[extropy-chat] Segways banned in Disney World

[Brian Alexander Lee]

If you read the article, there are several examples of people with
neurological disorders that prevent them from walking properly. To them the
segway is more like a prosthetic limb, it allows them to move in ways
otherwise impossible. They are unable to sit un a wheelchair for extended
periods of time and the segway gives them better interaction with other
people.

This is a precursor to actual body mods that will replace or augment damaged
muscles or minds.

It's pretty short-sited of disney to disallow such devices.


BAL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Adrian Tymes" <wingcat at pacbell.net>
To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2004 12:52 PM
Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] Segways banned in Disney World


> --- Brian Alexander Lee <brian_a_lee at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> > The segway can be seen as a body modification so
> > it's user becomes sort of a
> > cyborg (especially in the case of otherwise disabled
> > persons).
>
> Not really.  It's a lot closer to the common concept
> of "vehicle" than "body modification".  (Of course,
> one could argue that most vehicles could be seen as
> extensions of the body.  But this ignores the reason
> we distinguish vehicles from their drivers/pilots in
> the first place.)
>
> > I guess this is an example of the public not coping
> > with transhumanist
> > themes very well.
>
> Not really.  Segways were given a chance, and proved
> that they can easily become unsafe under common
> conditions (specifically, when the battery runs low or
> when driven by an uncautious person).
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