Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
We are ‘abnormally dry’ and record wet at the same time
(Give you ears a treat: You can listen to me talk about this story on the low-budget Granite Geek podcast) Right now in Concord, we are living in a meteorological puzzle: The National Weather Service says this is the wettest August since records began being kept 150...
And now, the world’s best sewage-related acronym
NHPR has story about plans to built a grease-recycling facility in Plymouth to help community sewage-treatment plants deal with FOG, which stands for fats, oils and grease: FOG, which comes from places like commercial kitchens, can cause costly, unsanitary sewer...
At UNH, studying how traffic lights can talk to cars
When I was a kid, futuristic visions of self-driving cars always assumed they would need all sorts of wires and gizmos installed in the roadway to give the car information about where it was, what it was doing, and where it should go. We didn't think computers and...
NH historical markers aren’t geeky enough and we’re going to fix that, starting with BASIC
If you scroll through the list of the 255 official highway historical markers maintained by the state of New Hampshire, you will find 21 bridges, two memorials to the 45th parallel, several references to Daniel Webster and a few oddities, like the sign labeled...
More on UNH and its role in the Parker Solar Probe
From UNH News Service: The recent launch of NASA's Parker Solar Probe from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station marks the beginning of a seven-year mission to learn more about the sun and solar wind — the energetic particles it creates that can pose hazards for...
I can’t show you the name of the solar-probe program
UNH will have a role in the Parker Solar Probe that was launched Sunday by NASA. Apparently, however, NASA has hired the person who convinced Prince to change his name to an unpronounceable symbol because the instruments that UNH will be operating have been given an...
New England’s forests have changed several times since the glaciers left
If you lived here 13,000 years ago, you wouldn't have much choice for Christmas trees: It was spruce and jack pine everywhere you looked. That's one of the conclusions (although they don't phrase it that way) from an analysis of multiple studies of pollen grains in...
Mushrooms are bustin’ out all over
If you’ve been outdoors in the past few weeks and it seems like the ground is suddenly sprinkled with little multi-colored domes, don’t be surprised. The dry start to the summer followed by consistent rains since mid-July have been perfect for luring mushrooms above...
Kids say the darndest things – live from space edition
Judging from the audience reaction, if you ever get a chance to ask a question of an astronaut floating around on the International Space Station, ask about dental hygiene. “How do you keep from making a mess when you brush your teeth?” asked Luke Morrow, one of 21...
Why just read my words when you can listen to them, too?
While I realize it's a joy and a delight to read the words I create via my quite impressive typing skills, don't forget that it's also a delight to listen to me blather on about the subjects of my column and other articles. You can do this by listening to what we...
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