i saw a segway yesterday!!!! at manhattan beach. it was very odd to see after all the mentions here and in sluggy.

*grins* Well, there were a lot of sunbeams around. :) (I didn't write everything, btw. I barely touched the essential stuff, and now when it's done I keep remembering other things I also wanted to say and... Oh well, such is ever the curse of experiencing wonderful things I fear...) :)
I'm currently working on getting two other 'tripreports' (definitely not comparable) with accompanying pics done (the Dussendorf Tadmeet and the Swedemeet from another forum). Once those are done (very hopeful estimate: within a month) I most definitely plan to get back to ranting.
I've even been thinking about sneaking a MNR Number 49.5 in when no one was looking, but so far other things have always come up at the last moment preventing that.

I do wonder whatever happened to our esteemed CEO though. Since even the previous mention of a segway failed to rouse him...

semi-active lian wrote:

You know, I *think* I'd have liked to come to the euro meet, but I thought it was the Easter weekend and I am busy then; I just now realized that I *would* have had time to come, since it's only the weekend after.

So what's preventing you from coming? It's still two and a half weeks away. That should be plenty of time to go and organize things so you can be there, shouldn't it? (And seriously; there might be a lot of reasons why it would be hard to arrange it, but in my experience I've found that if you really set yourself to wanting to do something like that, things usually work out.

[b]Hm...but then, I'm always very undecided about meeting online people in RL. Don't ask me why -- maybe I'm just anti-social :P (yeah, right -- in fact I want everyone to believe I'm a pure, beautiful young maiden, and this image will shatter once you meet me face-to-face...muahaha!)

*grins* I know exactly what you're like. Just like everyone else: Simply yourself. And accepting others the same way.
I was quite hesitant about meeting people from online as well some.. uhm, three years ago now (my, time flies!). But the more people I've met, the more I want to meet. It's not that I'm having deep meaningful conversations with everyone, or that we become best friends in a matter of hours, but people hanging out at message boards like this one have this undefinable quality that simply make them good to hang around with for a while... Talking about pretty much nothing at all (well, books sometimes) :) but still having a good time.
And then there's the fact of this meet being at the Fantasy Fair. Which is a really unique and not-to-be-missed experience in its own right. Can you imagine an event with hundreds upon hundreds of dorky, freaky, weird, and really, really normal people all of whom you *know* love fantasy books? With a significant part of them dressed up. Seeing more girls and women wearing dresses in one weekend than in the rest of the year combined? Sitting around as famous fantasy authors (Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman) read from their own work, discuss themes, answer questions, and in between walk around through it all, listening to celtic bands just like everyone else, always willing to stop for a spell and talk?

*grins broadly* So waddaya say? Will you try to be there? You know you want to... :)

semi-active lian wrote:

Do you know if Wolfshade is attending?

Well, he was on the list of interested people in the thread, but I haven't heard anything about if he'll indeed be there or not (you'd really have to ask Sahi since she's emailed everyone IIRC).
So far I only know for certain that the people attending will be:
me, Marion, Sahi, Aenwyn, Garcia and Jaime (mostly because I'll be buying tickets in advance for most of them; which, btw, I'd be happy to do for you as well).
*grins* It'd be great if you could be there as well. :)

Aan allein wrote:

Seeing more girls and women wearing dresses in one weekend than in the rest of the year combined?

*splutter*

We have to wear dresses?

*flees*

*hides under couch*

Jaime wrote:

*splutter*

We have to wear dresses?

*grins* No sadly, as Sahi said, you don't have to. It's just that there are very many who choose to, lending an awesome atmosphere to the event.

Personally I'm still looking around for some sort of cloak or cape or similar to wear...

[ April 09, 2003: Message edited by: Aan allein ]

*sniff*  SEGWAY, you say!?!?

Oh, I the CEO, must be getting addlepated, responding a clear eight days after the latest Segway sighting.  I blame it (mostly) on the fact that my cable company switched providers, and, for my meader $10 a month fee, I am getting something like 60 channels... including Cartoon Network.  Hey, lian: you might be interested to know that "Rurouni Kenshin" is on rotation in America during Toonami.  Kenshin five times a week!  Can you dig it... suckaaaaa!?!?!?!

Oh yes, and I also took mu cousin to Wrestlemania, became director at the church choir, did my taxes, watched as my refrigerator died a slow horrible death (the dead fridge is still in operation, and I FEAR actually opening the door --- shades of Weird Al's "Livin' in the Fridge" here), applied for my master's degree in business, watched the incredible and horribly controversial episodes 22-26 of the Excel Saga, and conquered Spain.  Er, that is in CivIII.  Eh heh.

Other then that... DAY OLD BAGELS FOR EVERYONE! 

Yesssss.....

And now, my Segway contribution.

Wall Street Journal just did a consumer assessment, and the review is a positive one:

My verdict is that the Segway HT is great fun to ride, is safe a stable , and is a truly impressive use of digital technology.  It is easy to learn, and in many ways is just plain amazing.  But I'm not so sure it's a practical alternative to the car or to walking, except for those who live in dense urban neighborhoods or who have a disability that makes alking long distances difficult.  It's not easy to use in the suburbs. ...  And until the price drops, it's a luxury item.

---- Walter S. Mossberg

Tell us something we didn't already know, Walt.  ;)   The article also goes on to say that the company requires a two-hour training class before you can ride a Segway.  Whaaaaa!?!?!  You need a class for an item that's easier to ride than a scooter?  Methinks this smacks of lawyers.

[calculated reaction]

yick.

Now, is this semi-malicious, or what? You have us drooling for another rant  and then feed us... fish eyes?!

*cackles*

Somehow this sounds like Klingon cuisine to me...

Thank god I'm a vegetarian.

oh yeah -- have you, just by the way, noticed the army of undead hamsters now under your direct command? One would think that month-long negelct would become them badly --alas, on closer inspection, so it has -- but that those cute little skeletons are still useful has been quite a surprise.
Oh, and they're quite hateful little fellas at that. Directed directly at you, CEO, naturally, for you starved them, but their mind it too weak to evict your strict mental check. Mwahahaaa! What a masterplan of inducing ultimate loyalty and keeping costs low!!!

heh...now I see how you can afford sumptous Klingon meals with your extended family. It's been executed on the back of thousands of grieving hamsters...but...such are the laws of neo-liberal efficiency!

*smiles diabolically*

Heh heh.  The Church Choir thing is a challenge.  It's an all Philippino Church, I'm pretty much the only one that has English as a first language (which is required for all the hymns), and maybe only three people know how to read notes.  It's a lesson ... in PAIN!!!!  (really... I had to take a nice nap to get all the ringing out of mey ears... Oh pain pain pain...) :D

I don't know about that army of undead hamsters, lian. I've just been exposed to a two-hour "Hamtaro" mini-marathon on Cartoon Network, and frankly, they SCARE me. :P

As for the Concorde.  Yeah. :(  Curse Boeing for discontinuing the Sonic Cruiser.  We could've had yet another supersonic type plane in the sky for this eventuality, but it looks like it won't happen.  It's too bad I never flew on the Concorde in my lifetime, but, really, who could afford $15,000 for a two hour flight?  Not me.  At least, not yet...

*grins as his plan for becoming an Actual Factual Evil CEO unfolds*

I hit 'em with my bag full of "Shhh!", too. ;)