Segfest

[macgeek]

I just was on segway.com, and looked at the blog
http://www.segway.com/blog/

Seems kinda quiet!

Anyone there gonna give us field reports?

Jonathan


Segway - "Let's Roll"
www.segwaygeek.com

[pam]

I plan to blog in the morning. It's been an incredibly full day. This SF seems a bit smaller, but it's been a jewel. Part of my "issue" is that I managed to get all packed and LEFT MY KEYS at home. However, when Segway got their internet connex this morning, they were able to take my serial number and get my key code, so I now have a red key!!!! yahoo. I spent quite a bit of time this morning chasing down my key, because I was scheduled to go on the noon box lunch ride, and I really wanted to do that.

Doug Field and one of the engineers did a demo of what it takes to put a 'p' together, and it was chock full of little pieces of information about their thought processes as they created the 'p' - I thoroughly enjoyed it. He's such a great speaker - very laid back, but so very knowledgeable about the HT. I'm impressed again by what I sense as his integrity. By the integrity of all the Segway employees that are here.

I saw a great talk by a woman who is a tour guide (though not a Segway tour guide) who talked about the kinds of things you need to know as a tour guide - with a slant towards doing Segway tours. There was a lot of excellent information there - right down to Do you take First Aid training? How about CPR?, etc.

And the coffeebreaks!!! smoothies and little tartlets - mango tartlets. Yum. And fruit-ke-bobs, and of course, coffee and tea.

It was good to know where Seg America has been and is going. I'm sure all that information will be posted on their site, so I won't go into it here.

I did miss the fuel cell talk - Not Segway, but a 3rd party. I'm really sorry I did. It would undoubtedly have been way over my head, but it's interesting to watch the direction that these things move in. Wayne (I think) has been instrumental in opening up the aftermarket accessories market, and I see this fuel cell talk as something similar. A sign of things to come!

The dealer's floor was fascinating. Segway had their golf-bag holder, their trailer hitch, 3 new tee-shirts, lights, the new chrome wheels and the heavy duty tires available for sale. I bought chrome wheels, a trailer hitch, a tee-shirt, a rear light, a new kryptonite lock (my earlier one just wasn't working right. This one does. Mel Mellenger has a nifty sort of license plate type thing that fits over the control shaft and has a definition of an EPMAD and the corresponding state statute engraved on the bottom.

Lunch was a box lunch ride - went up Coconut Blvd to a lovely grassy area right outside the Elks club to eat. They even opened their patio area for us to sit on. I sat on the base of my HT, and enjoyed the shade.

There are some really gorgeous HTs here. Stan has painted his copper and his dad's is red, and they have little wagons with wooden slatted trailers to pull behind. There's a nifty yellow 'i' here with flames on it. I only realized later that the owner has it tricked out so that he can turn it without touching the handle bars. And another person here has bright orange flames with a doctor's (I'm going to spell this wrong) cadeuses painted on it. Very lovely work. And Pepe is back with his big wheels in blue, and another machine with smaller wheels that are much both smaller and practically doublewides.

I think the neatest thing, though, has been... the people. That was what was neat last year, and it's still what's neat this year. - oh, and the hotel is GREAT about us riding our Segs everywhere. You see them parked, not only in the halls, but around dinner tables, in stores, on elevators, just everywhere. No one has freaked out, no one has misbehaved. It's been SUPER. Jim and Chandra and Matt did an excellent job.

I just wish all the rest of you were here, because it has been so much fun meeting people. <G>

Pam

Pam

[teekay]

Glad you guys are all having fun! I wish I could be there with "The Woody" !!!!

Thanks for the report!

:) Tim

[Ericwarren]

how much is the golf bag accessory and will it work on a p as well?

[JaredHT]

Eric,

The MSRP on the golf bag accessory is unknown, and it is not yet available (although it should be very soon). If you'd like, we can put you in our order queue for when they come out.

Peace,

JaredHT
Jared M. Cavalier
Segway of Ohio

Segway of Ohio
330.535.2200
330.903.4100

[Ericwarren]

thanks jared...
do you know if it works with the p?
and how much did segfest folks pay for it this weekend?

[macgeek]

Hey Pam,
Comon we want more pictures!!!!

