Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Spielberg TV show is helping N.H. science-fiction magazine
The publisher of a New Hampshire science-fiction magazine is rooting for the success of a show on Apple’s new streaming-video service, and for admittedly selfish reasons. “We’re primarily hoping for a renewal so we can continue to collect fees and support the...
What solar is doing to the New England grid, in two charts
Most solar power in New England is, like the PV panels on my roof, "behind the meter". That means the production is not visible to ISO-NE, the folks who run our six-state power grid, unlike every-five-minute electricity production from Seabrook Station or gas-fired...
The most amazing cloud I’ve ever seen
The non-profit Mount Washington Observatory posted this photo online today, and meteorologists are freaking out. Look at that cloud - just LOOK at it! Their explanation: " A KH-lenticular, or Kelvin-Helmholtz wave cloud was spotted around 7 AM. These form when a large...
Can there be a mathematics of altruism?
Dartmouth news has an interesting piece about a mathematics professor, Feng Fu, who is trying to develop a mathematics of altruism: "how to promote cooperation in the most general sense, using very theoretical mathematical models to look at how to prompt people to be...
Telecom firms sue Maine, say they have a right to sell our data
In a follow-up to my post yesterday about proposed laws in New Hampshire keeping firms from selling our cell-phone location data without our permission, comes news from Maine that they don't think that's a good idea. From the Portland Press-Herald story: Four national...
Cell phone, smart speaker, networked doorbell — Soviet spies must be so jealous
One of the painful ironies of today’s world – which seems to stab us with a new painful irony every week or two – is the way we have flipped George Orwell’s Big Brother on its head. The problem isn’t Them secretly watching Us, as “1984” predicted. The problem is Us...
Unique ice runway won’t open for pilots this overly warm winter
The Airline Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), a national organization for private pilots, has announced that the Alton Bay ice runway on Lake Winnipesaukee will not be used this year - the ice never got thick enough. Here's the announcement. It is the...
Mushroom lovers should thank non-picky rodents
From UNH News Service: Small mammals such as mice and chipmunks who are not picky eaters play a more important role than previously known in dispersing the spores of wild mushrooms and truffles, according to new research from the New...
Lyme disease complicates the question: ‘How many deer is enough?’
Deer, as you probably know, are one of the major carriers of the black-legged tick that spreads Lyme and other nasty parasitic diseases when it bites us. Therefore, having fewer deer around would help control the ailment. But how many deer is enough? An essay by a...
Vermont has a ton of solar by NH standards, but will miss its own goal by a lot
Vermont set a goal of having 20% of its annual electricity come from solar by 2025. It will probably miss that goal by as much as one-half, even though it has installed a lot more solar than New Hampshire. Energy Central has the story (here). Vermont would have to...
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