Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
What secrets lurk in New Hampshire’s bat poop?
When you start a scientific research project, you never know what you’re going to find. Here’s one thing that Devon O’Rourke found during his Ph.D. work at UNH: “I did not suspect that so many folks were going to be that excited about picking up bat guano.” This...
‘Duck curve days’ are growing in N.E. as rooftop solar expands
From ISO New England: (whole release is here) On a sunny, mild Sunday afternoon last spring, demand for electricity from the region’s power grid fell to the lowest level ever seen by ISO New England’s system operators. May 1 was a day for the record books,...
A sobering takedown of blockchain & crypto
When bitcoin and blockchain appeared on the scene I, like a lot of non-technical people, was fascinated. That fascination translated into positive reporting - to be honest, "naive" isn't too strong a word for some of my stories - about bitcoin ATMs and "smart...
N.H. patents through Feb. 12
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through Feb. 12. *** Watch Band Changing Cradles for Smart Watches SURFS UP, LLC, Rye, New Hampshire...
Can we really waste less food? It won’t be easy
One of the many (seemingly endless) ways that humans are damaging the atmosphere, land and water is by growing lots of food and then wasting a lot of it, as much as a third in the U.S., by some estimates. This is not only stupid but harmful and a lot of people are...
Burning oil kept our lights on during that cold snap
During the brutal cold that hit last weekend (my house got down to minus-19, coldest in my three decades here), the dirtiest fuels were important in keeping the New England grid going, says the US Energy Information Agency. To help meet demand, grid operators called...
Library asks why buy if you can borrow? (Not just books)
In the latest twist of the borrow-things-rather-than-own-them movement, Concord Public Library has unveiled a novel program in which they’re lending out stuff as varied as ukuleles, soil analyzers and paper shredders. At least, I thought it was novel. Turns out...
Winnipesaukee gets a record-late and pretty feeble “ice-in”
Think twice before you go ice skating: "This is probably the thinnest I've seen it". NHPR has the Lake Winnipesaukee ice beat covered: Read/listen here.
Solar and wind made 7% of N.E. electricity in 2022
Solar and wind accounted for about 7% of the electricity produced by generators within New England in 2022, according to ISO-New England, which oversees the six-state power grid. Solar was about 3.4% of the total and wind about 3.8% but solar is growing much faster....
Big onshore wind project in Maine gets OK
A 1,000-megawatt wind farm in northern Maine (already the region's wind-power leader) has been approved by the state PUC, along with a 345-kilovolt transmission line. Massachuseets will but 60% of the power and Maine 40%. Story from UtilityDive is here. Longroad...
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Science Cafe NHAbout Granite Geek
Dave Brooks has written a science/tech column since 1991 – yes, that long – and has written this blog since 2006, keeping an eye on topics of geekish interest in and around New Hampshire, from software to sea level rise, population dynamics to printing (3-D, of course). He moderates monthly Science Cafe NH discussions, beer in hand, and discusses the geek world regularly on WGIR-AM radio..
Brooks earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics but got lost on the way to the Ivory Tower and ended up in a newsroom. He has reported for newspapers from Tennessee to New England. Rummage through his bag of awards you’ll find oddities like three Best Blog prizes from the New Hampshire Press Association and a Writer of the Year award from the N.H. Farm and Forest Bureau, of all places. He joined the Concord Monitor in 2015.