Jonathan

P:S: How about a list of vendors / products / specials for us poor shnooks who couldn't fest with the rest??



Segway - "Let's Roll"
www.segwaygeek.com

[macgeek]

Well, segfest should be ending in 15 minutes, no updates on segway.com, or from anyone

:(

Guess everyone is having too much fun!

Jonathan

Segway - "Let's Roll"
www.segwaygeek.com

[Brian]

It is really sad now. I, having rented our HT's, walk threw the lobby and don't see anyone. It is too bad it is over so soon.


Brian

[Brooster]

Wait a minute ...

No one's organized "one last glide?"

Last year, on Labor Day morning, (Monday), the day after the Fest ended, X-man and I led two seperate glides that ended up at the same place, Buckingham Fountain, for the people who were still around.

X-man led a group from the Hyatt Printer's Row Hotel, and I led a group from McCormick Place, up along the lakefront path. There must have been at least 25 of us who met for that farewell gathering.

It was lightly raining that morning, and we all gathered under a big tree. I said a few words to unofficially draw our gathering to a close. I remember talking about how cool it was that we'd all come together in one place ... the things that we'd learned ... and the friendships that we'd made. SegwayFest 2003 was awesome.

It was sad when we all shook hands, hugged, etc, and all Segged away in our own directions from underneath that tree that day. I'm sure a few people here will remember that gathering. I felt an "emptiness" as I rode away that day. I went back to McCormick Place and tried to help the Brown Brothers with their final loading up. We had a few last laughs and great times, and they were gone.

I still Seg back to that tree near Buckingham Fountain once in a while. Every time I drive past McCormick Place, the memories and the faces all flood back ... they always will.

The good news is that that "tree" from 2003 ... and this community ... is right here every day. We're all here. At least I am ...

I hope you guys had a great gathering, and I wish everyone a safe journey home.

Broo

[8][:P]

Brooster

[statmed]

quote:Originally posted by Brooster

Wait a minute ...

No one's organized "one last glide?"



That's why we "needed" you at Segfest this year!

H.M. Stern
statmed@optonline.net
www.segnyc.com
www.biker-glasses.com

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together (Hannibal Smith)

[pam]

This will be brief (if I can be brief <G>) because I'm packing to go home and have a 10 hour drive in front of me. Pictures... There have been some neat ones at the Segway blog site, which is why I didn't put mine up. John Grohol outdid himself with the digital camera. I have to say that I learned so much this time, though.

In the back of my head there's always been this idea that when I "retired" from my current occupation that I might want to open a Rental/Tour agency, and I've fantasized about where it might work and what might work, and there were at least 4-5 sessions here on just that thing. It's still an idea in the back of my mind, and I've learned some really neat tricks of the trade. Tom Jacobson gave very openly of his own business concepts for those of us who attended his workshop. Nothing like having someone who has succeeded - and succeeded well, with an eye towards safety and helping to make both the industry and their patrons safer - give that kind of talk. He truly exemplifies the idea that if you do something you love, the money will come. The whole open rentals vs guided or tour rentals was an issue that was explored - advantages and disadvantages of each. Keolis (from France) came and shared their plans/concepts. Within a few months you'll be able to fly, bus, or train into Paris and pick up a Segway for rental for your stay. (I believe it can be done now, but soon their kiosks will be much more visible.) They're also starting with a city in the north of France, getting municiple subsidization to start an inner city rental, where you can rent bicycles or Segways by the day , week, hour, month - whatever you wish. Europe is not nearly as litigious a society as we are here in the States. I think Sylvain said they've only lost 2 machines in the year or more that they've been renting them. No major injuries. There was a woman here who talked about tours, just from the perspective of what it takes to put on a tour - Segway or not. And her idea of a vacation is to go somewhere and take ANOTHER tour <G>. There was a meeting that was supposed to be a panel talk focused on open rentas vs guided tours, but ended up being more of a round robin conversation about it. LOTS of rental people at this meeting, and it was excellent.

