PRT, Paternoster lifts, Cyberspace and Mindfulness
Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 5:12PM The ability to move individuals or groups of people from one point to another in the shortest possible amount of time, has always been an ongoing challenge for designers and innovators.
This week I had my first ride on the PRT at Masdar City. The acronym PRT does not stand for Please Retweet but for Personal Rapid Transit :)
For more info about these pod cars, click here
In most public transport systems, time is wasted waiting for arrivals, stopping for other passengers and taking indirect routes. PRT systems provide the possibility to move small groups nonstop in vehicles which are automated and are on fixed tracks, thus saving much time.
Riding along in one of the pods felt more than slightly futuristic and made me think of cyberspace where the same challenges of movement and rapidity face us.
Although it is a mindspace, I liken cyberspace to a huge network, made up of countless corridors, each leading to an uncountable number of destinations. With more and more of our daily business being conducted online, we are seeing the emergence of new and wonderful inventions connecting us to each other at incredible speeds.
I have written before of the need for filtering in cyberspace and the need for deep listening. These are two qualities which can help us stay on track as we speed through and are sometimes whisked down the corridors of cyberspace.
Masdar City
It is my experience too that as one spends some time on social media in cyberspace, and if one “listens” with awareness while in this mindspace, one gradually gets a feel for which tweet, link, post or entry deserves a closer look.
This past week I was sent a photograph from a trusted mindfulness twitter friend.
@lindahollier thought you'd appreciate this pic | The Arts Tower Sheffield, England pic.twitter.com/un9ZWOeVAU
— julian (@heedable) February 25, 2014
Julian @zenrules whose one brief is “living meaningfully with mindfulness. listening to others with empathy. sometimes I fall short. still I keep trying”, is aware of my love of architecture and I appreciated his gesture. I thanked him for passing on the image and commented that I liked the fact that it is called The Arts Tower. I was delighted when The Arts Tower connected with both of us.
@heedable @lindahollier I really appreciate it too. Mostly because it's of me! :)
— The Arts Tower (@TheArtsTower) February 25, 2014
Delighted to be chatting to a tower I recalled the piece I had posted a few years ago - “Living, breathing being”. It is of the Burj Khalifa speaking shortly after it was born. I reposted the link and then set off to discover more about The Arts Tower.
The tallest university building in the UK has one feature which particularly captured my attention. It has two ordinary lifts but also has a paternoster lift, which with 38 cars is the largest of the few that survive in the UK.
The video below gives us a look at this cyclic elevator in The Arts Tower.
This constant movement with its hop on, hop off concept seemed I thought, a forerunner of the PRT system and seemed particularly suited to cyberspace where we are transported from here2here. There is constant movement in cyberspace as we connect with each other, follow links, hop on one idea, get transported via it to another level which awaits us with further information as well as possible distraction.
No new paterlifts were allowed to be built after 1974 because of concerns about accidents and disability access. Remaining ones were fitted with many safety features. This is a warning for cyberspace too.
Unless we are mindful and become aware of our exact movements in cyberspace, where we hop on and where we hop off, we stand the danger of simply going round and round aimlessly. The way in which we hop on and off is also important. Consideration of the self assists in maintaining balance in one’s lifestyle both on and offline. Consideration of the other promotes acceptance and understanding.
There are times when one needs to hit the emergency stop button and take a break and there are times when it is great fun to ride along with curiosity. I have had many adventures in cyberspace.
As you read this we are connected. Before you hop off this page, may I thank you for hopping on. Take care and happy travels :)
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Reader Comments (2)
I like your line of thinking on being in cyberspace. We are going to be living and interbeing on this medium for some time, I appreciate your looking to the future. Especially in how you are pushing for a well-designed experience and for us to bring ourselves here in a balanced way.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog Andrew. I appreciate your comment very much, especially the fact that you refer to "interbeing". Cyberspace has the potential, I believe, to encourage a better understanding and experience of the fact that we, as Thich Nhat Hahn often explains, inter-are :)