When I was getting my mail this evening, there was a young kid of maybe 10 years or so also getting his mail. He asked me what my Segway was called and how it worked. He said that it must "be in the world records for coolest thing" (something to that effect) and figured it "must be expensive." He wanted to walk alongside me. Clearly his parents never taught him to beware of tall men in black trenchcoats holding an umbrella while riding a Segway.
This is in contrast to most older people I've encountered, who generally seem to be somewhere between apprehensive and terrified when they see me. People on the Microsoft campus seem to be the main exception to that rule. I've only run into (figuratively, of course) a couple of kids while on my Segway... I haven't decided whether they are generally just not afraid of weird new transportation devices because they're used to new technology and dangerous methods of transportation, or whether it's just because kids are rarely as concerned for their own safety as adults are.
3 comments:
This seems an opportune time to point out that my coworkers constantly make fun of this guy in our building who rides a Segway while wearing a full motorcycle helmet. Apparently he is somewhat rude when maneuvering his Segway in the elevators, but I don't know if that's justification enough for the amount of fun people make of him behind his back. I mentioned that I knew someone who rides a Segway today and some of them looked shocked like maybe they had been making fun of a friend of mine.
Kid's just think it's cool (and they are all just trying to figure out how to ask you if they can take it for a spin!) Adults think it's strange and/or nerdy. I've heard lots of people make fun of guys they see riding segways.
I don't really get the whole motorcycle helmet thing; I've seen at least one person do that. It's less dangerous than riding a bike. It's not like it goes eighty miles an hour.
I haven't actually been around other people on Segways more than a couple seconds, but it's almost hard to imagine how you could "rudely" maneuver it in an elevator unless it was really crowded. You glide in, and then turn in-place. Maybe the person was freaking out over nothing. Or maybe the Segway guy just sucks.
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