Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Is it better to teach pure math or applied math? Now *that’s* a hard question
US News - which, to be honest, I didn't realize was still around - has an excellent article about the argument about whether to emphasize pure or applied mathematics when teaching it. In the OECD study, researchers looked carefully at survey questions on how often...
“Rock snot” algae bloom is doubly weird: It’s native not invasive, and is triggered by too *little* nutrients
A few years ago, people started encountering disgusting blooms of an invasive algae known as didymo - blooms so disgusting they were termed "rock snot," making the topic irresistible to reporters. It turns out that the algae is actually native to the Northeast, not an...
“There’s an app for that” – special Science Cafe in Nashua, June 29
Science Cafe New Hampshire in Nashua is sponsoring a special evening on "the emerging smartphone app industry" in Nashua, along with NashuaHUB, a new incubator in the Gate City. Very cool.
N.H. passes Uber-approved law for online ride hailing
New Hampshire has passed a law regulating online raid-hailing firms like Uber, but it's not too tough: Uber is fine with it. "Most of the provisions in the so-called Uber bill mirror existing practices of Uber, which supported the legislation. The law bars the...
Software helps spot violent terrorism-recruiting videos online, says Dartmouth professor
I've written about Dartmouth professor Hany Farid a few times over the past decade and a bit because of his interesting work using software to detect manipulation of digital photos, including a company called Fourandsix ("forensics" - get it?) that does photo...
Recent patents filed in New Hampshire
By Targeted News Service: Recent patents filed by individuals or companies in New Hampshire include: GTAT of Merrimack has been assigned a patent (9,369,553) developed by two co-inventors for a “mobile electronic device comprising an ultrathin sapphire cover plate.”...
‘Uber for chores’ startup is NH’s first try at equity crowdfunding
A small startup in Peterborough called QaZing (they spell it qaZING but I have my capitalization standards) that connects people with assistants in an Uber-like fashion is the only company in New Hampshire that so far is trying to raise money through the new equity...
Don’t toss those oyster shells – or, rather, toss them in Great Bay
Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of old oyster shells are collected from restaurants around New Hampshire each week and eventually placed into Great Bay, the huge tidal estuary that swings west of Portsmouth, to create a substrate for new oysters to grow. It's part of...
In Maine, they’re hunting for a lost, historic sundial (yes, sundial)
The Portland Press-Herald has an interesting story today about a hunt in that city for a lost sundial of unusual design: They were not looking for just any sundial, but a new and improved version patented by scientist and inventor Albert Cushing Crehore in 1905....
Doctors, like astronomers, are leery about outdoor LED lights
I wrote this week about how astronomers aren't crazy about outdoor LED lights because they are more effective than sodium or incandescent light at interfering with our night vision. Doctors have some of the same concerns, as CNN reports in this good piece. Doctors are...
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