In The Life-Giving Stone, Michael Searcy provides a thought-provoking ethnoarchaeological account of metate and mano manufacture, marketing, and use among Guatemalan Maya for whom these stone implements are still essential equipment in everyday life and diet. Although many archaeologists have regarded these artifacts simply as common everyday tools and therefore unremarkable, Searcy’s methodology reveals how, for the ancient Maya, the manufacture and use of grinding stones significantly impacted their physical and economic welfare. In tracing the life cycle of these tools from production to discard for the modern Maya, Searcy discovers rich customs and traditions that indicate how metates and manos have continued to sustain life—not just literally, in terms of food, but also in terms of culture. His research is based on two years of fieldwork among three Mayan groups, in which he documented behaviors associated with these tools during their procurement, production, acquisition, use, discard, and re-use. Searcy’s investigation documents traditional practices that are rapidly being lost or dramatically modified. In few instances will it be possible in the future to observe metates and manos as central elements in household provisioning or follow their path from hand-manufacture to market distribution and to intergenerational transmission. In this careful inquiry into the cultural significance of a simple tool, Searcy’s ethnographic observations are guided both by an interest in how grinding stone traditions have persisted and how they are changing today, and by the goal of enhancing the archaeological interpretation of these stones, which were so fundamental to pre-Hispanic agriculturalists with corn-based cuisines.

As we move towards becoming a smarter planet and the world becomes more instrumented, interconnected, and intelligent, the demands for data center resources are increasing rapidly. Smaller and more densely packed servers providing greater amounts of computing power can substantially increase power and cooling needs, while growing data volumes necessitate larger storage and network bandwidth capacities. Environmental and regulatory requirements can introduce additional limits on carbon emissions and water consumption. To satisfy these demands while keeping costs in check, our data centers need to be smarter as well. Comprehensive views of data center inventories, operational and environmental conditions, and consumption across multiple capacity types that span both facilities and IT are required. You can achieve greater efficiency using hardware, software, services, and design both in facilities and IT, but you need a comprehensive data center strategy to tie them together and thus obtain a complete picture of your data center environments. This IBM® RedpaperTM publication discusses important considerations when creating and implementing your smarter data center strategy. Notable techniques, best practices, and technological advances that can become critical components of success are included, along with methods for bringing them together to gain in-depth knowledge of data center operations. With such insight comes increased resiliency, rapid responsiveness, profitable access to detailed analytics, and reliable planning for the future. Although not all-inclusive, this document provides a guide to getting started, points you to additional sources of information, and suggests ways IBM can partner with you in your pursuit of a smarter data center.