by David Brooks | Nov 28, 2018 | Blog, Newsletter
In the 1950s and 1960s, a ton of little ski areas opened through New England: Any farmer with a big slanted field would haul an old Ford engine to the top and make a rope tow, trying to get a few bucks in the winter. Virtually all of them shut down in the 1970s...
by David Brooks | Nov 28, 2018 | Blog, Newsletter
One of the biocontrol successes of recent years involves the fungus Entomophaga maimaiga, which was introduced into the U.S. to control the gypsy moth caterpillar. It has worked pretty well, turning a forest-destroying scourge into an occasionally irritating pest. But...
by David Brooks | Nov 28, 2018 | Blog, Newsletter
Segway occupies a weird space in the history of New Hampshire industry. The self-balancing vehicle developed by Dean Kamen and his merry band of R&D elves at DEKA in Manchester in 2001 may be the best-known invention ever to come out of the state, but it’s...
by David Brooks | Nov 27, 2018 | Blog, Newsletter
Big, empty military bases always produce lots of big ideas for reuse. Here’s a big idea for the former Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine: Turn it into a spaceport. The Brunwick Daily News reports (read the whole thing here) that the proposal would...
by David Brooks | Nov 26, 2018 | Blog, Newsletter
From UNH News Service: Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified new, readily available materials that convert sunlight and carbon dioxide (CO2) into building blocks for liquid fuels. “Currently we can convert sunlight into electricity using solar...
by David Brooks | Nov 26, 2018 | Blog, Newsletter
I wrote last week about innovative program that Liberty Utilities’ electric system is testing in New Hampshire, putting subsidized Tesla Powerwalls into customers homes to help regulate the grid, and also allowing other companies to participate via a...