While some of the stoneware tablets are almost 30 years old, others were produced just last week.

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In a first, Lenovo has said it will buy Stoneware, a Carmel, Indiana-based software company, for an undisclosed sum.

FORBES: Lenovo Buys Software Company

Lenovo has been partnering with Stoneware for two years, and both companies have been getting a lot out of it.

FORBES: Lenovo Buys Software Company

Stoneware itself has existing strength in the public sector, primarily education and government, although the firm does have customers in manufacturing and healthcare.

FORBES: Lenovo Buys Software Company

Essentially, Stoneware helps Lenovo step gracefully into the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) era by creating clouds that help both consumers and corporations keep all their devices in sync.

FORBES: Lenovo Buys Software Company

Over time, three major pottery types developed: earthenware, stoneware and porcelain, each distinguished by the type of clay used and the temperature at which it is fired.

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Also nearby: Louisville Stoneware , the country's oldest stoneware manufacturer.

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The glaze is applied to a fired stoneware vessel, which is then fired again in a repeated cycle of six stages of heating and cooling where precise temperatures matter a great deal: either over- or under-firing will spoil the effect.

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Lifting the cover of a lacquer bowl might reveal a clear broth with a tiny cube of silken tofu and shreds of chive and citron, followed by a charcoal brazier bearing a small grilled fish, after which an arrangement of candy-coloured dumplings and local wild vegetables might appear on a dish of rustic stoneware.

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