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National pro-vaccine group comes to NH - Granite Geek
A national pro-vaccine group has opened a chapter in New Hampshire, the eleventh state in which it has done so. American Families for Vaccines said the chapter “organization will “work to promote science-based legislation and initiatives in the Granite State.” The gruop has been around since 2020, growing out of an organization created in Maine […]
Three proposed NH bills would target some aspect of A.I. - Granite Geek
Three proposed bills for the upcoming legislative session in NH concern “artificial intelligence.” There are no details yet about what exactly they propose but FYI, here they are: HB 2026-2507: “creating an exception to the restricted uses of artificial intelligence by state agencies.” by Rep. Thomas Corman, D-Lebanon. HB 2026-2812: “relative to the regulation of […]
Another invasive (sigh) shows up in NH lakes - Granite Geek
The spiny water flea has been found in Newfound Lake, reports New Hampshire Bulletin (story here). It’s already in Winnisquam and Winnepesaukee lakes. One impact of a spiny water flea invasion stems from the animals’ voracious appetites. Upon arriving in a lake, spiny water fleas begin feeding on other tiny animals that live suspended in […]
Geeks who love cartoons (i.e., most geeks) should love the Center for Cartoon Studies - Granite Geek
The most unusual college in New England turns 20 this year. If it had been around a half-century ago I might well have attended. The college is the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vt., across the Connecticut River from Lebanon. It offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree, a couple of […]
Maybe NH can get 'balcony solar' too - Granite Geek
A New Hampshire state senator has filed an LSR (legislative service request, sort of a place-holder for a future bill) for “portable solar generation devices” which I believe means small plug-in solar panels, a.k.a. balcony solar. As I noted last month, Vermont has a bill in the making to follow Utah’s lead and allow the […]
NH is still a laggard in fast charging for EVs - Granite Geek
The NY Times has a big article about the improvement in fast charging stations along U.S. highways with excellent interactive maps. (Paywall-less version is here) Most of the highways in the Northeast are packed with chargers (although it gets sketchy going up to Presque Isle, Maine!) but the one route through New Hampshire you can […]
New England's last coal-fired plant has closed for good - Granite Geek
Six decades after it began, coal-fired electricity is officially gone from New England following the shut-down of Merrimack Station in Bow, the region’s last power plant of its kind. Merrimack Station, which started in 1960 during a wave of new coal-fired electricity in the Northeast, ceased producing power this summer after a long rundown that […]
A real-world user dents my A.I. doubts - Granite Geek
f you want to stay a skeptic about the various technologies misleadingly called “artificial intelligence,” you probably shouldn’t chat with Greg Dorfman during an A.I. presentation. “It’s a real tool and I’m hoping to make it a better tool,” Dorfman told me in no uncertain terms. “It has become an everyday thing for me.” Dorfman’s […]
Follow-up to that "we're almost 100% broadband" post (which lets me write "information superhighway" for the first time in years) - Granite Geek
The news that New Hampshire is very close to 100% broadband penetration marks the culmination of decades of government and private investment to spread online connections throughout the state, work that goes back to the days of dial-up modems. However, uncertainty about the Trump administration’s plans to hold back pre-approved funding means the next steps […]
NH patents through Sept. 18 - Granite Geek
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 Sept. 28. *** Reciprocating Diaphragm Pumps for Blood Treatment Systems and Methods DEKA PRODUCTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, Manchester, New Hampshire has been assigned a patent […]
Vt. electric plane company gets orders from Alaska - Granite Geek
Cleantechnica reporter (here) that “Alaskan cargo airline Ryan Air in Alaska (not the same Ryanair Europeans are familiar with) has placed an order for a BETA Technologies Alia electric plane and committed to install up to ten of BETA’s Charge Cube charging stations. The electric aircraft will be used in the remote regions.” BETA Technologies […]
UNH instruments in space to safeguard impact of space weather - Granite Geek
