Earliest People to Inhabit?
Baylor University geology researchers, along with scientists from Texas A&M University and around the country, have found the oldest archaeological evidence of human occupation in the Americas at a Central Texas archaeological site located about 40 miles northwest of Austin.
"This find really rewrites history, so to speak, and changes our collective thought on the early colonization of North, Central and South America," said Dr. Lee Nordt, professor of geology at Baylor and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who is an author on the study. "What sets this study a part is that we were able to show using geological methods that the buried artifacts dating to pre-Clovis times were in their original state. This demonstrates unequivocally that the peopling of the Americas occurred much earlier than previously thought." (Source)
The Douchebags of Tech
A top ten list…
Posted: April 8th, 2011
at 3:07pm by mnp
Categories: hood status,computers,life,web,not ninja-worthy,development,internets,jobs,lists
Comments: No comments
No Credibility with Engineers
Apart from the fact that some people just don’t know when to shut up, it can be very difficult to get engineers to do what people ask. Cindy Alvarez talks about the correct way to talk with engineers.
iPad 2 For Every Child
Start ’em early…
Every kindergartner in the city will get an iPad2 computer in the fall to boost learning, the Auburn School Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night.
Auburn may be the first school district in Maine to give computers to a whole grade level, former Gov. Angus King said. He was in the audience applauding the committee vote. "I think this is a stunning idea," he said.
King introduced laptops for seventh-graders in Maine 10 years ago, a program many educators credit with being successful. via
Posted: April 7th, 2011
at 4:46pm by mnp
Categories: apple,mnp is for the children,real life news,education
Comments: No comments
My Ninja, Please! 4.6.11 : Wood Skyscrapers on the Rise
Highly earthquake and fire-resistant and eco-friendly…. but MY NINJA PLEASE!
In architecture, engineering, and forestry sectors around the world, there is a mega-buzz about forthcoming high-rise towers made of wood. Imagine a 20, 30, or even 40-storey condominium or office tower that has timber structural-members and is clad in wood. The modernist preoccupation with high-carbon-footprint concrete and steel may soon take a back seat to the innovation of towers constructed of wood. The earliest ventures in this direction started in Japan a decade ago. But numerous projects are now also on the drawing boards in Austria, Norway, Australia, and Canada.
Posted: April 6th, 2011
at 5:27pm by mnp
Categories: myninjaplease,green,architecture
Comments: No comments
Win Fail
Everybody fails and its good for you…
This motley crew of entrepreneurs don’t seem to have much in common. Macy founded one of the world’s greatest department stores, Edison brought his own dreams to life, Ford took other people’s inventions and made them a commercial success, and Walt Disney captured the imagination of children and adults around the world.
The one thing these entrepreneurs did have in common though was the belief that one day, somehow, they would succeed. Instead of letting failure, being broke, and even the ridicule of others stand in their way, each entrepreneur embraced their setback as a learning experience. They knew that every failure brought them one step closer to success. (Source)
Reinventing the Shipping Container Part 5
Having delved into the background of what shipping containers are in past entries, we haven’t really gotten into the formations in which you can safely stack your containers and how you start the building process. With the help of a great article by the teenage mutant ninja hero coders, I will review some of the issues that are presented when the time comes to buy some pallets.
You can only stack containers in configurations where all four bottom corner casings of the upper container are supported by four top corner casings of lower containers.
This makes it difficult in terms of being creative with your designs.
Walking on the roof is not encouraged as the flats are merely meant for weather protection and can carry a ton of weight per square meter.
The author then goes into how to fix the containers together, creating doors, optimizing structural integrity, placing the containers, and most importantly how to move the containers.
On which containers to get:
The only ISO containers we where able to get at decent prices where 20″ 40″ and 40″ "high cube" containers. Keep in mind that the "modular space" container type is very different from shipping containers and usually much less sturdy.
With this said if you are looking for more inspiration, check out the rest of the series.
Posted: April 6th, 2011
at 11:29am by mnp
Categories: weaponry,architecture,design,development,trade,innovation
Comments: 1 comment