How it began

So I have this mild Segway obsession. It started in 2001 with the hype about Dean Kamen's secret new invention. I had seen video of the iBot wheelchair and after checking the patent applications I had a pretty good idea of what was coming. When the Segway was finally unveiled I was hooked.

In some existential sense it began much earlier. I grew up in Amherst, NH and when I was a youngster this guy moved to the next town over and parked a helicopter on his lawn. We kids thought it was totally cool but the adults didn't much care for such public displays of wealth. I remember driving by and hearing Dad comment about flashy New Yorkers moving in and wrecking the state. So like, I've followed Dean Kamen for years and he's always been a bit of a legend in the area. Long before the Segway my brother used to count Dean Kamen's company, DEKA Research, as one of his customers.

In November of 2002, there was a public announcement that a few machines were finally available for sale but you had to enter a contest to be eligible. I drove to the office and immediately put down my deposit at Amazon.com. That entitled me to enter a 75 word essay with the theme of "What I like most about the Segway HT." The 30 best entries were to be selected as winners. The prize was a weekend spent visiting the Segway factory, gifts, dinner with Dean Kamen and getting to take a Segway home immediately. I joked around to friends that I was going to win even if I had to hire Kurt Vonnegut to ghost-write my damn essay. As it happened, my own writing worked just fine.

My Winning Early-Delivery Contest Entry:

The Segway will put me in touch. I will finally be able to stop, chat with a neighbor and perhaps pet a dog or smell some flowers on my way to the office. I will be standing up and in touch as I glide through parks and neighborhoods. The technology looks to the future, but I like that the Segway HT will transport us back to the timeless and simple pleasures of small town life.

75 words exactly and an accurate prediction too. A week or so later I took a call from Segway LLC. I was having a stressful day and the good news caught me completely off guard. I secretly feared that I was the victim of an office prank and I spent a few minutes pondering if this was the set up. It only truly hit me when the woman on the phone gave me her contact information and started to discuss the details. I was allowed to bring one guest along for the weekend and I got lobbied from all sides. Over the next few days my sister reminded me several times that I was her favorite brother and as they say, flattery will get you everywhere!

The other contest winners flew in from around the country but I had only a short drive over to Bedford. We spent the weekend learning all about the Segway, riding around the factory floor and chatting with various company employees. On Saturday evening we had dinner up at Dean Kamen's mountaintop fortress hosted by the man himself. On Sunday I eagerly loaded my new Segway into the station wagon and headed back to the coast.

Wired News interviewed me as part of a story about the big contest

NPR also Interviewed me for a radio show Real Media Or Windows Media Format (You might have to do the right click, save thing)

I took my new Seg back to the office and unpacked it. Even though it was a cold day, I couldn't resist taking a quick trip around the industrial park and I impulsively rolled into the NHL skating rink around the corner. A big game was underway and the building was packed. Somehow, one of the players on the ice noticed me, stopped playing and pointed in my direction. The game ground to a halt and it felt like everyone was suddenly staring at me. Several spectators rushed over and I immediately raced for the exit before I got mobbed. It was a good first taste of things to come.

All the attention was difficult to handle. Back then the curiosity was still at fever pitch and people would go bananas at the sight of me riding the machine. I would take my Seg with me on road trips and get into all kinds of bizarre situations. Once I was riding in a strange city at night when a car suddenly screeched to a halt and all the doors flew open. Four young men bolted for me at full sprint while hollering for me to stop. Let me just say "no freaking way" and thankfully a Segway will outrun a pack of maniacs. Another time I was in the lobby of a luxury hotel and a drunk guy saw the machine and flipped out. He tried to wrestle me off but I shook loose and dashed into a waiting elevator. Even now, years later, the Segway draws a lot of interest and unsolicited comments. Thankfully I've learned to be much more diplomatic these days. In the scheme of things it's been an important life lesson.

I've had a million positive experiences while riding the Segway and made friends all over the country. The most enduring friendships have been the result of starting a Segway Riding Group called SEG-NH, which stands for Segway Enthusiasts Group of New Hampshire. It began with Mark Haunstman and myself getting together for a ride around Manchester. Over time we built up a core group that became a secret society of expert Segway riders. Riding with my pals from SEG-NH was one of the best things about living in New Hampshire

The focus of our group leaned towards rowdier stuff like jumps, skids, tricks and impressive stunts. We never talked much about what we did on our rides so as to avoid undue scrutiny. Our group motto was "You have no idea" because most people don't have a clue about some of the interesting tricks you can do with a Segway.

In this artwork from the SEG-NH site, I am depicted riding at an angle. Derek is shown rolling to a graceful hands-free stop. That's Matt looking over his shoulder

These days I still ride my Seg most every day. I own a fine automobile, but I only like driving when it's an out-of-town trip. The Segway allows me a lifestyle that includes a surprisingly small amount of motoring. Pretty sweet when you think about how much I save on gas, wear & tear and general aggravation. My original conception of the Segway as something that would put me back in touch has remained sharply accurate. Because of the Segway, I know people from all levels of society on a first name basis and it seems like almost everyone in town knows who I am, even if it's only as "Hey, Segway guy!"

And of course, people will still stop me to ask about the machine. I have learned to keep it short and give them the distillation of my thoughts in an easily digestible sound bite:

"We need to get cars out of our downtowns. In every town the three big problems are traffic, noise and pollution. The Segway is only one of many possible solutions. This machine takes up no space and makes no noise or pollution. It's way ahead of it's time but anyone can buy one today. I'm not telling anyone what to do, I'm just doing what I think is right. I am one less person in front of you at the stoplight."

No one argues. Realistically, how could they?

Click here to read one of the better Segway stories I've written. It's a tale about SegwayFest 2003.