Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
NH patents through Jan. 19
(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 Jan. 19. *** Applicator for a Pessary Device REIA, LLC, Lyme, New Hampshire...
Why is it OK to fiddle with the thermostat on a furnace but not on a heat pump?
The belated arrival of cold weather to New Hampshire has brought back the eternal home-heating question: Do you save energy by turning down the thermostat at night? You may recall that question being answered in this column three years ago. But that was before heat...
A different pattern for NH arrivals, via U-Haul
For years, New Hampshire’s population growth has depended on people moving here. But recently they’re doing less of it in a U-Haul, which may reflect a change in who is arriving. Every year the move-yourself company ranks all states based on how many one-way U-Haul...
Winter isn’t coming, it’s here: Ice-in has been declared on Winnipesaukee
In the sort-of-official sign that real winter has arrived in New Hampshire, “ice-in” has been declared on Lake Winnipesaukee. The Jan. 13 declaration was the earliest this event has happened since 2018 and follows two warm winters that almost didn’t have ice-in...
Long COVID contributes to a tight job market
I wrote this two weeks ago but forgot to post it in the blog, so if it sounds like old news, it kind of is. The lingering effects of COVID-19 have driven an estimated 4,000 people out of New Hampshire’s workforce and led around 5,300 more to reduce their hours,...
A last gasp from Biden: $15 million for EV chargers in NH (which needs all the help it can get)
New Hampshire has received a $15 million federal grant to build more public charging locations of electric vehicles. The money is earmarked to build 199 charging ports – the EV equivalent of a pump at a gas station – in “both urban and rural areas.” That would...

Vt. electric-plane-charging system is expanding
Beta Technologies of Burlington, Vermont, is trying to develop an electric-aviation ecosystem with both small planes and, importantly, charging infrastructure. It installed a charging station at Manchester airport last year (article here) and now says it has them at...
What’s the dollar value of a forest that you can’t cut down?
What is a living forest worth in money? That’s a simple-sounding question which has flummoxed New Hampshire for a long time. We know what forests are worth when they are no longer alive, after they’re cut down and sold, but putting a dollar figure on keeping them...
An NH bill pretends climate change doesn’t exist because it’s too scary to face
ADDENDUM: Republicans on the State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs committee recommended Feb. 7 that this silly bill be passed by the full house. 10-7 vote. Any parent knows how exhausting it is to have to cajole and drag along a toddler who doesn't want to do...
Science Cafe NH: “Science of Genealogy”
"The Science Behind Genealogy" will be the topic for this month's Science Cafe NH in Nashua on Tuesday, January 21, at 6:00 PM at Soel Sistas, 30 Temple Street. This free public event will feature a panel of experts discussing the latest advancements in genetic...