Topic: Electric Scooter

California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 2989, which regulates motorized scooters. The new law allows scooters on highways with speed limits up to 35 mph and removes the helmet requirement for riders over 18. The hosts criticize the "braking requirement" in the bill, which only mandates that the brake can cause a wheel to skid on dry pavement.

Protesters in Paris reportedly broke into BlackRock's headquarters as part of ongoing demonstrations against raising the retirement age. Simultaneously, Paris residents voted in a referendum to ban rental electric scooters from the city streets starting in August. The hosts praise the French for "standing up to things" and removing what they characterize as a significant traffic hazard and urban nuisance.

Hurricane Dorian, a Category 4 storm, is projected to hit the Bahamas with 150 mph winds before potentially skirting the Florida coast. The hosts mock the inaccuracy of "spaghetti" weather models and joke about a "Scooter-nado" occurring if the storm hits Austin, Texas, and lofts thousands of dockless electric scooters into the air.

The Mayor of Nashville is threatening to ban electric scooters following 11 reported deaths and numerous accidents. Concerns include the danger to pedestrians, particularly the blind and deaf, as scooters are often left blocking sidewalks. The hosts discuss the legal challenges from ADA groups and the specific risks in cities like Austin with large deaf populations.

A tragic report from Southern California describes the death of Rosa Hernandez, who was brutally attacked by a stranger using a Bird electric scooter as a bludgeoning weapon. The hosts express shock at the use of a ride-share scooter as a deadly instrument.

The "app life" trend is expanding with IKEA announcing a furniture rental service and the rise of peer-to-peer car rentals. A recent accident in Austin involving a rented electric scooter and a car rented through an app highlights the complex insurance and liability issues of the gig economy. The segment critiques the lack of safety regulations, such as helmet requirements, for scooter users.

Ojo Electric announces the launch of a sit-down scooter service in Austin, adding to the city's existing fleet of thousands of dockless bikes and scooters. The hosts describe the vehicles as "Vespa-esque" but limited to 20 miles per hour. They criticize the increasing clutter on city sidewalks caused by these mobility solutions.

A global movement among millennials reportedly plans to hold bonfires of rentable electric scooters on May 19, 2019. The protest targets the perceived nuisance and pollution caused by the rapid deployment of scooters in major cities. The event is being organized under the radar of mainstream media.

The rapid deployment of electric scooters in cities like Austin and San Francisco is criticized as an arrogant "market flooding" tactic by Silicon Valley startups. San Francisco's new regulatory model, which requires companies to provide helmets and on-the-ground assistance, is praised for holding these businesses accountable. The hosts note that unlike Uber, scooters are physical property that cities can easily impound if regulations are ignored.

Residents in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills are increasingly hostile toward dockless electric scooters from companies like Bird and Lime. An Instagram account called "Bird Graveyard" documents people destroying, burning, or pooping on the scooters. The backlash is attributed to a general disdain for "douchebag" tech worker culture and the perceived unsustainability of the current "Silicon Beach" economic boom.

The discussion focuses on the visible increase in homelessness and public indecency in Austin, Texas, drawing parallels to the decline of San Francisco. A suggestion is made to repurpose failing shopping malls into housing for the homeless. The segment also criticizes the proliferation of electric scooters on city sidewalks as a public nuisance.

A technical guide explains how to disable the GPS and alarm systems on Bird rental scooters by drilling into the main control box. By installing a $50 bypass board available on eBay, an individual can effectively convert a rental unit into a private electric scooter. The hosts provide this information as a theoretical "post-collapse" survival skill rather than an endorsement of theft.

Elon Musk has delayed plans for SpaceX's first private moon tourists until at least late 2019. The hosts also discuss the "plague" of electric scooters and Bird bikes in urban areas, criticizing the behavior of millennials in traffic. They suggest a "thumbs-down" gesture as a more effective and confusing alternative to flipping off other drivers.

San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell proposed a $13 million budget increase over two years to address the city's crisis of street filth, including human waste and drug paraphernalia. Public Works official Mohammed Nuru and tourism head Joe D'Alessandro noted that the debris is causing conventions to avoid the city. Reports indicate that residents and visitors are encountering human feces on sidewalks, leading to the vandalism of electric scooters.

Venture capital-funded electric scooters in San Francisco are facing significant public backlash and vandalism, including people defecating on the floorboards. Activists have begun placing stickers over the scooter QR codes to prevent them from being activated by apps. A suggestion was made to use No Agenda stickers on these devices to redirect users to the podcast website.