Technology, Books and Other Neat Stuff

It's the invention that changed the shape of our cities, and it's just celebrated its 150^th anniversary.

Without them there would be no high-rise city. But when it comes to the passenger lift - now celebrating its 150th anniversary - are you a lost soul or a welcome wagon?

It's one of those unglamorous inventions that's so widely used it goes largely unnoticed. You go to the lifts, push the button, and even if it only takes a few seconds, it still feels like too long.

Then you get inside, and as the doors close you take a close-up look at your fellow passengers, get irritated if they've stopped the lift for only one floor, and get even more irritated if not only can you see them in unexpected proximity, you can also smell them.

Erecting skyscrapers
The invention of the lift made skyscrapers possible
But without the lift, which is celebrating a low-key 150th anniversary, the urban landscape would look utterly different. High-rise apartments and thrusting corporate tower blocks would have remained distinctly low-rise if we still depended on the stairs.

Going up!

The highest and fastest I've used are the set that go up the CN Tower in Toronto. The most peculiar were a set that descended into the Gouffre de Padirac in France...

We're off to Beijing for a week or so soon, attending Intel's Spring Developer Forum. We've filled out all the forms and sent off all the letters we needed to get the press accreditation that came through yesterday, and I'll be fast-tracking our visas first thing on Tuesday morning.

It's going to be our first time visiting the PRC, so, it's time to ask all you wonderful and well-travelled readers: is there anything we should know that'll make our stay (and getting about) easier?

I seem to recall that a few of you have been there recently...

It looks like my phone will work there, so that's one thing off my mind.