A scooter?! A Freaking SCOOTER?

God Help Us.

And at the low-low cost of $3000, it is surely within the grasp of the common man, thus "forever changing the way we live our lives." Oh an Good Morning America has lost all chance of getting my respect back. This is the perfect defining moment for what makes a "media whore." A supposed news organization leading people on to believe that something truly revolutionary was to be broadcast, only to be nothing more than a Sharper Image ad. Bastards.



I mean, given all the hype, I was expecting something *truly* revolutionary (apparently every ad exec and media whore on earth has lost their dictionary)...something like...

...a replacement for the combustion engine that uses water as its fuel...

...cure for (any type of) cancer anyone?...


But I don't have to so stringent in my standards...how about...


...a low-fat frying fuel that you can make potato chips with, that won't make you soil yourself after ingesting it...

...a Star-Trek-like phaser that allows you to beam the obnoxious SUV riding on your bumper to another galaxy...without road maps...

...maxipads that don't need wings (hey, I can be as sensitive as the next guy)...

...alcohol 2.0 -- same great buzz, but half the puking and hangovers of your regular alcohol...

...Christmas lights that don't require replacement after one month's use and subsequent careful storage...

...A Microsoft operating system that is actually nimble and security-hole-free...

...a yard-bot that automatically senses weather conditions and pet activity, thus enabling it to water, fertilize and scoop poop without supervision...also comes in a handy anti-crime model, which sports a hidden flame-thrower....

...or a perfectly accurate slide film that costs $.50 a roll and another $.50 to develop....


Maybe it's just me. Maybe I am setting my expectations and standards far too high and need to reevaluate my idea of the words "life changing", "revolutionary", and "useful." Just a few recent inventions which trounce the GMA Scooter:

...The iPod...

...The Ti Powerbook...

...Orange-Peach-Mango Pulpless Juice....

...Easton Synergy 1-piece composite hockey stick...

...Itech Hockey Jock...jock and mesh athletic short in one (God bless the man who invented this beauty!)...

...A Bears team that actually wins more games than it loses...

...Tivo (no I don't own one, but it's still more useful and practical than the damn scooter)...

...Super Bass-o-Matic 76...

...Tetris...

...GPS...

...The Guiness Rocket Widget...


Anyone else got some?

<img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />

[quote]Originally posted by groverat:
<strong>You're disappointed because you committed yourself to idiotic speculation.

This thing is great.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I didn't commit myself to anything. I didn't speculate either. I merely took the GMA people at their word for once. Maybe it's great and maybe it isn't...I wager the test of time will bear out my conclusion rather than yours. You actually think tens or hundreds thousands of people will be using this thing on a regular basis, once available?

I didn't say it wasn't an interesting product, rather my suggestion is that it's far from what I'd call "a revolutionary invention." It's a gimmick.

Fact: except for those who live unusually close to their jobs, everyone will *still* drive their cars to work...and to the mall, and the market and the drugstore, and everywhere that's more than a block away for that matter. The amount of auto traffic that will be reduced as a result of this thing will be immeasurably small.

Fact: at $3000 only the very well-to-do or rich can truly afford one. Any genuinely great invention is by definition within reach of the common man. This isn't, nor will it be for the forseeable future. It's a rich man's toy that will be stuffing lots of rich men's garages and attic spaces in a couple years.

Probable Fact: Let's say your right and thousands start to use it. Imagine what would happen to our sidewalks if even 30% of the people now walking decided to use one...stop lights and traffic lanes anyone?

Sorry, makes for a neat science demonstrator (reminds of something a high school kid would take to the science fair) but is not the most practical or elegantly designed mode of transport I have ever seen. The good old fashioned bicycle puts it to shame IMO....

[ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: Moogs ]</p>

By the way, I think Richard Simmons would aggee with me. He knows such inventions are just another excuse not to excercise. What were you thinking, sissy boy?

[quote]Originally posted by Gregg:
<strong>IT is simply one of the dumbest ideas to come along this century. It only goes 12 miles an hour! (faster, and it'd kill ya) and it only has a range of 15 miles.... Brilliant! And don't forget the optional weatherproof enclosure kit with heat and air conditioning. Oh, that's a car!....
</strong><hr></blockquote>

*LOL*

<img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />

[quote]Originally posted by _ alliance _:
<strong>....which means that u have to plan perfectly how long yer gonna be out and how far yer gonna travel--i dunno about u, but thats a pain in the ass. grover, stop jumping all over people fer a sec and think about the whole perspective of the issue...</strong><hr></blockquote>

Yah Grover...relax for Christ's sake.

