
Ask HN: At 91, My Grandfather's Only Regret Is Never Skateboarding. Best VR Rig? - s_q_b
My grandfather just passed his 91st birthday. His only regret about getting older is that he will never experience what it is like to skateboard or rollerblade.<p>I would like to give that to him.<p>My grandfather is a veteran of World War II, a former FBI field agent who fought against organized crime, a father of four, a grandfather of nine, and not only the most honorable, but also the most consistently jovial person whom I have ever known.<p>When reflecting over his long life thus far, he was asked if there was anything he wished he had done when he was younger. He looked off into the distance, and after a long while, said, &quot;Well, I&#x27;d like to learn to use a skateboard, or maybe rollerblades. Yeah, that might be easier on me.&quot;<p>He smiled and we all laughed, but as we looked back to him, he said wistfully and without a trace of irony, &quot;I really would... But sometimes I have to remind myself I&#x27;m not seventeen anymore.&quot;<p>This is where I need your help.<p>Earlier today a friend sent me a video of her bed-bound grandmother taking VR tours of distant cities to which she had never traveled.  As she looked left and right, her expression became one of pure wonderment, an unrestrained smile spreading wide across her face.<p>I want to provide the same experience for my grandfather.<p>Does anyone have any recommendations for a performant VR stack, preference of VR make&#x2F;model (HTC Vive vs. Oculus Rift), or knowledge of high quality content sources?<p>With regard to price, I am on a limited budget due to recent medical expenses, but I earn a good living. So if there is one option that is clearly better, I would rather sell every luxury item I have than deny him the best experience.<p>Thank you all for reading.
======
Retric
You could set him up with a flying harness ex:
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lYqf7pTmS6k](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lYqf7pTmS6k)

Set it up so he can't fall more than a few inches and he could rollerblade /
skateboard around a room with very low risk. This would be a one time thing,
but a few hundred dollars could set this up for an afternoon.

Some physical therapy places have similar setups (Unweighing System)
[http://www.biodex.com/physical-
medicine/products/pbws/unweig...](http://www.biodex.com/physical-
medicine/products/pbws/unweighing-system) which you could use more freely.
Which you could buy if this was going to be a regular thing
[http://physicalenterprise.com/biodex-offset-unweighing-
syste...](http://physicalenterprise.com/biodex-offset-unweighing-system/)

~~~
s_q_b
Very clever thinking with the flying harness, but unless somebody has practice
doing it, there's no way my sister in medicine or my sister in biology will
let me do that.

We actually have an unweighting device for another relative, which looks much
like the picture. The one we have isn't suited for much beyond small physical
therapy movements.

To speak clinically for a moment, the user experience should:

1\. Convey the visual and emotional thrill of riding at high speeds through
interesting terrain or cityscape.

2\. Provide the most impressive initial experience, even if that reduces long-
term playability, as it is not likely to see much continuous usage.

3\. Be as easy and stationary as possible. The user is physically capable, but
nine tenths of a century is well past the MTBF for standard issue human
joints.

~~~
modeless
I might recommend PSVR which has a street luge game (played with head motion
only) that may be the closest thing to what you're looking for. It is also the
most comfortable headset by far, works best with glasses, and is the least
expensive with positional tracking (which is a big improvement to the
experience over Cardboard or Gear VR).

[https://youtu.be/Git0feyYlf0?t=3m48s](https://youtu.be/Git0feyYlf0?t=3m48s)

~~~
joshschreuder
He's also likely to throw up and never want to try high speed action sports
again!

~~~
modeless
Haha, well, if you're asking for a VR skateboarding game then that's pretty
much what you're going to get. I think skateboarding is probably not the best
sport for VR.

------
nwrk
Very relevant with VR trends these days. Interested in comments here.

Poor man solution without any special device - youtube 360

Youtube 360° Video Downhill Skateboarding VR | PEOPLE ARE AWESOME [1]

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpjyW_xdDrY&list=PLU8wpH_Lfh...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpjyW_xdDrY&list=PLU8wpH_LfhmsSVRA8bSknO4-2wXvYXS4C&index=30)

Click, drag in video to control view point

~~~
mistermann
I don't know if it's my PC or what but all of those VR videos were SUPER
choppy.

~~~
dc_gregory
CPU limited; drop the res and the choppiness goes away (and check your
browser's CPU usage, mine was eating several cores).

