Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
The original Segway is being retired
For a little while in 2001 New Hampshire was the center of the geek world when Dean Kamen and his Manchester-area R&D firm DEKA introduced the Segway, the self-balanced vehicle. It was like magic, using sensors and intelligent electric motors to stay upright. I...
Power plants back carbon tax as feds aid fossil-fuel plants
The New England Power Generators Association, the industry group for 90% or so of the region's electricity-producing plants, has released a report backing a carbon tax of $25 to $70 a ton as a way cut greenhouse gas emissions. Basically this would raise the price of...
How dry it is
The above map from the USGS streamflow site (waterdata.usgs.gov) tells the story of our dry conditions. Red means a water level lower than 10 percent of recordings for that moment over the past eight decades or so (measurement time scales differ for different sites)....
N.H. patents through June 21
By Targeted News Service The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire from June 14 to June 21. *** Parallel Wireless Assigned Patent for Dynamic Public Warning System for In-Vehicle eNodeB Parallel Wireless, Nashua, New Hampshire, has been assigned a...
Tracking COVID in N.H. – 3 of 4 goals now met
The Concord Monitor is keeping track of four measurements often cited as indicators of how the COVID-19 pandemic is progressing. This is our third weekly update. When all four measures are met consistently we’ll have a good argument that the pandemic is under...
Adding broadband to electric coop falls 2% short in vote
An effort to add broadband internet access to the official role of New Hampshire Electric Coop fell about two percentage points short in an election among members, but backers are still hopeful. “Because it came so close and because of strong advocates elected to the...
A hard rain is gonna fall (often) & dams need to get ready
Climate change is bringing more incidences of heavy rains - not necessarily more precipitation overall, just more concentrated downpours. That's a problem for dams built under the assumption that past rainfall patterns will continue. I've got a story in today's...
Bill would pay home batteries for peak shaving and avoiding power-line buildout
There's a bill in the N.H. legislature that seems to support at-home, behind-the-meter battery storage. I say "seems" because the devil is in the detais and when lawmaking and utility regulation overlap, the details get too detailed for me to be sure I understand them...
Check out the Science Cafe N.H. on flying cars
I can't wait for Science Cafe New Hampshire to return to three-dimensional space, but there's one advantage to a virtual SCNH viewed through the computer screen: Videos! At last night's SCNH, that mean videos of flying cars! Woo-hoo! You can watch the whole thing here...
Speaking of flying cars, ‘roadable aircraft’ get OK from N.H. Senate
The New Hampshire Senate passed a whole slew of bills yesterday, trying to catch up with COVID-related delays. Included in an overall transportation bill was HB-1517, "An Act Relative to Roadable Aircraft." I wrote about this bill last year, but it has morphed since...
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