Talk about someone with his head up his ass...did you read any of my examples in the first post? The "maxipad without wings" and "Super Bass-o-Matic 76" should tip you off that more than anything I was trying to make light of the situation. You know, har har?

I'm not actually angry or depressed over this ridiculous publicity stunt, as you seem to imply. And no, I don't go to GMA for hard-news...but they spun the "event" as if something universally useful and practical was going to be revealed. Not a Sharper Image ad (which is exactly what this looks like to me).

Comparisons to the PC, for example, aren't even close to being warranted. Before the PC, there was nothing even remotely close that could accomplishall the same tasks in a similarly efficient fashion. Before the Scooter, we have (hmmm): The car, the bus, the train, the subway, the bicycle, the motorcyle, the moped, and of course since it's meant for such short distances, LEGS AND FEET.

But to end the back-and-forth, why don't you enlighten us and tell us exactly which transportation niche this thing is made to fill, that isn't already filled by something that is more practical (if not fuel efficient)...just be sure to take the legs and feet comment above into account when answering because it sure as hell doesn't fill any other niche very well.

But hey, Worldcom is chomping at the bit to make a new "Generation D" commercial with some programmer riding into his ultra-modern cubical on one of these "great" devices.

[quote]Originally posted by Scott H.:
<strong>

You must have missed all the X Box "news" on Headline News.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Indeed I did...clearly, examples abound these days. Though we all know Ted's network time is easy enough to buy. Either way, glad I missed it. I knew there was a reason I don't watch CNN anymore. Seriously though, todays stunt had "Fox" written all over it...I suppose the inventor didn't want to tarnish his image by going with such a blatantly unreliable network.



And you're right about the Bears...I mistakenly put that invention in the wrong group. That one should be in there with the iPod and such.



[ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: Moogs ]</p>

[quote]Originally posted by Artman @_@:
<strong>A $3,000 electric scooter...whoopee. I guess it will replace the pogo stick. What were we all expecting...world peace?</strong><hr></blockquote>

The pogo-stick...that reminds me...there are three other existing modes of trasnsport which are arguably more practical and definitely more fuel-efficient than our beloved mega-scooter:

Roller-blades

Skateboard

Oxygen Scooter (but only if they're still "rad" this year)


..be warned though, they require that you actually get off your ass (with all due respect to peopel with disabilities) and propel yourself those one or two brutal city blocks...definitely consult your physician first.

One thing I will admit is cool is the gyro-sensor thingies inside that keep it from falling over / keep it stable. Otherwise, the concept seems less than convincing to me.

[ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: Moogs ]</p>

[quote]Originally posted by Willoughby:

car, bus, train, subway, motorcycle, moped : dirty and sometimes dangerous.<hr></blockquote>

True to an extent. In Europe and elsewhere many pollution free train and subway systems have been put into use. Not sure about our subway systems (as far as pollution goes). There are even busses in some places that run entirely on ethanol (much cleaner, reduces auto traffic, etc).

[quote]This thing won't pollute the environment. You say it can only go 15 miles, well this is perfect for city dwellers.<hr></blockquote>

Honestly, can picture yourself on a cold windy day, or a rainy day...or a brutally hot day...riding your scooter three or four miles to work or to the bookstore or wherever? I can't.

[quote]Anyone who lives in or around a city (especially NY) can see how useful this device *COULD BE*....<hr></blockquote>

Yah, but in 20 years it will likely bear little resemblance physically or functionally to what you see now. In other words that will be a totally different (innovation)...but you can make the argument one has to start somewhere...I just think this thing has a very limited niche. Requires good weather (for the operator, not the gizmo itself), distances short enough to walk, a place to store and charge it on every street corner, etc. etc.

[quote]I could make it to and from work on one single charge.<hr></blockquote>

If you envision it as safe enough for this scooter (traffic and pedestrian-wise), isn't also safe to say it's safe enough (or close enough) for a bicycle, roller-blades or feet? Being honest there...not sarcastic. I still don't see the gap that it fills (assuming the person using it isn't averse to walking a mile or two every day).

[quote]This isn't meant to replace the car in suburbia. The sunday drive isn't going to become the sunday "scoot".<hr></blockquote>

Clearly not, and for the record I never suggested it would be.

[quote]So here we have a device that you stand on facing forward, not sideways like a scooter or skateboard, is safe, clean and runs on 10 cents worth of electricity a day. I think its a great invention for city folk like myself who hates getting on the subway just to go to their favorite grocery store. Now, once the price comes down it will be even better.