------
rickdale
Sounds like your grandpa is pretty cool dude, sorry to hear hes getting
towards the end. I was watching a skateboarding show called King of The Road
and the young skaters went to Tony Hawks house and they successfully skated
the full loop. When they were done Tony Hawk said, "This was a life's work for
me. These guys come here and do it in an afternoon and are just like see ya."
Anyways, that doesn't help you with an application, but might be fun to find a
skateboarding documentary (Bones Brigade) and some other stuff and go thru the
history of skating with him. The improvements and the skill is unbelievable.
Good luck, enjoy the time while you got it.

Rodney Mullen From 1984:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfpmO9cPGGY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfpmO9cPGGY)

~~~
maxerickson
Clip:

[https://www.viceland.com/en_us/video/aaron-homoki-goes-
for-t...](https://www.viceland.com/en_us/video/aaron-homoki-goes-for-tony-
hawks-parking-lot-loop/5773e8b6aaf3694634e7b808)

Doesn't play for me. It's on YouTube:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPEERI8Y25M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPEERI8Y25M)

Your link kind of reminded me of this guy:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0rbxB9Lqg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0rbxB9Lqg)

A similarly incredible level of ability.

~~~
hfsktr
"Your link kind of reminded me of this guy:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0rbxB9Lqg"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0rbxB9Lqg")

That video had me so anxious my palms got sweaty. I don't even get way when I
watch skateboard videos (I skate) but I think it's just that video had so many
perspectives that showed the height and I don't find that comfortable already.

~~~
maxerickson
I find it pretty intense to watch people doing things up high. I figure fear
of falling is a healthy instinct.

------
azeirah
With regards to price, there are many locations that provide virtual reality
demos. I can image there are also many small businesses that will happily help
you give your grandfather this experience.

For more info on VR, I recommend you to visit the VR subreddit, people there
will help you out for sure;
[https://reddit.com/r/vive](https://reddit.com/r/vive)

Additionally, by far the "realest" VR headset out there is the Vive, because
it allows you to move around in a room, which I think would be essential to a
locomotive experience.

~~~
s_q_b
Thank you! I'll search through the subreddit, but I'm hesitant to cross-post
as I don't have a reddit account any more.

With regard to locomotion, that's an interesting variable. I should have
described his relevant accessibility issues. The only relevant problems are
corrective lenses and some limitation with locomotion, but far less than his
age would suggest. He can walk, move, bend, and lift everyday objects without
a problem, but athletic or rapid movements are out.

------
guiambros
Instead of the hassle of putting together a high-end PC with Vive/Rift, one
simpler option could be a Google DayDream [1] (or Samsung Gear VR [2]) and a
latest gen Android. DayDream still in pre-order, but will be shipping in a few
weeks.

If you live in NYC, they are are available for testing at Google NYC Pop-up
store [3].

(Disclaimer: I work at Google, but no connection to VR team)

[1]
[https://vr.google.com/daydream/headset/](https://vr.google.com/daydream/headset/)

[2] [http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-
vr](http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-vr)

[3] [http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/20/13346950/google-pop-up-
sh...](http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/20/13346950/google-pop-up-shop-new-
york-city-pixel-daydream-vr)

~~~
SOLAR_FIELDS
I know you added a disclaimer, but for someone who is pretty old it doesn't
make a ton of sense to recommend something to the OP that hasn't even been
released yet.

~~~
SeanBoocock
The Samsung Gear VR is available and has been on the market for several
months.

------
s_q_b
Hello everyone,

Thank you all for your time, your radical and innovative ideas, and most of
all the outpouring of love and support.

Although this was not my goal, over the past twenty four hours I've received
several contacts from people all over the country offering to loan or donate
high-end VR gear, set up private demos for free, and even help with physical
rehabilitation and assistance for the real thing.

We'll have to regretfully pass on that last one, due to my sister's rather
unreasonable objections :)

We are going to attempt this at Christmas time, hopefully with the help of a
few technically-inclined family members. If anyone else has any further
suggestions, finds any good content, has some clever ideas, stray thoughts to
bounce around, or even wants to help out please keep them coming. My email is
seanrdurkin12 0x40 gmail.com for anyone that doesn't have it.

The results will be posted as a Show HN after Christmas, if my grandfather is
comfortable with it, so keep an eye out if you're interested.

I hope someday we may we all look back at our lives with only one regret; and,
if we are truly fortunate, a small army of hackers willing to make that final
dream a reality. Even if that reality can only be virtual.