Segway, of course, outdid itself. I mentioned earlier the "how to assemble a Segway" meeting, but they reprised the battery care talk and did coaches' training, the product development talk (mentioned above) and arranged the Segway Jeopardy and the agility course, and they had all their new accessories at the meeting -- I bought the new hauler, just need to find someone who can get me a trailer hitch welded to the frame of my HT, and some of the silver tires (hmmm, wonder if I got the ones that Richard sent back <G>) - and the Golf Bag looks really super. We had Segway Polo. There were nightly rides that were impromptu rides, the food was incredible, and Dean was in fine form. So yes, Brooster, there were "one last glide" glides - although it wasn't as organized as it was in Chicago. It's hard to describe - but here, for example, the DRAFT members were much more in tune to each other, people tended to segregate more than in Chicago - it wasn't "bad" or "exclusive" or "clique-ish" - but we became more "idea" focused - whereas in Chicago, we were more "people" focused.

Was this one "better" or "worse" than Chicago? Neither. They were both different and the same. Jim and Chandra have more of a rhythmn here (at least it appeared so, and I hope their work was easier for them!) - the people were worth the trip for me, and the information I got was DEFINITELY worth the trip for me. This was (as I said earlier) a jewel of a trip. I even managed to take the Estero Bay boat trip with some friends. Will I do the next one? Yes, I will. There was enough difference and value added for me that I can see the same for the next one. I wasn't sure if there would be, but now know there is and can be. And it is STILL a rush to see all those Segways up and down the hall, on the elevators, in the lobbies <G>.

Well, I've got to get packed up. If anyone has any questions, ask! I'll get to them tonight!
Pam

[Brooster]

Thanks Pam, for your reports from the Fest. I'm hoping more people will share their experiences after they get home.

Brooster

[macgeek]

I saw the golf bags being shown in the Segway 3 minute video on there website. I wonder what other tidbits are in there??

Jonathan

Segway - "Let's Roll"
Centaur - "Lets Roll on all fours"
www.segwaygeek.com

[L.I. Glider]

I had a wonderful time at SegwayFest! As Pam mentioned, the event had a different feel than last year. Last year was about meeting all the people whom we had been chatting with for so long; there was a feeling of discovery and excitement (so that's what pt looks like). This year had a more casual atmosphere.

It was hard to judge the number of attendees this year as everyone was coming and going to the various sessions, and we didn't have a group photo where we all got together.

I attended many of the sessions. Here are some of my favorites:

Real Time Assembly - Inside of an hour, we saw a p series assembled from scratch. Pretty amazing, it looks so easy. And when they turned it on of course it worked!

Carla Vallone's seminar Freedom to Glide was very informative, especially for those of us in states where legislation is still pending or there is restrictive legislation. She handed out a great packet of information containing prior testimony from Segway LLC, as well as sample letters, etc.

SEGAmerica introduced its executive board and announced a new level of membership, which will provide members with additional benefits. Dues for this new level are $15 per year, but a deal has been worked out with Segway LLC where Segway will pay the first years dues for current owners. People will need to register again. Attendees at SegwayFest were able to sign up immediately and received a SEG America pin and bumper sticker. Everyone else will be able to sign up at the SEG America site beginning next week.

Segway Jeopardy was really fun!!! Thanks to John Grohol for all his work setting everything up and for Mike Kaufman for providing the Jeopardy theme song on his HT (yes, his machine plays the Jeopardy theme). Several games were played so many people got a change to participate. Nelix was unbeatable!! Great prizes were awarded to the winners of each game. The topics were all over the place: Segway People, Segway HT history, HT Online, Faces of Segway, Technical Questions.

The west coast Segway Polo experts showed everyone how it's done and anyone who wanted to got a chance to play for a little while.

The scavenger hunt was great fun. We were randomly teamed up in groups of 6 - 10 people and provided with lists of things to find and do. Some of the items we had to locate were 5 different color flowers, a golf tee, a pumpkin and a shower cap signed by all the team members. We were provided with pictures of various objects which were located somewhere on the resort (35 acres!) and we had to find those items and take pictures of ourselves at those locations. Finally we were given tasks to do (find 2 hotel guests whom we had to convince to do the YMCA poses with 3 team members.) Extra points were given for creativity (which is why one team chose to pile everyone in someone's bathtub in their room and plunge their hands into the ice bucket filled with water for the requirement that we had to take a picture of the entire team with their hands and feet in water).

