Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Why are fertility rates falling and what can we do about it? (Spoiler: Nobody knows, and not much)
If you want to start a debate, wonder out loud why human beings all over the world are growing less enthusiastic about having children. People definitely have opinions. You will be told that the fall in fertility rates seen in most of the countries of the world,...
Firewood supplies are getting tighter, meaning more expensive
Vermont Public has a story about firewood prices and availability in that state becoming more of an issue, partly because fewer loggers want to create firewood - it's not very lucrative - and, surprising to me, because this cold winter has slowed the rate that logs...
NH isn’t recycling as much as it used to
Recycling has always been a kludge, an inefficient process trying to minimize the damage caused by making and owning stuff. Worse, a lot of it is just greenwashing, a pretense that gives companies and consumers a feel-good way to pretend we've not causing so much...
NH patents through Feb. 1
inks to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name. By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire in the week through Feb. 1. Mobility Device Control System DEKA PRODUCTS LIMITED...
Keeping track of New England’s offshore wind
The New Bedford Light has an excellent summary of the status of all the offshore wind projects for New England and New York, which should be going great guns but is - well, you know. The summary is here. New Bedford, Mass., has a stake in the game since they would be...
New England continues to eke out small population gains due to in-migration (except Vermont)
This story is New Hampshire-specific but the regional stuff is in there: New Hampshire continues to gain population slowly, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates, but as has been the case for the past decade, this is entirely due to people moving into the...
Dartmouth is going whole hog on A.I.
Dartmouth Engineering is expanding its artificial intelligence offerings in both undergraduate and graduate programs, which is says is "creating new pathways for students to develop expertise and earn credentials in a world increasingly impacted by A.I.-driven...
A.I. is the latest example of new tech letting people expand the way they can be horrible
The continuing stories about A.I. systems creating sexualized images of real people is just the latest example of new technology allowing people to be horrible in new ways. Except that as New Hampshire knows from a 2007 legal case, people have been using similar tech...
NH patents through Jan. 25
inks to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name. By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire in the week through Jan. 25. Combined Neural Network KAYAK SOFTWARE CORPORATION,...
Composting dead people is a rarity: It gets bipartisan approval in Concord
It looks like we may have found something that New Hampshire's legislators can agree on: Composting dead people. So says New Hampshire Bulletin in this story. One of those methods is “natural organic reduction,” sometimes called “human composting.” In this process, a...
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