This experience has been truly amazing. It speaks volumes not only about the
generosity of this community, but selflessness of all of you. Thank you for
helping me to give a great man this chance to accomplish his last silly,
wonderful, youthful wish.

------
i336_
OT, but since nobody's mentioned it, I _have_ to pick up on this bit:

> _My grandfather is a veteran of World War II, a former FBI field agent who
> fought against organized crime, a father of four, a grandfather of nine, and
> not only the most honorable, but also the most consistently jovial person
> whom I have ever known._

That's book material right there, ten times over. Seriously. I'd read _all_
about that, all day. I know wisdom and log fire chats and mentorship when I
see it, and I think I see it here.

Recording and storage tech are unbelievably cheap nowadays. I would suggest
finding audio and/or video recording systems to just get the information
stored with a minimum of effort (whatever works: recorded conversations, solo
dictation, etc). Maybe you could even play with speech to text (eh, maybe
not).

Also, this photo I found online a while back immediately came to mind when I
saw the post title.
[http://i.imgur.com/LzoOt27.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/LzoOt27.jpg)

~~~
MrZongle2
_Recording and storage tech are unbelievably cheap nowadays. I would suggest
finding audio and /or video recording systems to just get the information
stored with a minimum of effort (whatever works: recorded conversations, solo
dictation, etc)._

Absolutely; I think everyone with living parents or grandparents should do
this....even if you don't think they have particularly interesting stories to
tell. When they're gone, it's too late.

Back in the 80s, as a high school assignment, I (audio) taped an interview
with my great-uncle, who had been on the USS Liscome Bay
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liscome_Bay_(CVE-56)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liscome_Bay_\(CVE-56\)))
when it was torpedoed during WW2. It was an interesting story, and I did well
on the assignment, but put the tape in a box and forgot about it for a long,
long time.

Some years back, I came across the tape and thought that I should convert it
to MP3 while I still had the means. By this time, my great-uncle had been gone
for a dozen years, and it was fantastic to hear his voice again. The _real_
bonus was that my great _aunt_ , who had passed twenty years prior, had been
inadvertently captured talking on the tape.

------
VLM
No one has suggested a composite experience instead of "THE" ideal experience.

So to feel the rush of falling and spinning in space strap a snowboard to your
feet and go to a parachute training school (with the giant 100 HP air fan) and
get levitated a bit.

Watch a couple videos so get some idea what is going on and what goes where
when.

Hanging out with young people makes you feel young, go to the nicest park out
there and check it out for an afternoon and watch and learn.

Experience wheels under your feel by attaching two fast/strong football wide
receivers one to each shoulder and stick a board under your feet and just go
down a sidewalk at 5 mph or however fast the football players can walk. Hey, I
felt wheels under my feet and the clunk of going over sidewalk pavement joints
and I can balance on a board. Sure there's two 250 pound football players
holding me up but its kinda like the real thing.

Finally maybe analog ish VR. Find a FPV drone pilot who's a skater, get some
time at a park (like when old people are awake and kids are asleep like 6am
sunrise or five minutes after rain stops when its too wet to skate but drone
is fine) and put the FPV video on him and tell the drone pilot to fly the
course like he's skating it, at about eye height and about as fast as a
skater.

------
zamalek
Does he wear glasses? Vive, otherwise Oculus. NVidia GTX980 is around your
baseline and should be able to run most experiences at maximum settings.
Current generation i5 as a baseline. I can't vouch for it personally, but the
RX480 is supposedly an extremely capable driver on a budget.

However, I can't think of any VR skateboarding/rollerblading games. In your
case I'd recommend finding someone who is willing to record a skating session
with e.g. GoPro VR. For VR video you can go way under spec, I was driving
videos on a DK2 with a 660Ti and a 2600k for reference. If you are searching
for videos, make sure that they are stereoscopic - "360" doesn't mean VR.

VR sickness will be a concern with the movement, unavoidable, just remind him
that closing his eyes will cut off the experience. Not everyone gets VR
sickness, but it helps to prepare newcomers.

I'd also recommend:

* Universe Sandbox 2: [http://universesandbox.com/](http://universesandbox.com/) \- works best with Vive.

* Apollo 11: [http://store.steampowered.com/app/457860/](http://store.steampowered.com/app/457860/)

* The Night Cafe: [http://store.steampowered.com/app/482390/](http://store.steampowered.com/app/482390/) \- free

* Destinations: [http://store.steampowered.com/app/453170/](http://store.steampowered.com/app/453170/) \- free

For you:

* Elite: Dangerous: [https://www.elitedangerous.com/](https://www.elitedangerous.com/)

* The Vanishing of Ethan Carter VR: [http://store.steampowered.com/app/457880/](http://store.steampowered.com/app/457880/)

* Subnautica: [http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/](http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/)

~~~
zamalek
It occurs to me that you could also look into the Aero 14[1] as a known
working VR-ready build. Zero variables to be concerned about.

