How I met Dean Kamen
I was working at Amazon and a group of us were heading to lunch. As we popped out of the elevator into the basement hallway, there was man perched atop a Segway, just hanging out.
This was still prior to the Segway going into full production, so they were still a bit of a fascinating novelty. We approached, and I immediately recognized Dean Kamen. We chatted with him a bit (although I can’t remember what he said), and he whirred and twisted the Segway, demonstrating its agility.
At the far end of the hallway, just outside, a taxi cab rolled up. Kamen spun around, said good-bye, and then raced out the door to catch his cab.
The irony of watching him dismount, throw the segway in the trunk of the taxi, and then speed off did not escape me.
Ryan Kuykendall
Seattle