Bush got his through Amazon, just like everyone else; it appeared in his Gold Box Offers one day and he paid for it with the extra money in his post-tax cut pay envelope. The other one was an early Father's Day present.

Nothing unusual going on. Move along. Nothing to see.

dick says: The Segway represents not just alternative fuel but alternative options for transportation and society that are diametrically opposed to the values of the current administration and the Republican Party.

Try to minimize the partisan propaganda. Dean Kamen IS A REPUBLICAN. Geez. And as for alternatives what is wrong with a bicycle or a scooter? Or walking for that matter. The Segway represents overkill.

This one just has to win the award for turning a Segway mishap into an anti-Bush angle de jour. Surely, SURELY that long condemnation would never have come back had that been a Democratic administration. And surely the "surprise" over "this Segway situation" can only be remedied by having an investigative panel assembled with the possiblity of eventual impeachment! Sadly, it's only what, one or two weeks at BoingBoing? Yet a supposedly bright and refreshing newcomer is already drinking the KoolAid and beginning to spout the expected agenda. Evidently there IS an admission charge to be one of the "chosen few"! When will any of the Bay Area Missionaries even start to think for themselves and be original for a string of days? One or two is not enough!

This one just has to win the award for turning a Segway mishap into an anti-Bush blah blah ditto ditto dittohead
Man, this guy is on a mission!

Actually, I think he is inferring that the dittoheads are all here, as everyone seems to be in anti-Bush lockstep, particularly the contributors. Is that not being a "dittohead", as you put it? Apparently, any independent thought that varies from the accepted "standards" of the Left Coast is not permitted.

I think you're right about a mission, but it appears to be a tad more complicated and low key (read: insidious) if you take time to read between all the lines you're being fed. Your information comes at a price! Nothing is free.

Dvorak quoted it best in another of his articles when he described the programmers in the Open Source world. They may not be in it for the money, but (in their case) there was a very big ego that had to be massaged.

In this case, the communal bathhouse pool (to use a metaphor) becomes warmer with each "buddy" who receives the proper indoctrination under the surface with the information being imparted. It's the BoingBoing version of NPR, without the soothing audible tones that are as critical in regular, dependable doses to the Liberally programmed masses which are sent forth from the ubiquitous Berkeley-styled professors in the universities as each fuel source is to Pacman in its maze.

As long as the propaganda manages to get reinforced, you will continue to think as a collective and all will be well. Repeat after me (in a calming voice): "Gore is the real president. Bush is a liar. Clinton was God. The worst Democrat in the world is better in power than the best Republican on earth."

Repeat and rinse.

Congrats Unblinded', yet again you are more rabid then I. (g)

Politics aside, I would have returned your books and kept the Segway too Dvorak.

dear ----x, if that is indeed your real name. Considering the price I'd take a Segway over a book too. So??

Edited by author 06-14-2003 06:03 AM
I thought Dick was being facetious, and I laughed. Is everybody running this blog, except Mark, really that damn humorless?? :-

Everyone has a price. W's is obviously more than $24.

Dvorak:
Segways are as low in cost as $5k not $8k as you wrongly stated. Your critizism of them is common amongst those who do not understand the innovation involved and the potential for impacting communities. (Which has been debated here at length.) Your whining about Mr.Presidents snub of your publishers cheap books, and acceptance of one of the most innovative developments in transportation seems to be yet another ironic example of self filled journalism.

(By the way it is __x not ----x.)

Here we have Dvorak displaying the sort of insight that makes his columns such interesting reading:

"The books came back from the Secret Service with a long condemnation about how the President can't accept "gifts" and this was improper and blah-blah-blah. So I was a little surprised by this Segway situation. These things are worth $8000, my book was $24 or so."

Of course it would have been too difficult to spend a few minutes at something like News.google.com and learn that,

"On Thursday, President Bush failed to flip the ''on'' switch to the scooter he had purchased for his father, so the self-balancing mechanism didn't work. The president tumbled to the ground, unhurt. And news photographers, lingering outside the compound with long lenses, picked up grainy images of a presidential spill."

You haven't been playing those horribly hyperrealistic video games again, have you John?

I can understand why the Bush I turned down the donation of books, but I am shocked(!) that the President didn't run out and buy every single one of your books to complete his library. This will certainly be a matter that will drive future historians (well, at least the ones not driven insane by playing hyperrealistic videogams) to madness trying to explain.

Oh, here is a picture of both GBs riding their Segways after George II figured out how to turn on his unit.

Edited by author 06-14-2003 07:44 PM
One last thing, John -- how did you get this,

This ABC News story floating around outlines the odd meeting between Dean Kamen and GW bush and how he ended up with a Segway Some years ago when George Sr. was in office and was making noise about computers I had my book publisher send copies of a couple Dvorak Books on the topic to the President, figuring they would be good for him.

from this

During his speech, Bush cited Kamen after he noticed him at the back of the crowd, and later the president chatted with the inventor, who told him he had a Segway downstairs. Secret Service agents quickly brought it up to the floor, and the president rode it around. He picked up how to use it right away, Kamen said.

Where in there does it say that Bush took away the Segway as a gift after riding it? And here I thought it was just us irresponsible bloggers who made such stupid gaffes. Maybe you might want to stick to writing about the family pets.

Well, it may be illegal to give the President a Segway (which he wanted as a gift for his father) but it is apparently not illegal to give one directly to his mother.

The Boston link says

Company founder Dean Kamen, a longtime friend of the elder Bush, decided to throw in a second scooter as a gift to former first lady Barbara Bush

Why am I not surprised that Bush couldn't figure out how to push the 'on' button?

Fwiw, he didn't fall down. The machine flipped, he tumbled forward and did a fast jump that landed him (awkwardly) on his feet. He may not be too bright, but he's very athletic.

these little discussion zones in blogs are really sidebar chat rooms, replete with people who want to incite flame wars. it strikes me as unacceptable behaviour to make a criticism, however accurate and also call people stupid and such here in this venue. it might be more of a "discussion" if questions/comments were posted in order to promote relevant debate vs. "you're so lame and this proves it". i visit BB because it is often fascinating, sometimes humorous and usually worthwhile. once in a while the topics are so interesting i want to see what other visitors have to say. to visit these discussion boards to find grade school-level nay saying isn't nearly as fun as visiting the main blog. i suspect i'm not alone. perhaps QUICKTOPIC can offer a user rating system akin to EBAY and there might be a way to see immediately what the "community" thinks of some message leavers. hmmm?