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It snowed a couple of inches this morning, but it is melting fast and the streets are wet but passable. Still, there are few enough bikes out and I notice all of them. In the circle by the main gate to Campus, I saw over my shoulder one of those Zuma scooters, two up. And I heard this rubbing sound coming from it. Turns out the driver was driving with his foot extended, dragging along the ground. This is stupid for several reasons, not the least of which is that when the foot catches something it will be bent over backwards or caught under the scooter. I then noticed that the foot stayed down even as the bike accelerated, raising the pitch of the rubbing sound. The conclusion was inescapable: the scooter had no brakes, and the foot was the only way the operator had to slow the bike down at all. No wonder he preferred to weave through the pedestrians rather than let them pass. Feet are really useful for a lot of things, but I do not think that they are a viable substitute for brakes.
Posted by Underblog at January 31, 2005 4:25 PM
I agree and add that I believe it may be important to distinguish humans from motor vehicles and robots, much as they have in common.Bravo.
Posted by: heather at February 4, 2005 1:12 AM