X-Message-Number: 18097 From: "Mark Plus" <> Subject: Re: Wrong-headed futurology about "progress' Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2001 09:15:01 -0800 John Grigg wrote, >Message #18092 From: "john grigg" <> Subject: Re: Wrong-headed futurology about "progress' Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2001 06:27:08 [snip] >Mark, when do people really NEED anything(like a Segway scooter)?? I admit to being enthralled with Kamen's brainchild. I just think a bicycle in many ways eclipses it! lol And the pricetag at three grand is way too high for the very people who might need it most. We will see the initial consumer models as toys for yuppies to put under the Christmas tree. lol My point is that people in developed societies tend to show some really irrational priorities, especially when it comes to their very lives. When basic subsistence is easy to come by, some people thereafter indulge in all sorts of "quality-of-life" fantasies that seem absurd in light of our pending doom. I doubt, for example, that there are many people wandering through the ruins of Afghanistan these days seeking psychotherapy for their depression, low self-esteem and inability to find a "soul mate." One of the beneficial aspects of 9-11 was to shake us out of our illusory symbolic dreamworld, at least briefly, and confront us with the realities of life and death. I still don't see what problem Kamen's invention is supposed to solve. The stairs-climbing wheelchair he invented several years ago made sense, but people who are capable of walking, roller-blading or riding a bicycle (all of which give Americans much-needed exercise) would derive no advantage from something like "Segway." Sincerely, Mark Plus Stay informed about the battle for Enlightenment-based civilization. Read "The Objective American Daily": http://www.objectiveamerican.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=18097