Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Dartmouth joins search for ways to use AI to treat addiction and mental health disorders
ChatGPT and other AI language models can drive people crazy (as has been shown, alarmingly) so maybe it can help keep them sane. That's roughly the idea behind "a new artificial intelligence institute backed by the National Science Foundation, building on the...
NH firm: We’re first to deploy 1 million kilometers of undersea cables
New Hampshire, like many places, has a lot of large companies that few know about because they don't sell directly to consumers. SubCom of Newington is one of those. It recently celebrated a milestone this month when it became the first company to deploy 1 million...
NH patents through July 27
(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 27. Controlled-Impedance Compliant Cable TerminationARDENT CONCEPTS,...
That weird carved plaque on Kearsarge has seen better days
In my long journalism career I have never had a chance to combine geometry, historical preservation, vandalism, hiking, map-making, state governance and giant poles atop nail kegs into a single article. Until today. The story’s news hook, as we journalists say,...
Manchester’s airport is too close to Logan for its own good (redux)
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport was the only airport in New England to see passenger traffic decline last year, despite the arrival of new airlines and routes. While the decline was small — less than 1 percent — the numbers are a disappointment to boosters of what...
‘World’s largest permanent Lego installation at minifigure scale’
That is how SEE Science Center in Manchester's Millyard describes its enormous (22 feet long) model of the millyard built with Lego bricks. I think "permanent" is the key word because I've seen larger city models at Legolands but that's nit-picking. If you're a Lego...
Rooftop solar cut New England’s power needs by 5% last year
From ISO-NE: Solar power installations that are not directly connected to the region’s grid reduced the amount of electricity consumed by New Englanders in 2024 by about 5%. Photovoltaic (PV) systems that are considered “behind all meters” last year reduced demand on...
Net-zero development in NH to open
A net-zero housing development in Hudson that I wrote about a year ago will have a ribbon cutting next week. This 13-lot, 26-unit condex (duplex condos) subdivision features all-electric homes designed to produce as much energy as they consume thanks to...
NH keeps growing slowly with a few hot (and cold) spots
See the interactive map at https://nhfpi.org/blog/lakes-and-mountains-lead-new-hampshires-population-growth-while-some-cities-shrink/ From NH Fiscal Policy Institute: New U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicate that while New Hampshire’s population grew by about 30,300...
Air conditioning is killed the planet (said the guy with whole-house heating)
You know those irritating people who like to announce that they don’t watch TV as if it’s a mark of cultural superiority? I’m afraid that I’m one of them, except my snobbery involves air conditioning. “Air conditioning?” I’ll ask with a wry smile, amused at the...
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