Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Another thing El Nino does: Cuts US wind energy output
CNBC reports that "Electricity generated by US wind farms fell 6 per cent in the first half of the year even as the nation expanded wind generation capacity by 9 per cent, Energy Information Administration records show. The reason was some of the softest air currents...
Shoulder pain caused by vaccinations are a puzzling problem
The topic of vaccination has become so politicized that I find myself hesitating to spread any bad news about vaccines, for fear the anti-vax crowd will blow it out of proportion. Shame on me for thinking that way: If I support evidence-based medicine - as I do, of...
Pilgrim nuclear plant gets its safety rating downgraded
The Boston Globe reports (here) that Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Pilgrim, mass., has had its safety rating downgraded after several unplanned shutdowns. The plant is now one of just three nuclear power reactors nationwide ranked in the next to lowest performance...
IRS ruling gives tax boost to community solar
The IRS has ruled that a Vermont man who bought solar panels as part of a community solar project - a "solar farm" - can take the same tax credit that a person can have if they put the panels on their own roof. A story in the Burlington Free-Press (read it here) says...
There’s a petition to rename Mt. Washington – only 99,998 more signatures needed
Perhaps prodded by my light-hearted story Tuesday about whether Mt. Washington should be renamed Agiocochook, somebody has petitioned the White House to do just that, noting that George Washington owned 300 slaves, and "Allowing the George Washington's name on places...
UNH: Political belief colors trust in scientists, no matter the topic
By UNH News Service: Trust in scientists as a source of information is higher among liberals than conservatives regardless of topic, according to new survey research on New Hampshire residents from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire....
Mt. McKinley is now Denali – will we soon be driving up the Agiocochook Auto Road?
UPDATE: After I filed this, Ken Gallager contacted me and said he had forgotten that "Agiocochook Crag" was named in 2010 - it's a small prominence near the Mt. Washington Auto Road. So I'll have to tweak the story for print. Now that Alaska’s Mt. McKinley will...
Autonomous cars ‘drive like your grandma’ – good for bikes, walkers
Self-driving cars may be good or bad (they're a potential "threat multiplier" for terrorists, it seems) but at the moment they have one good effect: They're more polite toward bicyclists and pedestrians than cars piloted by carbon-based life forms. Or so says Vox:...
A fence on the Canadian border – yeah, right
As a kid I remember learning that the US/Canada border is the longest undefended national border in the world, and I imagine this still holds true; I don't think Russia and China have dropped their respective guards. So it's kind of funny that one of the presidential...
Maine wonders: Where have its coastal mussels gone?
“It used to be that mussels were covering over half the space in the intertidal zone. More than 50 percent of the space and now they are covering typically less than 10 percent. They have gone from this species that basically defined the rocky coastline to being a...
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