Segway listed as #1 on list of 50 worst inventions.

[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by squirrel

Same as most people...none....

I haven't invented anything for an hour or two. I need to get back to work.

Hahaha. You better or you might not get a gold star for the day. Everyone knows that you need to invent something or revolutionize an industry to get a gold star.

I have a feeling that many inventions that should have been patented never were, and many patents that are issued are frivolous.

[oddjob]

I've got an idea. Let's take a cheap and stable bicycle and turn it sideways, rotate the wheels 90 degrees to remove all stability, add some motors and battery and electronics to make it unaffordable, and change the world? As an added bonus, it's now so wide that it's a hazard to everyone. It was a non starter from the get go. I have no problem with it's #1 ranking.

The tens of millions of people that died of malaria as a result of banning cheap and effective DDT aren't here to argue with its inclusion in the list.

The change from R12 to R134A (part of the CFC eco-scare) is very debatable too. We still have training wheels on when it comes to understanding global climate, and contrary to some blowhards opinions, it's not "settled science". Objectively, the change from R12 to R134A accomplished very little to nothing at huge cost. If that were the reason for it's inclusion in the list, I'd agree.

No love for the Pontiac Aztec? It's shrunken clone, the Toyota Prius, is doing quite well. The Ford Edsel would have been a better automotive choice, but maybe the list authors aren't old enough to remember that ugly duckling.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by mikelowry

All of these activities have clear benefits.

What about riding Chris's point? Motorcycles get you from A to B just like a car, yet are significantly more dangerous. (and also MUCH more fun, just like a Segway)

Going back to sdcantrell56's point, I find it hard to believe Segways are incredibly dangerous. I'm sure accidents occur, and they can result in serious injury (although I would hazard most result only in scraped knees and injured egos). I took a 3.5 hour Segway tour in D.C. a few months ago for 60 bucks. One of our guides had been working for their a few months, the other for over a year. Neither of them had led a tour where someone fell off. I would think that if accidents were common (outside of our guide's experience) insurance premiums would be so high it wouldn't be profitable to run a Segway touring business.

And speaking of funky patented inventions, Skroback's Roadable Airplane is pretty out there.

[Stephen Kowski]

Originally Posted by sdcantrell56

non existent benefits

They are more than non-existant, they are negative, as a friend of mine (an avid biker) yells at segways as they pass him, 'Segways make you fat'.

[Chris is me]

I wish the Segway were a bit cheaper. I have about a 1.3 mile commute from my bus stop to Shaker High every time I go to a meeting. The sad thing is I think this is the kind of use the Segway is intended for (the "last mile") but the price is simply far too high. I could get a crappy car and use that to drive the entire way for that price.

[davidthefat]

I agree with the seg way being a bad invention, don't get me wrong here, it will only promote sedentary life style, kind of reminds me of Fahrenheit 451

[artdutra04]

Don't cars provide just as sedentary lifestyle as a Segway?

Honestly, as someone who owns a Segway and likes to bike alot, there are a ton of people in this country who seriously believe cars are the only things allowed on a road. I can't tell you how many times people in cars have tried running me off the road, yelling stupid things or just generally harass me while walking or biking. This attitude that treats non-car road users as second class citizens is probably another reason why more people don't walk, bike, ride Segways, etc.

Originally Posted by mikelowry

All of these activities have clear benefits.

Several businessmen/lawyers in the city I grew up in use Segways to commute the several miles from their homes to their offices every day. If the commute is only a few miles, if there aren't any highways, and if there is a need to be professionally dressed for work (you don't want to bike in a suit), then this is the niche market for Segways. Military bases, college campuses, and large corporate office parks (think Google or Microsoft campuses) are also places where Segways would be a lot more useful than cars. For these trips, using an 80 lb Segway is a lot more efficient than using a 3000 lb car.

