Hunka Hunka Burning Love

If I had a dollar for every mistake, accident, or youthful impulse I've had, well, I'd be hanging out with Bill Gates. Pushing 40 MPH on a EUC that has no foolproof safety measures at the point of failure is asking for trouble, but I can see how testosterone mixed with spur of the moment exuberance easily can overpower common sense in respect to EUC limitations. We've all seen the out of control careening path that Ron from Miami's wheel took when his Telsa ceased balancing at the upper end. Luckily we haven't seen an out of control wheel injure a pedestrian or other personal property. Yet. Showing off and EUCs just don't tend to mix. Most accidents seem to happen when people forget that fact. I'm glad the rider who fell is okay. It's all a learning process. I'm sure he is now more aware of how to avoid a repeat of his accident. Others who see it likely will learn from what happened. It's not the first time someone has fallen and not the last, but hopefully it will help reinforce to others that these marvelous balancing machines are not infallible just like the riders who roll on them.

Why are you watching this sliding cat video when you could be watching the livestream? Sunday. Be Square. Be There!

Anyone watching Netflix’s Love Death and Robots? It’s crazy how realistic the level they have gotten computerized animation to. Avatar looks so cartoony compared to some of these shorts. I predict that actors might be losing their jobs in the future... or switching to voice acting roles... Anyone catch the EUC in When the Yogurt Took Over? Be warned these cartoons are NSFW!!!

I think in single detached dwelling homes, it's up to the homeowner if they are willing to accept the risks. In a large apartment building where there are many families, I think there is more reason not to take a risk. Certification certainly is a good idea, but it still likely doesn't prevent the unexpected events that can occur from riding damage, water ingress, heat stresses on wiring, etc. Private pilots are allowed to take EUCs up with them in their private planes. That risk is on them. In a confined, crowded area with more than two or three people (commercial plane, bus, train, concert, sports event, etc) you have to factor in the consequences of something going wrong affecting other people's lives. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Unless you're Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk. Luckily it seems that EUC fires only mainly related to charging the battery pack, and people usually don't charge their rides during transport. Whether it be a EUC, hoverboard, Dualtron Thunder, etc, anything with a huge LiOn battery pack likely is better not charged or transported through confined public spaces unless there are safety measures available (eg. special fire containment compartment/enclosure, etc). Take for example, TNT or C4 plastic explosive. Should I be allowed to carry a bag full of it onto a crowded bus next to my reliable Chinese made electronic timer? I need to bring down an old apartment building since I'm a demolitions expert. I have it all wired up to explode in my bag, but it's super safe as long as I haven't activated the timing mechanism. The likelihood of anything going wrong is super slim. Maybe I should be allowed to take it onto a train to get to my destination? Sure we carry around laptop and phones which have lithium ion batteries in them, but the amount of energy they store compared to 1000 Wh+ battery packs likely don't compare in terms of maximum damage an explosion would create. Even still, one cell in an e-cigarette can be quite dangerous. It's just my opinion of course so I might be wrong in my thinking. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/Self-Balancing-Scooters-Hoverboards-Recalled-by-10-Firms/

I’ve been playing around with Bigscreen VR. It’s quite a neat home VR theatre app. I was watching Game of Thrones in a hosted room for bit. The host was a little bit weird as he/she moved around giving random people VR handjobs. Weirdos! Oh well, it’s a free app, and mostly other rooms seem normal. It’s a bit annoying since sometimes people are chatting while you’re trying to watch the movie. I made my own private theatre and managed to run Netflix on Chrome from the Oculus desktop feature. I also got Cotomovies to run in an Android simulator (Nox) to stream as well. Big Screen VR is quite a cool way to watch media on your VR headset.

I’m not trying to spread public fear, but rather encourage people to think about the possibilities of those rare and unlikely events that cannot be predicted. I know the chances are small, but when there are many other lives that could be impacted, it would be irresponsible not to consider the possibilities. People have soldered in additional batteries to increase range. When those wheel crash, what is the likelihood of something shorting out in the future? We’ve all see the InMotion problems dealing with water ingress and their battery packs as well as one person showing how their older Ninebot burst into flames out of the blue. It just takes a few incidents going wrong to put a negative light on the sport. Just look at the hoverboard. I guess there is comfort in thinking that the odds of that 2000 wh battery pack going supernova are infinitesimally small so it should be fine, but the consequences when something goes wrong likely still should be considered. Stopping a crowded train going 80 kph full of people with a large battery starting to explode likely would not end as well as one would hope just like trying to emergency land a plane in time. A bus might be okay, but one going 100 kph on a busy freeway? Maybe the odds are low enough not to even bother thinking about.

Considering the amount of energy that is packed into large EUC battery packs and the abuse from falling and weather elements they receive, I wonder if it’s prudent not to take them on public transport. Just imagine if that pack for whatever reason shorts out and cascades into a self-fueling explosive fire... A packed train of women, children, elderly, etc would be in serious trouble. We’ve seen reports of some InMotion (and Ninebot E+’s) catching fire. What would and could you do if faced with a wheel starting to spark, arc, and smoulder in an enclosed public space? Now just imagine a terrorist who wants to cause havoc by intentionally setting off an easily obtainable battery pack. I wish there were firewalled storage compartments where potentially hazardous items could be stored separately from the passenger compartment. Imagine you and your family heading out for holidays on a plane trip. If they allowed EUCs on board, imagine one accidentally and unpredicatably starting to smoke in an overhead bin at 10,000 feet up filling the cabin with acrid smoke and fire... On one hand I’m biased towards free travel with EUCs, but on the other hand there are always those what-ifs that must be considered. Would you be able to deal with possibly being the cause of other people’s deaths or injuries? Imagine the class action lawsuits from the family members and the overall impact on EUC riders in general. I think until the technology matures to the point of absolute safety, keeping EUCs away from enclosed public transport may be wise.

Don’t be grouchy! The Livestream is just around the corner!

This virtually the funniest thread I’ve seen in non VR!

Holy Fritolies! Me likey!

There's a few free programs like VR Chat, Hifidelity among others (nsfw). Not that I frequent the others. Or have any knowledge about them. I've never even heard of a Vstroker or Kiirroo Onyx 2. There's also Rec Room which is free and pretty fun. VR programs usually are pretty much universal to different platforms as far as I have seen, but some games can be limited like PS4 only ones like Uncharted 4. Usually there are options to customize your avatar. I walked around Pokerstars VR a bit yesterday, but I don't play poker so I just joined a match, looked at the weirdos and left. There's also Bigscreen VR which is neat. I'm usually busy on a starship fighting the Klingons, Romulans, and Borg so I haven't checked out the chitty chat VR stuff that much. It's enough to try to keep a crew of four focused on their tasks at hand while being hit by phasers and photon torpedoes!

Can’t you just plop your wheel into a large bag and carry it covered up by the handle? Just make sure the tire is concealed and Bob’s your uncle. Or are baggage checks also performed prior to bus boardings? Better check all the women’s handbags for explosives, knives, and guns too if that’s the case! Path of least resistance.

Anyone else notice that Duf has a mini-me riding in the car?