Seg-what?

Now, I confess, the first thing I ask myself when I see a Hummer on the road is, "What deep-seated psychological torment must be required to want to drive one of those things?" But then at the other end of the spectrum, after seeing the prototype of a joint venture between Segway and GM, I can't help but wonder, "Who with any sense of shame would want to be seen in something like this":

Project PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), a compact, battery-operated two-wheeler for two that it's developing with Segway, Inc., maker of the upright electric lawn mower–like vehicle that debuted in 2002.

PUMA, which exists only in prototype, resembles a golf cart cut in half: it's a two-seater that stands upright thanks to dynamic stabilization, which uses an array of angular rate sensors and accelerometers to determine the orientation and motion of the vehicle's platform.

But then, probably the same people who don't mind being seen on a Segway. Granted, I'm all in favor of vehicles that run on alternatives to petroleum, but...come on. By the way, it also looks like a death trap, especially given that it

can travel at speeds up to 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour), with a range up to 35 miles (56 kilometers) between recharges

This is just asking for trouble, knowing how everyone around this thing would be driving. I mean, one ditzoid yakking or texting while driving an SUV and game over.

On another matter, I guess I'm still bitter that the Segway has forever altered the way a lot of people think the actual word segue is spelled.