[1]: [http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-
page.aspx?pid=6135#...](http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-
page.aspx?pid=6135#kf)

------
biot
I know you asked for VR, but are there any options via a wire and harness?
Something that prevents falling but lets him really try out skateboarding in a
safe way? They have this for learning gymnastics, for movie stunts, so why not
for seniors as well?

------
michaelbuckbee
Several others have mentioned some of the issues with VR (need a gaming pc,
not really a dedicated VR skateboarding game, etc.) maybe you can try
something like the Wii or PS3 Tony Hawk Ride game that had the dedicated
board?

[https://www.amazon.com/Wii-Tony-Hawk-Skateboard-Bundle-
Ninte...](https://www.amazon.com/Wii-Tony-Hawk-Skateboard-Bundle-
Nintendo/dp/B0029TSTAS)

[https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Hawk-Shred-Bundle-Playstation-
Sk...](https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Hawk-Shred-Bundle-Playstation-
Skateboard/dp/B003VKLACI?th=1)

------
woolybully
Everyone's suggesting VR rigs, as you requested, but hold up a sec, he wants
to learn to skateboard or rollerblade. While some of the VR rigs may help a
person learn such a skill, most are purely "rides", with the person having
little or no control. I'd urge you to not be so quick to forgo actual
skateboarding, rollerblading, or similar actual, physical activities. He wants
the feel of the wind in his face, the feel of balance.

Can he ride a bike? Has he ever, and can he still? How physically strong is he
currently? Can he still lift himself out of a chair? If he's not very strong,
perhaps you could sit with him on a long board and go down gentle slope, or
start on a flat. Maybe take your sisters first and get their approval. A Razor
skooter might be a good compromise - very easy to learn, but have the correct
wind and the balance components. How much does he weigh? If you outweigh him
by a good margin, you could both rollerblade, with him between your arms, and
your arms under his, so you can be his training wheels. Again, obviously much
caution with everyone's approval before you actually do this.

How 'bout a Big Wheel? If you get on a snow ski slope, there are other
options; have you seen these bi-skis where a person sits and a person behind
them stands and steers?

Of course, none of these preclude also going the VR route, though budget may.
Just wanted to throw out some options possibly more inline with what he may
have in mind.

------
mistermann
> Earlier today a friend sent me a video of her bed-bound grandmother taking
> VR tours of distant cities to which she had never traveled.

Would you happen to have the name of that product, that's the sort of thing I
think a lot of older people would be into, rather than games, etc.

~~~
malthaus
I'd also be interested in that product name as I also think the market
potential for VR Travel is substantial.

Anyone on HN working in that space with some recommendations or to bounce some
ideas?

------
Cozumel
Maybe a silly suggestion and probably one you've already considered, why not
just an actual skateboard? I just did a quick search for 'skateboarding for
seniors' and there's tons of results.

~~~
s_q_b
That's been medically ruled out, unfortunately.

~~~
amelius
Perhaps this can help:
[http://www.hovding.com/how_hovding_works](http://www.hovding.com/how_hovding_works)

Or this: [https://www.hit-air.info/index.php/en/](https://www.hit-
air.info/index.php/en/)

~~~
StavrosK
If someone at that age breaks a hip, they're looking at spending the rest of
their lives in bed, unfortunately.

------
Rebelgecko
Samsung has a skateboarding demo for Gear VR. If there's any trade shows or
demo events around you, might be worth looking into.

~~~
s_q_b
Thanks, I did not know about that demo. I want to get the best available,
within reason, so I am a bit skeptical of the smartphone + lens setups, but I
will keep an open mind. Content is very scarce.

~~~
shavingspiders
It's surprisingly good - if you combine poor vision with the relatively low
latency of the Gear VR, it's quite convincing. The only thing it can't do
(that an Oculus can) is depth.

