Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
NH legislators think they, not doctors, should decide what vaccines are needed
There's no limit to vaccine idiocy in Washington or Concord these days. New Hampshire Bulletin reports that the House has decided they, not doctors, should decide what childhood vaccines are necessary because of, you know, freedom. The bill would forbid the state’s...
Vermont tries to recycle all that plastic used on farms
I've often wonders what happens to all that white plastic used to wrap round bales of hay - which can weigh up to a ton - stored in fields for winter sileage. Vermont is trying to recycle it, which is easier said than done, as the Valley New reports in this story....
Timber tax is a small example of how complex the energy transition can be
Timber tax is a pretty big deal in many New Hampshire towns, especially smaller ones in the rural areas. It's basically a sales tax on trees that have been harvested - cut and sold for timber - and while it's not a majority part of income for any place, it's not...
Moving heat is hard, even (especially?) when it comes from manure
Compost is useful as fertilizer but it also generates heat, and heat can be useful. Therefore, compost can be doubly useful. That bit of reasoning has been in play at UNH’s Durham campus since 2013. At the university’s Organic Dairy Research Farm, compost manure...
A good new potential law: Penalties for balloon releases
I am no fan of the GOP agenda of the state's current legislature but that doesn't mean I disagree with everything they do. Consider HB387 passed by the New Hampshire House on March 20, makes releasing 20 or more balloons into the air a violation offense. First time...
NIMBYs stalled Quebec hydropower for us but Trump, and maybe drought, could be worse
Canary Media has a story about the uncertain status of hydropower from Quebec coming to New England. The whole story is here. "At a time of year when Canadian hydropower typically supplies up to a tenth of New England’s power, the region has instead gone almost...
NH patents in all of March
We had an issue with patents earlier this month so we’re re-running all of March. You may have seen some of these previously (Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following...
Iron slag might help keep carbon in the ground
A nice photo package (see it here) from Dartmouth College about a test to increase carbon capture in soils: Most carbon in soil is eaten by microbes and respired back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming. As part of her culminating...
Our weather isn’t great for EV range, study says
Green Car Reports has a story about a study of the effect of weather on EV range in various states - and it says Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are the most affected. The whole story is here. Vaisala, a Finnish instrumented measurement firm, analyzed the effect...
Talking about A.I. in schools – and not just about cheating on essays
Note to punctuation geeks: Most style guides write it as AI without periods but I think that's visually confusing - "Who is this Albert guy you're writing about?" - so I do it this way. If you’re wondering whether the technologies known as “artificial intelligence”...