@cornchip@DocJRoberts@Tadlem43 IIRC, the first commercial skateboards came out while I was still in school, back in the '60s. Prior to that, they had been cobbled together with scrap lumber and old strap-on skates by kids all over the country. (There’s formal history stating that it originated with surfers in SoCal looking for something to do on low-wave days, but that is far from the only place where it was tried.) The number of injuries slacked off after the improved boards had been out for a while, but it has never dropped to anything near zero.
It’s like a Segway - which are actually pretty fun to ride, if kinda dorky looking - but with fewer of the dorky looking parts. They can be dangerous, sure, but so can every type of conveyance - including walking. Failure to use appropriate safety equipment for your transportation is dangerous no matter what you do, so unless the mode of transportation actively discourages using the appropriate PPE, you can’t really blame the technology. Now, failure to program the controllers well or cutting too many corners in manufacturing are perfectly reasonable issues to raise, but that’s not unique to anything and more about the specific models involved. Several car models come to mind, for instance.
TL;DR My Safety is My Responsibility, and having fun is pretty cool even if you don’t look like Fonzie while doing it.
If you have the balance coordination and fine motor control in your ankles to manipulate your stance and properly direct the device, I suppose they could be fun. I know that I do not have that capability, so I will disdain these immoderately.
Cool… well, could have been cool.
As old people say, back in the day I was a big skateboarder. Now these days, IF I was able to get around without my crutch I’d probably be zipping around on one of these like I was born to ride! Now THAT would’ve been cool!
Uncool…
My brother in law had gotten one as a ‘Free Gift’, he found himself in the ER with a broken ankle! So much for his FREE GIFT!
Totally not cool!
@Lynnerizer I remember when skateboards first transitioned from something the neighborhood kids cobbled together into a commercial product, and the resulting spike in ER activity due to people who were sure this had to be easy, no problem, hold my beer.
Not that I think about it, that predated “hold my beer”.
@Lynnerizer@werehatrack Rollerblades had a similar result but much shorter time in the spotlight. About 25 years ago, the doctor said “you DON’T want to do that!”
@DocJRoberts Yeah, the batteries are always custom packs with welded connections, and by the time the pack goes south, the importer has usually evaporated. As for the manufacturer, can you read Chinese?
Cool if your into that sort of thing.
When my nephew was 16-17 he asked for a hoverboard for Xmas instead of his driver’s license, we all joked with him about how he was gonna take girls on dates with hoverboard.
@alettaloretta I grabbed one of the extremely generic very cheap drones on AliExpress a while back, and it’s exactly as terrible as you’d expect for twelve bucks. That said, it actually flies and can be controlled to a useful extent. Will it be enough to get me interested in buying a better one like a DJI? Probably not.
Cool like lemonade.
Go to an ER and see a kid’s head split open and you’ll see just how ‘uncool’ they really are!
@Tadlem43 sounds like someone talking about skateboarders two decades ago
@DocJRoberts @Tadlem43 I think you mean 4 decades ago…
@cornchip @DocJRoberts @Tadlem43 IIRC, the first commercial skateboards came out while I was still in school, back in the '60s. Prior to that, they had been cobbled together with scrap lumber and old strap-on skates by kids all over the country. (There’s formal history stating that it originated with surfers in SoCal looking for something to do on low-wave days, but that is far from the only place where it was tried.) The number of injuries slacked off after the improved boards had been out for a while, but it has never dropped to anything near zero.
Maybe when they actually hover.
Cooler than walking in this heat.
@phendrick yes I agree, then add 75%+ humidity! The plus to living in the South.
It’s like a Segway - which are actually pretty fun to ride, if kinda dorky looking - but with fewer of the dorky looking parts. They can be dangerous, sure, but so can every type of conveyance - including walking. Failure to use appropriate safety equipment for your transportation is dangerous no matter what you do, so unless the mode of transportation actively discourages using the appropriate PPE, you can’t really blame the technology. Now, failure to program the controllers well or cutting too many corners in manufacturing are perfectly reasonable issues to raise, but that’s not unique to anything and more about the specific models involved. Several car models come to mind, for instance.
TL;DR My Safety is My Responsibility, and having fun is pretty cool even if you don’t look like Fonzie while doing it.
@jsfs If I were on one i.d look like Fonzie.
/showme Fonzie Bear on a hoverboard
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
@mediocrebot if I fell off that’d be terribly erong.
/showme a large plush bear wearing a straw boater hat while zooming along on a hoverboard
@jsfs @phendrick The imagebot tends to be allergic to the names of Disney-owned characters at times.
@jsfs @werehatrack
/showme an old man acting goofy on a hoverboard while wearing a snow white tee shirt
@mediocrebot Is that Mchael Eisner growing some hair?
If you have the balance coordination and fine motor control in your ankles to manipulate your stance and properly direct the device, I suppose they could be fun. I know that I do not have that capability, so I will disdain these immoderately.
I think they’re cool. But you’ll never catch me attempting to use one lol
Cool… well, could have been cool.
As old people say, back in the day I was a big skateboarder. Now these days, IF I was able to get around without my crutch I’d probably be zipping around on one of these like I was born to ride! Now THAT would’ve been cool!
Uncool…
My brother in law had gotten one as a ‘Free Gift’, he found himself in the ER with a broken ankle! So much for his FREE GIFT!
Totally not cool!
@Lynnerizer I remember when skateboards first transitioned from something the neighborhood kids cobbled together into a commercial product, and the resulting spike in ER activity due to people who were sure this had to be easy, no problem, hold my beer.
Not that I think about it, that predated “hold my beer”.
@Lynnerizer @werehatrack Rollerblades had a similar result but much shorter time in the spotlight. About 25 years ago, the doctor said “you DON’T want to do that!”
@pmarin @werehatrack
On the other hand, you could say they’re job security for the ER workers. Ha! Not like they’re not already busy enough.
I saw “Back to the Future” years ago, these boards do not hover one iota.
Nice try, Meh. Trying to get me to k!I’ll myself.
Just know that these all use lithium batteries that will wear out eventually and you will not have a good time going down the replacement battery path
@DocJRoberts Yeah, the batteries are always custom packs with welded connections, and by the time the pack goes south, the importer has usually evaporated. As for the manufacturer, can you read Chinese?
Cool if your into that sort of thing.
When my nephew was 16-17 he asked for a hoverboard for Xmas instead of his driver’s license, we all joked with him about how he was gonna take girls on dates with hoverboard.
/showme Cats on Hover boards
/showme a cat on a segway
I wish you had drones again.
@alettaloretta I grabbed one of the extremely generic very cheap drones on AliExpress a while back, and it’s exactly as terrible as you’d expect for twelve bucks. That said, it actually flies and can be controlled to a useful extent. Will it be enough to get me interested in buying a better one like a DJI? Probably not.