Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
NH AI ‘tutor’ is great and also worrisome, for a couple of different reasons
The decision by New Hampshire to allow AI-powered software as a “tutor” in public schools is a great reminder that the technology we call “artificial intelligence” is both wonderful and worrisome at the same time. It’s also a reminder that handing public services to...
Landowners join big, interesting ‘smart forestry’ project in Maine
From New England Forestry Foundation: NEFF has selected six landowners to pilot climate-smart forestry practices on commercial lands under NEFF’s $30-million USDA Climate-Smart Commodities Partnership Project. Robbins Lumber Company, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands,...
NH patents through July 14
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through July 14. *** Night Vision System NOCTURN INDUSTRIES LLC, Exeter, New...
Another look at those closing NH coal plants
Politico's energy section E&E News has a long piece about the future of the two coal plants in New Hampshire. It doesn't have anything that hasn't been covered extensively in Granite Geek and the Concord Monitor, but if you're new to the topic it's an excellent...
More federal support for NH’s regenerative tech center
New Hampshire's push to carve out a niche in the biomedical field by creating a research and development center for tissue regeneration has gotten another boost: $44 million from, the amount that “ReGen Valley” — the marketing tag for the Advanced Regenerative...
Are cod and haddock cross-breeding in the Gulf of Maine? Mutating? Evolving?
The Boston Globe has a story (read it here) about odd-looking fish that have been caught in the Gulf of Maine which look sort of like a cod and sort of like a haddock. People are trying to figure out if they're a new species, a hybrid, or what. Reports of the fish...
Drones v. fireworks
When 300 drones took off last weekend over Lake Sunapee to execute a complicated dance of LED lights over the water, entertaining folks with an pre-Independence Day alternative to a fireworks show, it was a sign of the times. Well, maybe. “Our most busy time of year...
The Vermonter who made wood stoves relevant again, plus a wood-fired Zamboni
Duncan Syme, who co-founded Vermont Castings, the company that turned wood stoves into a major heating source in America after the first Oil Embargo, has passed away. Here's a quick note about him, which says he also made a wood-fired Zamboni (!!!). A detailed history...
Mentors sought to help kids build an airplane. A real airplane!
Want to help local high school students build an airplane? Then you're invited to attend the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire's upcoming plane-build volunteer mentor open house on Tuesday, Aug. 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. At the open house, you'll learn about the museum's...
Old tech might be inefficient but is often cool. Case in point: Scything
Cutting grass on a mower, or getting hay on a harvester, is efficient as all get-out but let's face it, a person walking through a field, cutting hay by swinging a huge curved scythe, the sort that Death carries, is a lot more impressive. Former NH Agriculture...
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