Here’s a video from UNH on construction of IMAP-Lo From UNH News Service: After years in the making, instrumentation designed and built by researchers, engineers and students from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) blasted off on a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket is headed toward the […]
One in six New Hampshire workers were working from home in 2024 - Granite Geek
The New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute has been doing some interesting studies about the state lately. This is from their most recent, concerning the way people get to work: About 16.0 percent, or 121,000 New Hampshire residents age 16 or over who were working in 2024, worked from home. This percentage has declined from the 19.3 percent recorded […]
Vermont cartoon college turns 20, still has to explain what 'graphic novels' are - Granite Geek
A slightly edited press release: This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS), a nationally recognized institution dedicated to the education and advancement of cartooning and graphic storytelling located in White River Junction, Vermont. “We live in challenging times and I’m grateful to be surrounded by so many creative and inspiring […]
It has hardly rained all summer, so why hasn't the Merrimack River run out of water? - Granite Geek
One of the tenets of journalism is that there are no stupid questions, so I guess I’m not embarrassed to ask this: Why hasn’t the Merrimack River run out of water? Think about it. We’ve had almost no rain for two months – this summer was officially the driest on record in New Hampshire – […]
Trump's anti-science crusade even messed with the Ig Nobel Awards - Granite Geek
I’ve attended more than a dozen Ig Nobel presentations down in Boston and you can’t imagine anything more light-heartened and goofy in an intellectual sort of way, as if a bunch of Gary Larsen cartoons taped to research lab doors came to life. But right now nothing is light-hearted in the world of science: “Amid […]
NH patents through Sept. 21 - Granite Geek
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 Sept. 21. *** Lock Member DEKA PRODUCTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, Manchester, New Hampshire has been assigned a design patent (No. US D1093118 S1, initially filed […]
Some in NH think more data centers would be good (spoiler: no) - Granite Geek
One of (too many, alas) discouraging developments in recent years is the advent of massive data centers sucking up electricity and making the energy transition that much harder, often doing nothing better than creating imaginary currency for speculators or using LLMs for silliness. New Hampshire has a few of them (there’s a map here) but […]
It's official: New Hampshire just had its driest summer on record (since 1895) - Granite Geek
As if you needed confirmation as you watch your lawn turn brown, the National Weather Service says the state just experienced the driest summer since records began in 1895, and also one of the hottest. During June, July and August the state received 7.5 inches of rain, a full 4.2 inches below the 131-year average […]
Can I get another post out of that Kearsarge plaque? Yes, I can - Granite Geek
At some point 154 years ago, an egregious act of vandalism occurred atop Mt. Kearsarge: Somebody took a chisel and made a 400-square-inch carving in the granite that’s still there today. Don’t be angry, however. Unlike most graffiti, that carving is unique and historic in a weird sort of way. Plus, I’m happy to report, […]
NH is thi-i-i-is close (thumb and finger almost touching) to 100% broadband - Granite Geek
In a perfect example of government investment paying dividends, New Hampshire is getting very close to being the first state with 100% broadband access, as Gov. Ayotte mentioned in a press conference Wednesday. The UNH Broadband Mapping service (here) claims 98.5% coverage (i.e., 98.5% of the state’s “address locations”, homes and businesses and government buildings, […]
Vermont looks favorably on 'balcony solar' - Granite Geek
VTDigger, the excellent independent news organization in Vermont, reports that a proposal bill would put Vermont in line to join Utah by allowing plug-in solar panels, a.k.a. “balcony solar.” Full story is here. The bill would propose removing current requirements like interconnection agreements with utilities and registration, as is currently required with solar installations. … […]
NH is thi-i-i-is close (thumb and finger almost touching) to 100% broadband - Granite Geek
In a perfect example of government investment paying dividends, New Hampshire is getting very close to being the first state with 100% broadband access, as Gov. Ayotte mentioned in a press conference Wednesday. The UNH Broadband Mapping service (here) claims 98.5% coverage (i.e., 98.5% of the state’s “address locations”, homes and businesses and government buildings, […]
