Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Drones v. fireworks
When 300 drones took off last weekend over Lake Sunapee to execute a complicated dance of LED lights over the water, entertaining folks with an pre-Independence Day alternative to a fireworks show, it was a sign of the times. Well, maybe. “Our most busy time of year...
The Vermonter who made wood stoves relevant again, plus a wood-fired Zamboni
Duncan Syme, who co-founded Vermont Castings, the company that turned wood stoves into a major heating source in America after the first Oil Embargo, has passed away. Here's a quick note about him, which says he also made a wood-fired Zamboni (!!!). A detailed history...
Mentors sought to help kids build an airplane. A real airplane!
Want to help local high school students build an airplane? Then you're invited to attend the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire's upcoming plane-build volunteer mentor open house on Tuesday, Aug. 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. At the open house, you'll learn about the museum's...
Old tech might be inefficient but is often cool. Case in point: Scything
Cutting grass on a mower, or getting hay on a harvester, is efficient as all get-out but let's face it, a person walking through a field, cutting hay by swinging a huge curved scythe, the sort that Death carries, is a lot more impressive. Former NH Agriculture...
Drones can replace fireworks for environmental reasons
I've never been much of a fan of fireworks - boom, bang, flash, whatever. They create quite a mess, as well. The town of Sunapee will replace them this Fourth of July with a drone show, which is interesting. The Valley News has the story (here): Town Manager Shannon...
Duckweed and microbes to cope with road runoff
Road salt runoff is a big problem in cold climates, killing all sorts of plants and making life tough for aquatic beasties. There are constant efforts to use less of it or find alternatives, like brine, but the reality is that we're going to continue dumping it on our...
Tornado or bad storm? Only the fallen trees can tell for sure
The tornado that touched down in Dublin on Sunday was unusual but far from unique since New Hampshire generally sees one or two of the twisters each year. Sunday’s storm had 90 mph winds and was the lowest category of tornado, known as EF1 on a five-point scale....
Vineyard Wind is now the biggest offshore wind farm in the U.S. (which isn’t saying much)
Vineyard Wind has snuck past South Fork Wind and is now the nation's biggest offshore wind farm, at 136 MW capacity. (South Fork is 132). Story is here. It seems like the project is a little behind schedule; it won't be up to full 800+ Mw by the end of the summer as...
Better soil health on the farm? Take that, agrichemical giant!
Changing your farming technique to improve long-term soil health is a great idea, of course, but farming is complicated enough without adding another variable to the equation, so I suspect it's done very often. A study from some Dartmouth professors found an...
We drove away the browntail moth once, why can’t we do it again?
There’s a surprising backstory to the latest nasty invasive insect to arrive in New Hampshire, the browntail moth: We already eradicated it once. But we can’t do it again. At least, we can’t do it again in the same way. The browntail moth has just been found on the...