Well, I'm not sure who he paid off, but Tom is now officially famous... well, as famous as the Boston Globe can make you:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/08/21/segway146s_quest_for_acclaim_faces_uphill_climb_in _state/
Who would have ever thunk?
"Tom Schindler loves his Segway"... that might be an understatement though...
Aidan