Wanderlust And the Well-Balanced

Let's make it clear, I'm not writing about people who have a sane and equable temper here - I mean people who can go across a darkened lounge room without falling over. People who can walk on the edge of precipices more than once. Not me. The Wanderlust shop in Hay Street mall has a wonderful selection of toys for these individuals. You've seen the Segway trolleys and scooting boots in a previous column and i cn attest that they really do work...Thomas ran around - vertically - on them to show this. Show-off...I'm so jealous. But you can also go even wilder - and either thrill yourself or the ambulance crew that attends you - with either a trip down to the beach or down the steepest hill in town. The electric surfboard. No waves needed. No wind needed. As long as you have water under your keel you can stand up and scoot away. This begs the question about what happens when you run into shoaling sands or a white pointer, but that's where biology and physics take over. You can be comforted by the idea that you can turn this thing on a dime if you spot the trouble in time. The batteries that drive it are sealed inside the board itself - the works are accessed by the strong positive latches you see on the top. The literature promises 55 KPH speed, 40 Km range and 2 hours duration. If you start from Leighton Beach on a fully charged board you can be out into the Navy-has-to rescue-you zone before lunch. Have your story ready for when they haul you over the gunwale of the frigate. Note that this is a hydrofoil board as well as a floater. When you hit the Fremantle Bridge it's gonna be epic... For a land-based experience we recommend the Fiik Gromet - the electric skateboard that orthopaedic surgeons feature in their catalogues. Charge the battery ( Under under the fibreglass board. ), choose your preference in the 4 brake and speed settings, step aboard, and go. It will go to 25 KPH and has a range of 12 km. And you can turn off the electricity and get out and push at any time. It's not quite the Back To The Future hoverboard, but it's the next best thing. I am informed that these are drone goggles. You put them on and experience the thrill of running your first drone into the side of a building in virtual vision. You learn to avoid this with your second drone. I don't own a drone but I still fancy a pair to wear around the yard. The neighbours are intrusive and peer over the fences - I just want to freak them out. Looking like Floating-Mine-Man should do it. Well, I never claimed to be well-balanced...