Sun Day celebration this Sunday (of course), with new solar and used EVs - Granite Geek
To find a Sun Day celebration near you, check Third Act. Thanks to Tesla, which launched as a high-end performance car and still defines electric vehicles for many, people shopping for lower-priced cars don’t think of looking at EVs and especially don’t think of used EVs. Right? A Seacoast dealer that sells nothing but used […]
Vermont looks favorably on 'balcony solar' - Granite Geek
VTDigger, the excellent independent news organization in Vermont, reports that a proposal bill would put Vermont in line to join Utah by allowing plug-in solar panels, a.k.a. “balcony solar.” Full story is here. The bill would propose removing current requirements like interconnection agreements with utilities and registration, as is currently required with solar installations. … […]
If Tesla and Caterpillar had a love child ... - Granite Geek
When it comes to electric vehicles, it feels like our brains translate v-e-h-i-c-l-e as “car.” We shouldn’t. As they can tell you at Lancaster’s Transfer Station, removing an engine that spins by blowing up oxygenated aerosols and replacing them with one that spins from electricity makes sense even when not inside a four-door family mobile. […]
Per-capita emissions have fallen sharply here, thanks mostly to the near end of coal burning - Granite Geek
Per-capita emissions have fallen by 2/5 in New Hampshire over the past 20 years, better than the national average, according to estimates from the federal Energy Information Agency. (The report is here) Our biggest source of emissions is transportation, as is the case in the entire Northeast, because of reductions in emissions from electricity generation. […]
Gender imbalance threatens a New England alpine songbird - Granite Geek
Maine Public has a story (here it is) about efforts to save the Bicknell’s thrush, which nests in balsam fir trees on the alpine climate of the Northeast and winters down in the Caribbean. The population is declining about 4% a year, which is a lot. For reasons scientists don’t yet understand, there are a […]
NH patents through Sept. 14 - Granite Geek
(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 Sept. 14. *** Powered Helmet Accessory Rail With Slot Interface WILCOX INDUSTRIES CORP., Newington, New Hampshire has been assigned a patent (No. US 12408718 […]
All those dead ash trees are a danger to power lines - Granite Geek
Eversource, by far New Hampshire’s biggest electric utility, has begun a big problem to cut down dead and dying ash trees near power lines. The trees, of course, are being wiped out by the invasive insect emerald ash borer. From the press release: The work will require specialized equipment, including cranes, and coordination with local […]
Roads and wildlife don’t mix. Can anything help? - Granite Geek
Pretty much everybody who has ever driven in New Hampshire has accidentally hit and killed something at one time or another. Usually, the casualty is a chipmunk or squirrel or frog, but more than 1,000 people face a bigger problem every year because they hit a deer. Then, there’s the 60 or so who have […]
The financial advantage for towns of composting is highest in NH (except for Alaska & Maine) - Granite Geek
The composting firm Green Mountain Technologies has a site (OK, it’s an ad for themselves) listing what it says are average “tipping costs” – the cost to haul a ton of trash to a landfill – for every state. The three highest averages, and the only ones over $100 a ton: Alaska, Maine and New […]
NH patents through Sept. 7 - Granite Geek
(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 Sept. 7. Controlling Multiple Eversion-Based Actuators ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING, INC., Londonderry, New Hampshire has been assigned a patent (No. US 12404883 B2, initially filed […]
Pssst: There's no such thing as 'peak' leaf-peeping season - Granite Geek
August has disappeared, and thoughts are turning to leaf-peeping season, which means it is time for the annual New Hampshire tradition of everybody asking “Why are the trees changing color so early this year?” The answer is that they aren’t, mostly. Every year ,some trees begin changing leaves in late August, and every year, that […]
NH patents through Aug. 31 - Granite Geek
(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 Aug. 31. *** Toe Cap for Footwear TBL LICENSING LLC, Stratham, New Hampshire has been assigned a design patent (No. US D1090009 S1, initially […]