[TomH]

Think of it this way, how many people own segways, who many people use them daily, and how many people think its a great invention. If it was so great, we would all have one, but its expensive and in some instances impractical. I am not all against the segway though, think about it, one less car on the road and one more segway on the sidewalk makes a difference. And if you want to be Eco-friendly, and if you could afford a segway, you most likely can afford some solar panels or some wind mills, and you could charge your segway for free. The segway is used by police and even the Mythbuster's Adam Savage. The segway shows up here and there, but its just not the kind of thing you can go "Hey, let me use my segway and ride around the block". Overall, Time Magazine is using statistics to rate the segway, and sometimes that is not enough. The person who wrote this article most likely, as it was mentioned before, had not made an invention of their own and does not understand how hard it is to make something like the segway. They might not understand the concept of the complex gyros and the way it works. Not all people who write articles understand the technology that is in this device, they might understand how high the price is though.

[Pat Fairbank]

Originally Posted by artdutra04

...and large corporate office parks (think Google or Microsoft campuses) are also places where Segways would be a lot more useful than cars.

Funny you should say that; I was zipping around the Google campus today on my Segway. Although there are bikes provided for that purpose, a Segway is way more maneuverable (and therefore safer for pedestrians), plus you can take it inside buildings. There are definitely use cases for which the Segway is ideal.

Also, that link has got to be some sort of prime example on how not to design an article for easy reading. I gave up after having to click the "next" button about ten times.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Stephen Kowski

...a friend of mine (an avid biker) yells at segways as they pass him, 'Segways make you fast'.

There, I fixed that for you.


Seriously, Segways aren't intended to replace walking. They're intended to make it practical to use pedestrian routes instead of driving for short distances.

[jmanela]

You could also look at it from another perspective, go to google and type in segway tours. This invention has made a new type of firm possible in some economies who completely depend on the tourism industry. Some of these may include islands in the Caribbean, vacation spots in Florida, etc.

Also, if you read the subtitle of the article it reads...

From the zany to the dangerous to the just plain dumb, here is TIME's list (in no particular order) of some of the world's bright ideas that just didn't work out.

which means that the segway isn't necessarily the #1 worst, according to the author.

[RogerR]

Originally Posted by Stephen Kowski

They are more than non-existant, they are negative, as a friend of mine (an avid biker) yells at segways as he passes them, 'Segways make you fat'.

There, fixed it for you.

Steve's right; I remember reading an arcticle that claimed a majority of the trips in a car were in a less than 2 mile distance from the home (easily traversible on foot or bike). At the same time, we also apperently have an obesity epedimic in America. So I can either spend $5000 on a segway and $30 a month on gym membership, or <$200 for a bike that does both.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by RogerR

Steve's right; I remember reading an arcticle that claimed a majority of the trips in a car were in a less than 2 mile distance from the home (easily traversible on foot or bike). At the same time, we also apperently have an obesity epedimic in America. So I can either spend $5000 on a segway and $30 a month on gym membership, or <$200 for a bike that does both.

Are the kind of people that have massive crippling weight problems the same kind of people that drop $5000 on Segways? I guess I just don't see tons of fat people, whom are extremely wealthy, buying a Segway in order to cut down on their walking even more.

[davidthefat]

Fat people are just lazy, I got no respect for them, unless they are literally crippled medically (not for being fat) Sorry, I was fat too, I know how it feels, I was running/jogging/walking a mile in like 13+ minutes, and I was still winded at the end, but now look at me, I would be considered chubby, but not fat. Really I do no like the segway


there is an explaination to my madness: http://www.bigguts.com/

BTW I am still heavy for alot of you guys... I last weighed in at 205 lb, but you have to consider that I am in football, and I STILL have to bulk up, hehehe
I bench 220 and squat 345, I need to get WAY more stronger than this

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

Fat people are just lazy, I got no respect for them, unless they are literally crippled medically (not for being fat) Sorry, I was fat too, I know how it feels, I was running/jogging/walking a mile in like 13+ minutes, and I was still winded at the end, but now look at me, I would be considered chubby, but not fat. Really I do no like the segway

Glad to see you have zero respect for thousands of people based on a flawed understanding of metabolism and the human body. Someone's appearance is enough for you to lose all respect for someone? Guess you really can't respect a few WFAs and many WFFAs then.

To avoid a lengthy explanation, no, not everyone is predisposed to be skinny...