Monday, December 03, 2001

Well, now we know what IT is: a super-advanced scoter with internal AI sharp enough to keep you from falling over. The main website for IT, or GINGER, calls itself Segway, and I found it a weird place--too much high-falutin' lingo about "assisted-human-powered futures". This article at Time does a better job, though it too is a bit starry-eyed. Don't get me wrong--I love dreaming of technology that saves the world. But after Amazon I'm a little more wary of the idea that great tech, winning concepts and a good smile are the panacea to all the evils of the world.

My thoughts: I want one so badly that my teeth ache. I live in an urban area, and I have the convienence of the subway, but this would make places I rarely go suddenly very accessible. I have a driver's license, but I don't want the ongoing hell that is owning a car--Ginger might be the right way to go for me. Like so many others I'll be waiting and seeing, but I'd love to be an early adopter on this one.