Say what? Segway inventor no 'naive tree hugger'

"Yes, I use a Segway, but I wouldn't get on it and try to cross the country with it. I'm not a naive tree hugger who believes that everybody should use a Segway to get around."

So said Dean Kamen in an interview published Monday by CNET News.com. Kamen may not be a "naive tree hugger." He is, however, a talented engineer and inventor who believes in technology's ability to improve the world. Kamen wants to apply his genius to creating instruments that will help those who have no electricity and no clean water. He's also invested effort in founding FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to creating reward, motivation and professional contacts for scientifically inclined young people.

Maverick, dropout, one of a kind. How many people do you know who not only create a "human transport" revolution but are rumored to have bought their own island, seceded from the motherland, and declared themselves Lord Dumpling after signing a non-aggression pact with the U.S.? Not that many, I'm willing to bet.