Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
How dry was it last summer? This dry
As New Hampshire teeters on the edge of another drought (most of the state is "abnormally dry" right now), the above graphic shows what led us here: 2020 was really dry. This is chart of the flow rate of Smith River in Bristol over the course of spring and summer. The...
If you think it’s a really bad year for ticks, you’re not alone. But are you right?
The online forum Reddit is infamous for some foul-minded communities, but earlier this month somebody posted a photo to its New Hampshire section that shook even hardened online veterans to the core. What was this appalling sight? It was a toilet seat in an outhouse;...
Solar eclipse added to Concord’s unique solar system walk-around
There’s something new in a parking lot on South Main Street. It’s a moon; specifically, our moon. “It works quite well, I think, that post with the moon on it. It really lets you see what happens … in an eclipse,” said Rob Kramer, who got permission to put up the tiny...
N.H. gets first large, grid-tied battery storage site
What I believe is the first utility-scale electricity-storage project in New Hampshire is getting turned on: a 2.45 MW battery alongside a solar farm in Moultonborough. A Here's the announcement from New Hampshire Electric Cooperative: The 2.45 megawatt (MW) / 4.9 MwH...
State and feds differ about bitcoin kiosk regulation
In an update on the bitcoin money-laundering charge against Ian Freeman, the Union-Leader points to apparent discrepancy between how New Hampshire and federal regulators look at bitcoin kiosks, which are central to the case: In 2017, the New Hampshire Banking...
No more lead aprons during X-rays
(Too bad - I kind of liked them. They're like the weighted blankets people use to feel comfortable sleeping.) Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health will no longer use heavy lead aprons to shield patients from radiation during X-rays because they have been found to provide little...
Vermont ‘virtual power plant’ helps stabilize the electric grid, a first in the region
Vermont's biggest utility will let 200 of its customers use their home batteries to help balance the regional power grid, in the first such program in New England and perhaps the first in the country. Green Mountain Power (GMP) said Thursday the pilot program will...
N.H. patents through May 16
By Targeted News Service The following patents were assigned in New Hampshire from May 9 to May 16. *** BAE Systems Information & Electronic Systems Integration Assigned Patent for Securing Data at Rest BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration,...
Autumn in NH is warmer in daytime (of course) but, oddly, cooler at night
Autumn is many people’s favorite season in New England, but as far as changing climate is concerned it is proving to be the most unusual. That’s one of the surprises from newly updated 30-year “normals” released by the National Weather Service. The update, which...
Carbon-free electricity on N.E. grid
A year ago I looked at carbon-free electricity on the New England grid. I did it on a sunny Saturday morning in May, when demand is particularly low. About two-thirds was carbon free. This morning I did it again on another sunny and breezy spring day, but this time a...
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