Electric skateboards have always seemed to me like an 80s fever dream come true. What if, instead of using your foot, you could push a button and make a skateboard go as fast as a car? The idea would have sounded absurd 30 years ago, but today it's true in the form of Boosted Boards. And now, the company has a smaller model with a rad form factor. It's a different ride, too.
Aside from the opening ceremonies, how many Olympic events did you watch over the past few weeks? Very few, right? It's about time the IOC started spicing up the games so they're more interesting - like letting athletes compete with the aid of electric skateboards, starting with the pole vault.
Electric personal transporters are mostly horrible. Segways are reserved for mall cops and helmeted tourists interested in experiencing both the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial without taking a single step. Hoverboards, which also explode, are just fodder for America's Funniest Home Videos. Everyone I've ever seen riding one of those electric unicycles has nearly caused a car accident. These machines are strange status symbols of lazy American excess.
