Learning the Lost Art of Ice Harvesting in Maine

Learning the Lost Art of Ice Harvesting in Maine

In 1805, a twenty-three year-old Bostonian named Frederic Tudor launched a new industry: the international frozen-water trade. Over the next fifty years, he and the men he worked with developed specialized ice-harvesting tools, a global network of thermally engineered ice houses, and a business model that cleverly leveraged ballast-less ships, off-season farmers, and overheated Englishmen abroad. By the turn of the century, the industry employed 90,000 people and was worth $220 million in today’s terms.

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A 40-foot wall of ice reaches down to the high-tide line at Acadia National Park in Maine, proving t

A 40-foot wall of ice reaches down to the high-tide line at Acadia National Park in Maine, proving that as cool as artificial ice climbing walls are , you can’t beat the real thing. [AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty]

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HP ProBooks Picked Up By Maine School

HP ProBooks Picked Up By Maine SchoolWe have seen our fair share of HP Probooks in the past, and this time around, the HP Probook has come under the spotlight yet again, with computer manufacturer HP all set to deliver personal computers as well as computers for Maine’s Learning Technology Initiative. This 4-year contract by the Maine Department of Education intends to see both students as well as teachers have a technology solution so that they can prepare themselves to be the next generation’s workforce. The HP ProBook 4440 would be the device in question here, where it runs on Microsoft Windows and will be the primary technology and learning solution for the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MTLI).

Having said that, ushering in HP also signals the end of Maine’s long-standing exclusive contract with Apple, which kicked off 11 years ago. The MLTI was kicked off thanks to a vision of former Governor Angus King, in an effort to prepare Maine’s students for a rapidly changing world. Having said that, while it is not unusual for corporations to offer discounts in order to pick up a plum contract like this, do you think that the proliferation of HP’s brand to current kids might eventually be translated to permanent customers? After all, humans tend to remain in the comfort zone as we are comfortable with what we know and are familiar with. Food for thought.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Uncover Takes MacBook Customization To The Next Level With Laser Cut Art, Lenovo ThinkPad S431 Is Powered By Windows 8,

    

US launches first commercial tidal power project this summer, Maine to reap moon’s gravitational benefits

US launches first commercial tidal power project this summer, Maine to reap moon's gravitational benefits

Solar may be the green energy source that’s been hogging the headlines lately, but there are other fossil-fuel free ways that can help meet society’s electrical needs. One of these is tidal power, and the US is set to start harnessing the ocean’s electricity-generating potential this summer with the TidGen Cobscook Bay project — the first such commercial project in the States. Located just off the coast of Eastport, Maine, turbines will be placed in 50-100 feet deep water to take advantage of the 100 billion tons of water that flow in and out of Cobscook Bay each day. When the project goes live, it’ll feed into the public power grid and generate enough juice to power between 75 and 100 homes, and the plan is to eventually install enough turbines to generate 3MW of power — which should cover the needs of over 1,000 homes and businesses. There’s more info, plus plenty of political self-congratulation in the source below.

US launches first commercial tidal power project this summer, Maine to reap moon’s gravitational benefits originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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