------
tdy721
I bet he would like the Apollo 11 Experience:

[http://immersivevreducation.com/the-
apollo-11-experience/](http://immersivevreducation.com/the-
apollo-11-experience/)

------
justcuz
Perhaps he should learn to skateboard on a skateboard. These guys may have
some great advice to offer:
[http://www.brailleskateboarding.com/](http://www.brailleskateboarding.com/)

------
mklim
There's a problem with your use case and the current tech--artificial
locomotion in VR tends to cause people to experience motion sickness. It's
similar to sea sickness in that some people don't feel affected at all and
others can be full on vomiting within a relatively short time of exposure.
It's a natural reaction to the dissonance between your eyes visually saying
that your body is in motion but your inner ear saying your body is at rest.
Skateboarding/rollerblading specifically are both pretty extreme sports in
terms of movement, so any sims with current tech are liable to make him feel
nauseous after any kind of serious exposure. Most current VR experiences have
1:1 movement in the real and virtual world to avoid this problem, and the ones
that don't tend to limit artificial locomotion to slow forward movements to
try and cut down on the effects. Actual skateboarding/rollerblading are going
to be pretty risky for him to try and enjoy in VR. Odds are they're going to
just make him feel sick to his stomach. (Also, as a former skateboarder--most
of the skill in the sport is balance and footwork. None of the headsets are
tracking your feet, so it would be pretty hard to get a realistic sim built
for it.)

That being said, the best tech out there currently is the Vive IMO, with the
Rift likely tied once its touch controllers ship this December. Both have 6
degrees of freedom when tracking you. But right now the Vive is the only
system that officially supports tracking your movement within a few square
meters, and has motion controllers supported. That means within a room, you
can walk around in both real life and the game world simultaneously and reach
out and interact with the virtual world. The presence you get from that kind
of experience is impossible to describe. Once the Rift's touch controllers
ship the two systems will likely be on par with each other.

The mobile headsets all have 3DoF tracking. That means that the rotation of
your head is tracked, but not its position in 3D space--taking a step forward
in real life won't also move you a step forward in the virtual world, but the
direction in which you look will be 1:1. You don't have as immersive
experiences on them because of that, but for experiences where you're a
passive/seated observer you can still get a VR experience for a tiny fraction
of the price of a Vive/Rift + VR capable PC. Their performance depends on the
quality of your phone.

For your grandfather I'd actually recommend he try and get a demo of the Vive
or Rift on the floor of a PC store. Microsoft and Micro Center stores were
both giving demos of them when the Vive debuted. That way you could gauge how
much he enjoyed the experience and see if it's something you want to invest in
for him in general. Maybe pick up a cardboard and find 360* skateboarding
videos on Youtube just for him to experience it, if you were going to buy
anything blind--that would be a ~$20 investment, and for those sports
specifically you probably aren't going to find anything better on the high end
systems.

~~~
bigiain
FWIW, one of the serendipitous advantages of the disadvantages of Google
Cardboard - is that being hand-held and not strapped to your head, it's a lot
less of a problem because people tend to consume it in non-nauseous amounts -
it's really common to see Cardboard users pull them away from their eyes every
60-90 seconds and say "man, this is awesome!" before diving back in. This
means even though the headtracking is significantly worse on many phones than
even the GearVR - it's super easy to "reset" your inner ear and head balance.

This is obviously content-specific, it won't help at all in a 3D fpv shooter
where taking your attention away for even a second or two means getting
headshot, but it works well for "along for the ride" content (like roller
coasters, sweeping landscapes, and presumably skateboarding or roller blading
down Lombard St)

------
II2II
It's not quite the same thing, but there are many self-propelled wheeled
contraptions when balance is a concern. Standard and hand propelled trikes are
safe. Some even provide bucket seats with seatbelts. There is a bit or risk of
tipping in sledges, bit most people are fine going straight and slow. (Users
are also strapped in to reduce the chance of injury.)

It's basically a trade-off: it is exchanging the skateboard or inline skating
feel for something that is more real and independent.

------
J-dawg
Somewhat related: A while ago I saw a video online of a "cockpit" which was
suspended in the middle of a big room from multiple cables. The cables would
tension and release making the cockpit shoot around the room, so the user
would get real sensations of acceleration while playing a VR game.

It seemed incredible and I'm surprised I haven't seen more of it since. Anyone
know what this is called?

~~~
i336_
Ah, I remember that!

