09-28-2010, 14:59
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#1
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NorCal
Posts: 15,370
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Segway Company Owner Dies Riding Segway
I knew those things were dangerous! 
Richard 
Jimi Heselden, the owner of the Segway company, has died after riding one of the two-wheeled machines off a cliff and into a river.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...off-cliff.html
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“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)… There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” - To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)
“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” - Robert Heinlein
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Richard is offline
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09-28-2010, 15:53
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#2
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,835
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Sorry, I laughed when I heard that just like I do every time I see a mall cop speeding along on one.
I wonder if his family will sue the manufacturer?
God Bless his little heart. And them starvin' pygmies in New Guinea. Amen.
TR
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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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09-28-2010, 17:14
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#3
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Area Commander
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 2,952
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Guess his airbag did not deploy in time. Also wonder if his seat belt was fastened?  .
RF 1
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Red Flag 1 is offline
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09-28-2010, 17:15
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#4
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Area Commander
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cochise Co., AZ
Posts: 6,208
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Ironic...he just segued from this life to the next.
Pat
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"The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." -- Frederick Douglass
"The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen." -- Dennis Prager
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PSM is offline
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09-28-2010, 17:52
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#5
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Georgetown, SC
Posts: 4,204
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And I thought I was an inconsiderate SOB this a.m. when I heard the details of his untimely death and could not resist a chuckle (okay, more like a guffaw). Nice to be among my own.... 
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"I took a different route from most and came into Special Forces..." - Col. Nick Rowe
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ZonieDiver is offline
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09-28-2010, 18:52
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#6
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 158
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My damn department got some of these to use in the uptown bar district. They then force-fed them to other districts. I work in the damn ghetto and they brought three to us, and had to force officers to take the certification course. That's right, a CERTIFICATION to be a damned Segway cop. Last time I saw them, they had cobwebs on them in the corner.
Yay grant money!!
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Blue is offline
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09-28-2010, 18:55
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#7
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 158
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PSM
Ironic...he just segued from this life to the next.
Pat
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I just blew friggin' sweet tea out of my nose.
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Blue is offline
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09-28-2010, 19:10
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#8
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 407
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Story time!
Shortly after the big Segway unveiling, I think Dean Kamen stopped walking. He rode that dang thing everywhere, constantly pimping the thing. He lived the "death before dismount" creed.
In addition to inventing things like insulin pumps and bizarre scooters, the man is the driving force behind the FIRST program (a robotics competition for high school students). The program has its national competition at Epcot (or at least it did "back when"), and regional competitions around the country. The Mid-Atlantic Regional was held in the VCU basketball arena - some bleachers for spectating, with the rest of the floor set up with the match arenas and team workshop areas.
Well, VCU's arena has this luxury suite area, for the school prez, big donors and the like. It's a decent sized area for a cocktail party, with a "Look at me, I'm Caesar!" sort of balcony overlooking the game and the huddled masses. During the FIRST regional, the space was used as a reception area for VIPs (and possibly some team coaches that bluffed their way in).
So, folks are noshing on the appetizer buffet and socializing. Dean's doing the same thing, except he's doing it tooling around on his Segway. Someone asks for a picture, and he's happy to oblige, pulling off his jacket and producing a camera. This is where he hits a sticking point - he needs to do something with his jacket so he can shake hands and such for the picture. He looks around, looking slightly confused, then realizes he's got a perfect horizontal rail right in front of him. So he drapes his jacket on the rail and prepares to have the moment immortalized. Except.... the rail is the Segway control rod. Tilt it forward, and you roll forward. Pull it back and you go in reverse, simple as can be.
Now, Dean really is one of those movie-style mad inventor types, always fiddling, and his jacket contains roughly enough tools to stock a decent auto mechanic. So his fully-laden coat has some significant heft. The control bar feels a heavy press down and forward.... and it's off to the races! Naturally, he's aimed straight for the balcony.
He did manage to regain control before hurtling over the precipice, but I think a few of his jacket contents tried to emulate the Wright Brothers, all the way to the hardwood.
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Slantwire is offline
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09-28-2010, 20:48
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#9
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Guest
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I laughed out loud at the diner this morning, reading the paper. Seems he rolled off the cliff while riding on his "Estate".
When can I call the ranch an "Estate"? Do I need servants to qualify?
I kinda like the idea of Wanye Manner, a.k.a. Batman.
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09-28-2010, 21:40
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#10
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Guest
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Broadsword2004
This matches the roofing billionaire who died by falling through his own roof.
I read this guy made a fortune by inventing some kind of special device/equipment/material (something!) that has helped protect soldiers from blasts.
I wonder if maybe he was one of those types prone to daydreaming? And he just started daydreaming while cruising and just cruised right off the cliff.
I did this once some years back, was riding my bike and started daydreaming, I was around seventeen or so. Ended up crashing into the steel beam that closes off the driveway to the playground  |
What was that guy's name? - Oh ya, Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin.
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09-29-2010, 23:12
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#11
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: 11 miles from Dove Creek, Colorady
Posts: 3,924
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I would buy one if they can get them to make those Jetson noises.
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I am the most offending soul alive."
Shakespeare - Henry V
Lazy Bob Ranch
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Utah Bob is offline
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09-30-2010, 00:13
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#12
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Area Commander
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Clay House Stuttgart, Germany
Posts: 2,682
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I guess riding one of those things takes a little skill. I saw a kid on one the other day near the high school and he was wearing a large backpack.
I didn't like the looks of them when I first saw them.
Funny, does anyone remember unicycles?
Last edited by mojaveman; 09-30-2010 at 00:46.
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mojaveman is offline
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09-30-2010, 00:50
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#13
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Poulsbo, WA
Posts: 144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZonieDiver
And I thought I was an inconsiderate SOB this a.m. when I heard the details of his untimely death and could not resist a chuckle (okay, more like a guffaw). Nice to be among my own.... |
I truly thought the headline was a joke then when I read the article and realized it actually happened, I laughed and appreciated the irony of it all. Does that make me a bad person? So will the funeral procession walk behind the hearse or will said procession use Segways?
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"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Benjamin Franklin
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drymartini66 is offline
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09-30-2010, 11:47
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#14
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Georgetown, SC
Posts: 4,204
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drymartini66
I truly thought the headline was a joke then when I read the article and realized it actually happened, I laughed and appreciated the irony of it all. Does that make me a bad person? So will the funeral procession walk behind the hearse or will said procession use Segways? |
I'd love to see the pallbearers using Segways!
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"I took a different route from most and came into Special Forces..." - Col. Nick Rowe
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ZonieDiver is offline
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09-30-2010, 17:29
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#15
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Mississippi Delta
Posts: 113
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Sorry, I laughed when I heard that just like I do every time I see a mall cop speeding along on one.
TR
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Our cops 'round these parts ride 3 wheeled Segways (even though the company spent millions on making them stable for anyone). Makes me giggle too.
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Nightfall is offline
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