Oh, and Kamen never started the hype. The book proposal was leaked to Inside.com and from there it turned into a big mess. Kamen didn't out right say what it was because his patents didn't go through yet. He was only protecting himself.<hr></blockquote>


I don't know about all the "info leaks" and such; I just know GMA played it up in a way that was misleading. And while I should expect that in this day and age, that doesn't mean I have to condone it. Finally, I concur that perhaps some of the technologies used therein (the gyro thing, the motor) could be used in the future for something that is actually practical to the average city dweller...but until that day comes...I maintain what we have here is a rich man's toy.

[quote]Originally posted by NoahJ:
<strong>

And here you have stated the reason why the latter is better than the former. You CANNOT knock it or the person on it over. The reporters and executives tried hard and could not do it, including pushing the guy on the scooter hard in the chest while he was moving foreward. Try that on an "oxygen sccoter"....</strong><hr></blockquote>

Maybe and maybe not Noah. I openly admit the balance feature is impressive, but that doesn't make it more practical or easy to use than the others necessarily. We have to define who is using it and why to answer that question.

A couple of people have alluded to the fact that perhaps people with heart problems or people who are older could use this device but not a bicycle or say roller-blades. Maybe (because those two items require balance), but if your Mom or Dad has heart problems (for example), can you not envision some fairly unattractice scenarios even with the scooter balancing for them?

Balanced or not, they're equally exposed to traffic and roadside hazards as items like bicycles or someone on roller-blades, but perhaps even *less* able to avoid a bad situation. Put another way, you may not be able to knock the scooter over , but with a little surprise or brute force you could sure as hell cause someone to lose their grip on the scooter and thus incur serious injury.

What happens when you got 20 people on the same patch of sidewalk using these things - some of them are backing up, others turning or weaving at random, others speeding straight ahead?

It's hard enough for older folks or people who have health conditions to drive in cars where the rules of the road are very straight forward and mostly adhered to.

This thing, being intended for sidewalk use, has a lot of potential to cause chaos and injury because there are basically no rules governing sidewalk usage...you're going to have a mix of bicycles, pedestrians, taxi-cabs (pulling to and from the curbs) and segways...I think the mental picture that comes from such a scenario is not hard to envision, nor are the problems that would come with it.

I dunno. It just doesn't seem well though out in terms of how it would fit into our existing sidewalk and road systems (or with how people use them and will definitely continue to use them)....

[quote]Originally posted by Scott H.:
<strong>I think people are over blowing the need to charge this thing. 15 miles is a long way. People are still stuck on the car idea. I think too many people are still too stuck on the car.

Here in the city people walk all the time everywhere. Hot cold rain snow. Having a nice scooter to take you there in the hot cold rain snow whould be welcome.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Maybe the possibility of shorter "commute" times would appeal to some (vs. a few more minutes in the bitter cold), but I'll believe these things work on snow or ice-slicked sidewalks / roads when I see it...especially Chicago sidewalks.

Further, when you think about it...if you're on a crowded city sidewalk...how is that this thing will get you to your destination more quickly? You can't very well run people over, and you can't use the street (because you'll be the one to get steam-rolled then)...so in the end you're on your scooter, travelling at the same 1 or 2 mph everyone else is.

Either that, or they're going to have to mandate "scooter / bike" lanes on every sidewalk...good luck with that one....

More power to ya brother...if I had to make a guess as to which cities might already have such Segway lanes in the works, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver would all be on my short list. Chicago might eventually get them too...by 2012...maybe.

As Scott and others might attest, the roads and sidewalks in greater Chicago are less-than-well-maintained. Let alone "forward thinking."

Luddite? I don't think anyone here (including myself) has said anything that might be heard at your local anti-technology, UNA-bomber sympathy conference. We're simply pointing out the obvious flaws (and advancements too) of this Segway thing.

Either way yourself and a few others keep implying people can't get hurt using this thing. If you can't picture how using such a vehicle could quickly become "dangerous" (assuming they will share the same crowded sidewalks and roads as everyone else)...you're kidding yourself. It may not be dangerous in and of itself, but then, with a little bit of training, none of the other modes are dangerous by themselves either...it's the congestion on the roadways and sidewalks that inevitably causes all the problems.

Think about it: you're out in the open and exposed to all the dangers that everyone else (not in a car or bus) is exposed to. Getting hit or side-swiped by cars or other large vehicles, running into people, buildings or other scooters...at a net speed of 24 mph...a "head on" scooter collision could result in a mess for the sidewalk custodian if you know what I'm saying.

In short, I still haven't heard a case for the particular niche that this thing fills, that can't already be efficiently handled (by the average Joe, not someone who is sick or old or injured) using some other means of transport.