The gala Saturday night was nice, food was great, but there was a swarm of no-see-ums that was feasting on us. It was so bad that the bars all had cans of bug spray, so you saw people ordering drinks along with a request to use the bug spray.

The panel discussion was good. I love to hear the engineers talk. They shared a bit of the history of Ginger and answered questions from the audience. Top speed was brought up several times (12.5 mph) as well as a request for information for the new extended range batteries. The engineers weren't able to reveal anything we already didn't know, but when questioned as to when "soon" was, Doug Field said that Segway would make an announcement by the end of the year regarding the schedule of availability for the new batteries. Finally, upon request from a fan, JD Heinzman did a reprise of his famous "roll, pitch and yaw" dance from last year.

The scheduled glides and the impromptu glides around the property were fun. There was always someone who was hanging around and who could be easily persuaded to take a glide.

The number of customized machines was amazing. There are a lot of creative and talented people out there.

As with last year, it was wonderful to be able to mingle with the Segway LLC crowd, meeting people whose names we read in Code Name Ginger, or whose bio we read on the Segway LLC website.

Thanks to Jim, Chandra and Matt for their hard work putting everything together and to Segway LLC for participating with people and resources.

I made some new friends and caught up with those I haven't seen since last year. It was a wonderful weekend.


Regards,
Joanne

You must be the change you wish to see in the world - Mahatma Gandhi

[RAG1247]

well another segfest is over and I'm glad I went - I went this year with somewhat less expectations and didn't expect any real new developments. It appears that we will know further info on the lithium batteries before the end of the year.

My main interest was in seeing people from segfest 2003 (at least most of them) - and discussing with such people mutual interests - also met a lot of new people, but it is really hard to judge whether there more or less enthusiasts present this year as compared with 2003.

Jim and Chandra and Matt did a great job and the buffet was great despite the millions of little bugs.

A lot of people rode my "hobby" "q" and now have a better understanding of how great the segway technology is. I also lucked out in that it is going to DK who may give it to FIRST, modify it, or blow it up at his discretion. My luck is that it will be returning to NH on llc's truck thereby eliminating my taking it back to fort lauderdale and re-shipping it.

about 5 of us did have an interesting experience with the "Q" in my eigth floor room, in that after several people rode it down the halls at 1 AM, we took it back to the room. The "Q" uses a 24 vdc brick to charge but the part that plugs into the segway is identical to the segway plug. Somehow, I plugged the segway cable into the "q" and immediately all lights in the room (and maybe other rooms with normal people who were probably sleeping) went out. We called the hotel engineer who came with pliers and screwdriver and assessed the situation that the room's lights were out. He disappeared for about 30 minutes so we called again to see if he hadn't fallen down - turns out the panel for the 8th floor in on the 5th floor and it took some time to find it. In any event there was no harm to the "Q".

Nightly glides were held everynight since the property was enormous (including a Hyatt timeshare, etc.) Several of us also had a final night glide last night around 11:15 PM, both on and off road).

It seemed everywhere you looked in the hotel you saw segways; in the hallways, lounges, elevators, meeting rooms, by the pool etc., and there were no problems with using the segway anywhere in the hotel.

It was also fun to meet with numerous llc personnel including DK and to renew those limited friendships.

I had the distinct honor and privilege to see the Centaur close up last night and while I don't know whether it would be useful to me personally, it certainly will bring attention and publicity to llc.

I planned to take more pictures, but there was always something to do. some pixs can be seen at www.sonyguy.com/segfest04/index.html

getting ready for next year's fest




Richard
Ft. Lauderdale

If you can’t change the people around you, change the people around you [img=right]http://www.sonyguy.com/rageagle.jpg[/img=right]

[Brooster]

Thanks for the posts Joanne and Richard ... very much appreciated.

Brooster

[Stan671]

Hey, Richard, you did as you promised - you posted the picture of me eating a banana. <grin>

Stan Dobrowski

[RAG1247]

quote:Originally posted by Stan671

Hey, Richard, you did as you promised - you posted the picture of me eating a banana. <grin>

Stan Dobrowski


if you want prints, let me know



Richard
Ft. Lauderdale

If you can’t change the people around you, change the people around you [img=right]http://www.sonyguy.com/rageagle.jpg[/img=right]