Monday, July 2, 2007

Segway Reaction of the Day!

July 2, 2007

Near the end of my 2.5 mile journey to work this morning, I got my first anti-Segway remark! According to the Segway chat boards, this is probably the most common negative response. So I'm about 2 blocks from work, when I hear a middle-aged guy yell something at me. I was traveling at about 10 mph and listening to NPR on my headphones, so it was a bit hard to hear... and there was a very slight Doppler Effect that I had to correct for... but in the end, his message was clear:

"Walking's healthier!"

Why thank you, kind sir! Yes, I suppose walking 5 miles to and from work every day might be "healthier" (it would burn 500 calories, after all). There would, however, be several down sides:
  • At my standard ambling pace of 3 mph, my one-way commute would take approximately 50 minutes;
  • With my extremely efficient body-heat-reduction capabilities, supercharged by humid DC summers, I would be drenched by the time I got to work;
  • I would have to use more sun block (SPF 70); and
  • I may get a bit tired.
Segway Opponents assume everyone just rolls around on their wheels because they're lazy and don't want to walk down the street for lunch. But as my Evil Boss can attest to, I walk to Quizno's, thank you very much. Any more than half-a-mile or so, however, and you're damn right I'm gliding!

4 comments:

#3 said...

And by "walk to Quiznos", Matt means "drag my body."

--Evil Boss >:|

Anonymous said...

question: where do you park your segway? do you have a lock for it like a bike lock? or is it something you need a key for like a car? what can you do to prevent segway vandalization? these are all burning questions i have. please advise.
much love, k-bird.

Matt said...

thank you for reading, k-bird!
but you should read a little more... i answered your question 2 days after this post, at Where to Park My Ride :-)

NYCindividual said...

I'm considering getting a Segway. I'm also overweight (but less than 300 pounds). I would still work out, ect, but the only thing I'm really worried about is shouts of anger and rude shouts at the "rich" girl who should be walking because she's fat. Do those sort of comments bother you? Do you ever reply? What would you recommend I do to encourage myself?