I tried searching for "cable suspended cockpit", which netted me this
immediately:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJCsomGwdk0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJCsomGwdk0)

~~~
J-dawg
Thanks, I don't know why I didn't just Google it! I'd still be interested to
know whether this has found any commercial applications. It seems to be an
idea with so much potential.

I guess it might be too expensive for "fun" applications.

~~~
i336_
I had a huge problem with not trying to Google stuff myself for an incredibly
long time. I think it's something about the fact that we _know_ the algorithm
isn't perfect, and fear the effort required to find what we're looking for.

It's probably been offered to the military, but it looks kind of delicate so
they likely turned it down. Besides that, I can't actually see anything viable
for something like this; it's possible it wobbles slightly (since it's on
cables), which would detract from the realism. (I've no idea if it does.)

Regarding _fun_ , this isn't quite VR-specific, but I remember seeing
something on TV a while back showing one of these at LEGOland, and it looks
like this kind of thing is a lot more generally accessible everywhere:
[https://www.google.com/search?q=robot+arm+ride&tbm=vid](https://www.google.com/search?q=robot+arm+ride&tbm=vid)

~~~
i336_
Oh - the "it" in the second sentence is referring to the thingy in the video,
not Google. Bit ambiguous, just noticed, can't edit my post now.

------
GuiA
Like a few other commenters here, I'd look into getting him a roller skating
lesson with harness or some safety device, rather than a VR solution.

------
ajeet_dhaliwal
If you have a PS4 the PS VR with VR Worlds game includes a steet luge game.
Not quite skate boating but rolling downhill on a street.

------
enturn
While not VR, Wii Fit has a skateboarding game for the balance board. Someone
might know of a way to combine it with a headset.

~~~
ChrisClark
I believe there is a VR build of the Dolphin emulator. You might be able to
hack something up emulating the Wii game in VR with an actual Wii Fit balance
board. We're getting into the "probably won't be that good" territory though
with that.

A Vive or Rift is probably the best bet, but I'm unaware of any skateboarding
games built for them.

------
sbhere
I have no connection or experience with Kat walk [1], but it seems able to
support a human (see video of sitting). That support might take care of your
(rightful) concern for joint health.

    
    
      (1) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katvr/kat-walk-a-new-virtual-reality-locomotion-device

------
dmourati
Here's a photo album for your grandad:

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmourati/albums/72157632995685...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmourati/albums/72157632995685465)

------
elif
Skateboard vlogger Ty Moss has a Samsung 360 cameras and I wouldn't be
surprised if he would think it's a great idea.

[https://youtu.be/10Du25iIHNg](https://youtu.be/10Du25iIHNg)

------
kellytk
It's never too late
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k51n4hhmu6w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k51n4hhmu6w)

~~~
icebraining
One of my favorite moments is Edmund Bacon, one of the designers of the LOVE
park, at age 92, skating in protest against the ban:
[https://vimeo.com/57981966](https://vimeo.com/57981966)

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isuckatcoding
Gosh this makes me want to buy a skateboard but I feel like I'd look like such
a manchild / dweeb trying it out.

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SyneRyder
That's part of the process :) I'm 35 and recently learned to rollerskate. I
avoided it for almost a year despite my friend encouraging/nagging me,
precisely because I didn't want to look like a manchild in front of them.
(Even worse when you wear the full derby padding & helmet.)

Half a dozen sessions later, pushing through "this is humiliating but I'm
gonna do it anyway" was probably even more rewarding than learning to skate. I
found Erin Ptacek's blog post "Be Coachable" about learning to skate resonated
with me too:

[https://sockpuppet.org/blog/2015/08/21/be-
coachable/](https://sockpuppet.org/blog/2015/08/21/be-coachable/)

You could see if you have a skate rink/park nearby with times when hardly
anyone is there. The rink near me is almost empty during the daytime, except
for a handful of hardcore geeks in their 30s - 50s who would probably fit into
the HN crowd anyway.

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oarsinsync
I can further this. I was in my 30s before I finally learnt how to skate. Kids
dancing around me while I struggled just to stay upright and move, but I
didn't care because I was actually learning to do something I'd wanted to do
for a long time. I'm still not particularly graceful but at least I can do it
and really enjoy the experience!

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bobsgame
What about a hoverboard? Maybe two people could walk alongside him and keep
him supported or something. They are easier than skateboards and a similar or
better experience.

