BuzzBites: Software Sidelines the Segway; Web 2.0 Goes to the Dogs

Software Sidelines The Segway

A software bug in Segway PT scooters can make the wheels suddenly reverse direction and cause riders to fall. Head and wrist injuries have been reported. In response, Segway has issued a recall of 23,500 affected machines.

The software glitch isn't the first defect to hit Segway. In 2003, 6,000 devices had to be returned because of a problem that caused riders to fall off when the transporter ran out of fuel.

The current bug can be addressed by a free software upgrade. Unfortunately the upgrade won't solve the Segway's greatest problem--making anyone who rides one look like a total dweeb. --Andrew Conry-Murray, [email protected]

Web 2.0 Goes To the Dogs

Venture capitalists have invested $1 million in a company that makes social networking sites for pet owners. The company, Dogster, runs dogster.com and catster.com. Participants can upload photos of their pets, write pet blogs, post messages and shop for animal-related goods.A million bucks may seem like a whole lot of kibble just to underwrite a furry Web venture, but it appears the VCs are barking up the right tree: Dogster.com and catster. com boast almost a quarter million members combined and serve over 15 million pages a month, helping to draw advertisers to the online properties.

The company plans to expand the brand to include other animals, according to The New York Times, including horses, fish and hamsters. Woof! --Andrew Conry-Murray, [email protected]