Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s 603 area code is safe – but it could be safer
One of the iconic symbols of New Hampshire, our 603 area code, is safe for now but a tweak to the telecommunications system would make it even safer, not to mention helping keep the whole country from having to dial 11 or even 12 digits to make a call. That’s the...
New pathways could help treat RNA viruses
From UNH News Service: Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified new pathways in an RNA-based virus where inhibitors, like medical treatments, unbind. The finding could be beneficial in understanding how these inhibitors react and potentially help...
COVID tracking numbers remain good but slow test results are a concern
This is the Monitor’s latest weekly look at measurements of four goals designed to give a sense of how well New Hampshire is doing at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers continue looking good. Before we get to the details, however, let’s consider an...
New laws include how to pay for energy storage & Lyme disease testing
Although Gov. Sununu likes to veto bill he does sign some into effect. Two are of Granite Geek interest: One directing the Public Utilities Commission to figure out how to "compensate energy storage projects based on the savings those projects can bring to utility...
N.H. patents through July 19
By Targeted News Service The following patents were assigned in New Hampshire from July 12 to July 19. *** Hypertherm Assigned Patent for Plasma Arc Cutting System, Including Retaining Caps Hypertherm, Hanover, New Hampshire, has been assigned a patent (No....
Take one comet, add starfield and Mount Madison – voila!
I haven't seen Comet Neowise yet because the clouds have always been in the wrong place (I don't have great horizon views from my home due to trees). So let's enjoy this photo from July 15 showing it next to Mount Madison in the Presidential Range, taken by Ryan...
Why don’t we move buildings?
It used to be common - or at least not rare - for communities to uproot entire buildings and move them blocks or even miles away. For example, my town's Town Hall was once the Congregational Church across the street. When the congregation decided to build a new church...
White people don’t have many babies these days (cont’d)
The basic story of demographics in the United States over the past couple of decades is that non-Hispanic whites have had smaller and smaller families, which means that the proportion of people who are some other ethnic or racial group keeps growing. Ken Johnson, a...
COVID tracker: Fall in testing numbers is worrisome
I update charts daily for New Hampshire on new cases w/ 14-day average; on hospitalizations w/ 14-day average; and total deaths w/ 14-day total. I haven't been charting testing numbers, but maybe I should. Note that on Wednesday the state added 74 hospitalizations to...
Picture, picture on the wall; who’s the most mustachioed of all?
Because many of us in stay-at-home mode are failing to cope with the hairs that grow on various parts of our head (also because I'm sick of bad news) I thought I'd rerun this light-hearted column from October 2017. If you’d like to see an intriguing example of how...
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