O tempora o mores!

I saw an actual, real-life Segway today. Righ in the middle of Helsinki, when I was on my way to harass yet another unfortunate young man in a camera shop to sell me more memory for my digital camera (bought one yesterday. 's very pretty). Some day I will see all salespersons regardless of gender running away from me when I enter any store selling anything technical. I don't speak that jargon and thankfully the young men I have encountered so far have always translated the numbers and letters into hours/number of songs/number of pictures which I do understand.

But back to topic. I had to spend nearly ten minutes to try and pick up my jaw from the ground after the Segway had wheeled by. It took me a while to recognize it, too, probably because there wasn't a keyboard attached to it.

I mean, this is bloody Helsinki! A city big enough to offer its residents all comforts and services they might require, but still small enough for everything to be within a walking distance. And a city with a pretty magnificent public transport system as well, I might add. Why would anyone need a Segway here? You can't even pick up chicks with it, unless you both are circus acrobats.

Like Carrie B. would say: I couldn't help but wonder, had we as species grown too lazy to walk? Have we grown past the need to use our legs for more than showing them, provided that they fill the criteria for show-worthy legs? Or are we really such a vain species that ruining a new pair of shoes by walking in them is too much to bear? Is walking as a method of transport last season?

I have to admit I love all things technical despite the fact that I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to finer detail about them. I love how my computer, for example, makes my life so much more easier, keeps me entertained and connected to people I would otherwise have a chance to talk to only a couple of times a year, and I simply couldn't imagine living without my cellphone and the mp3-player. They aren't essential to my physical well-being but I'd have hard time trying to live without them. But buying a gottverdammtes Segway goes a bit too far even for me.

A more eloquent writer could point out how in Segway, and in the act of purchasing one, culminates the whole degeneration of the Western world and capitalism, how it symbolizes the ever-deepening gap between the developing countries and the rich hemisphere and so forth and so forth. What I will say is, legs were put where they are and designed as they are designed for a purpose. The only acceptable way of using a Segway is to put some kind of musical instrument on top of it and let it be driven around by a skinny man in lederhosen, fishnets and a helmet to point out the more ridiculous aspects of our way of life.

I will go now and play with my new toy.