I finally waded through much of the underwhelmed response posted in the above /. link. From what I can tell this is perhaps not for most Americans out side of Mailmen, Warehouse Workers and Robot Warriors. I think the upright posture and max speed limits the length of the commute and the window of age for those capable and responsible enough to actually run IT safely. Pluss its hot in the summer, cold in the winter and useless in foul weather of all sorts. However there is much hope that it appears in next seasons JackAss shows (if there are any).
One of the links Dave posted claimed that IT works over ice. Glazing is a big problem in the Northwest. My own experiences with "ice storms" are that nothing but golf shoes work on a heavily iced over street, not studded tires, chains boots etc. I've seen countless cars and jeeps slipping sideways down a steep hill coming to rest against a guard rail or Douglas Fir. Maybe Ginger could be the safest mode of transport in such conditions.
Whatever, I'm hopeful that this device could be a practical mode of transport. But it'll probably not happen here, we're too steeped in the culture of the automobile. In a city like Paris or Taiwan where a significant chunk of the population use scooters IT might really make a difference.
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- bill 12-04-2001 8:01 pm
One of the links Dave posted claimed that IT works over ice. Glazing is a big problem in the Northwest. My own experiences with "ice storms" are that nothing but golf shoes work on a heavily iced over street, not studded tires, chains boots etc. I've seen countless cars and jeeps slipping sideways down a steep hill coming to rest against a guard rail or Douglas Fir. Maybe Ginger could be the safest mode of transport in such conditions.
Whatever, I'm hopeful that this device could be a practical mode of transport. But it'll probably not happen here, we're too steeped in the culture of the automobile. In a city like Paris or Taiwan where a significant chunk of the population use scooters IT might really make a difference.
- steve 12-04-2001 8:18 pm [1 comment]