’t as bug free, and the software flying your 757 has had HOW MANY updates?
Airbus should have software this good.
John, come on down. Spend an hour on my machine and let it wipe that inappropriate smirk off your face.
Or send your son. Somewhere in the 95+% range of folks I’ve demoed rides for on my machine couldn’t wait for the price to hit $1K so it could be afforded. The problem with these gadgets isn’t the idea–it’s the price.
-iNova
#2 Stick to hate spewing on your own Racist blog. If avatars were permitted, yours would be a hood and a burning cross. For those that have need to vomit visit his blog.
BTW The topic is Segway, your attempt at hijacking has failed