Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Speaking of ranked-choice voting, Maine’s faces another obstacle
Maine might be the nation's leader in alternative voting systems, since it is the first place to hold them for statewide races as we've discussed many times (including at Science Cafe N.H. in Concord in January). But that doesn't mean everybody is happy about it. The...
Long-disputed N.H. wind farm is finally finished
New Hampshire has its fourth utility scale wind farm: The 29-MW Antrim Wind Farm has finally gone online, reports the Keene Sentinel. Like pretty much anything being built these days, the wind farm was opposed by neighbors and groups who thought it was ugly, or would...
Amtrak sets passenger record while Manchester airport’s numbers keep slipping
Two pieces of New Hampshire transportation usage data came out over the weekend. First, Amtrak's Downeaster, the passenger trains that run between Boston and Brunswick, Maine, (not Bangor, as I initially said) with several stops in the Seacoast area, is doing quite...
N.H. wants to be a leader in flying cars (without mandatory seat belt usage, though)
When it comes to New Hampshire’s future with flying cars – or “roadable aircraft,” to give the preferred term – advocates have their main argument ready. “Somebody’s got to go first. Why not us?” said Rep. Steven Smith, R-Charleston. Smith was...
Do those networked doorbells break New Hampshire wiretapping laws?
New Hampshire is one of 12 states that require everybody who is in a conversation consent to audio recording because it can be done. (That's why reporters as "do you mind if I record this interview?" instead of just turning on the app.) But those networked...
If cross-country skiing requires snowmaking, is it really cross-country skiing?
We all know things are going to change as the climate warps around us. But it’s still startling when a change actually arrives. Like this one: Cross-country skiing in New Hampshire needs snowmaking. This seems very wrong, even to a downhill skier like me. Donning skis...
UNH heading back to the sun – its orbit, at least
When the new Solar Orbiter blasts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in early February, it will carry with it an instrument designed and built by researchers from the University of New Hampshire Space Science Center (SSC) to study the Earth’s closest star, the sun....
Who should pay for recycling? Maine thinks maybe it should be the producer
As regular readers know, in the past year I have come to think that the recycling programs we grew up with are a figleaf that allows maximum production of stuff which lingers in the environment forever, while shoving all costs of cleanup onto taxpayers and volunteers....
Bill would require internet providers to reimburse for outages
New Hampshire's enormous legislature generations hundreds of bills, and while most of them go nowhere there can be some interesting ideas that get lost in the shuffle. Here's one, highlighted by Bob Sanders of NH Business Review: House Bill 1578 would require internet...
The other ‘flying car’ company in N.H. is starting to make noise
As I noted in October, there are two companies with a presence in New Hampshire developing or selling "flying cars" (more accurately called planes that can drive on roads). One is Terrafugia, which has been developing a four-wheel car with folding wings in...
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