Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Lots of states use wood for heating more than N.H.
Burning wood to heat your home is a New Hampshire tradition, so it is slightly startling to hear that we're no longer one of the top-three states, along with Vermont and Maine, when it comes to heating primarily with wood. In fact, we're not even in the top 5! That's...
A deep dive on the federal prosecution of NH Bitcoin
The Verge has a deep dive into the federal prosecution of New Hampshire's Bitcoin fans, for those who want to keep up with it. Reviewing the case now, (Ian Freeman) is particularly alarmed by the charge of operating a “continuing financial crimes enterprise,” which...
Concord’s July was the wettest on record for a couple definitions of “wettest”
People love weather extremes, so the frequent heavy rains we've gotten in New England mean everybody wonders: "Is it a record?" The problem with that question is how do you measure it? Total precipitation over some arbitrary period is the usual method but that can get...
Redstone missile in little NH town is (finally) historic
The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources maintains a State Register of Historic Places, and every year it adds a few more. Items are almost always buildings - town halls, chapels, schools, barns - but sometimes they're different. This year the division added...
Why we’re not known as The State That Birthed Segway
When the Segway came out from inventor Dean Kamen in 2001, for a brief moment it seemed like New Hampshire would finally have something to brag about other than the presidential primary. But as you know, the Segway fizzled and turned into something of a joke. Kamen...
Time magazine (yes, it still exists) admires Vermont’s changing power grid
Time magazine has a big spread on the push by Green Mountain Power, Vermont's electric utility, to remake itself. This month is should become the first U.S. utility-built community microgrid able to run on renewable energy without a fossil-fuel backup. The home Tesla...
N.H. patents through Aug. 1
By Targeted News Service The following patents were assigned in New Hampshire from July 18 to Aug. 1 *** BAE Systems Information & Electronic Systems Integration Assigned Patent for Circular Patch Array for Anti-Jam GPS BAE Systems Information and Electronic...
UNH to test 12,000 COVID samples, plus new positives, looking for variants
From UNH News Service: Researchers at the University of New Hampshire will start genomic testing of positive cases of the COVID-19 virus to help monitor for variants of concern . UNH received a grant of $757,000 from the National Institutes of Health to perform the...
I couldn’t think of a clever ‘video killed the radio star’ variant for this headline
When it comes to climate change, the more you know, the more worried you get. Ignorance may not be bliss but at least it keeps you from lying awake at 3 a.m. fearing global feedback loops and tipping points. So it’s nice to learn that one of the state’s...
COVID hints that our free-and-easy summer may end early
Last week I was buying some gaskets in my local hardware store when I noticed that I was the only person wearing a mask except for one of the clerks at the registers – and she had it below her nose. The last time I was there, just about everybody was masked. We’ve...
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