Sci-Tech

    While browsing an old book on birds, published originally in 1897 with several editions through 1916, my attention was caught by a full color plate of the scarlet tanager and I stopped to read the narrative.  The author laments that “the gorgeous coloring has been its snare and destruction.  The densest evergreens could not altogether hide this blazing target for the sportsman’s gun, too often fired at the instigation of city milliners…(it) is now only an infrequent splash on our country roads.”

In addition to drop-in hours and as-needed help, Brooks Library offers regular weekly and monthly technology support sessions. Appointments are available weekly on Mondays from 3-5 pm with Electronic Services Support Specialist Cal LaFountain.

Drop-in hours are available monthly with Reference Librarian Jeanne Walsh on the First Tuesday and Friday of every month. In addition to direct help from library staff, the library offers free online technology courses, from Computer Basics to advanced applications, via Universal Class, free with your library card.

David Bradbury, president of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET), will speak at the August meeting of Brattleboro Area Tech on Thursday, August 20. The meeting will take place in the Atrium of the Brooks House on Main Street in Brattleboro at 6:00 p.m.

Mr Bradbury will speak about the Vermont Seed Capital Fund and other financing opportunities available to new or growing technology companies in Vermont.

VCET assists technology oriented companies in a number of ways in addition to financing. Plus, it operates incubators for startups at two locations in Burlington and one in Middlebury.

Hi all,

Some of you might be aware that VBike is in the process of building up a fleet of human/electric-powered hybrid bikes and cargobikes to demonstrate the potential for these vehicles as super-efficient and enjoyable alternatives to automobiles in Vermont. A major focus of VBike is on reengaging our bodies, senses, and emotional connection to the landscape we inhabit. The bicycle is our vehicle for that.

We’re looking for local folks with some expertise in battery technology and electrical engineering to advise us and help with problem solving as we convert our vehicles to e-assist systems. If you have these skills or know of anyone that may fit this description who may be interested in this project, please email us at info@vbikesolutions.org.

Brattleboro Area Tech, a technology networking organization, will spend some time getting to know the Pioneer Valley at its next meeting on Thursday, June 18 at 5:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the Atrium of the Brooks House on Main Street, Brattleboro.

The featured guest will be Northampton’s Kelly Albrecht, founder of a number of IT businesses there, including the Left-click IT consulting firm and Last Call Media, a web development agency. He is also director of the NERD Summit, held each September in the Pioneer Valley.

Mr Albrecht will share his experience organizing technology groups in Massachusetts. His short presentation will be followed by much time for networking.

Unbeknownst to science until relatively recently, the ingredients for making the soup of life were brewed elsewhere, not here on Earth. In the beginning of our solar system this “third rock from the sun” was not yet claimed by all living things.It was barren and in upheaval, withstanding violent geologic forces that evolved from a gaseous formation which struggled to solidify itself. Of all the planetary ‘bodies’ in due course that locked into orbital patterns around the immense gravity of the sun, this crusty, molten body assumed a special place in its elliptical orbital radius around this new sun and its recent origin of a complement of planetary complexes.

We are stardust
Billion year old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devil’s bargain
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
~Joni Mitchell

Michelle Thaller: “How can you sum up human existence? It turns out it’s really pretty simple.

The Brattleboro Area Techies will meet May 21st, 5:30pm at the Estey Millworks Building in Brattleboro. The meeting will be at #118-201 Birge Street in Brattleboro.

Everyone is invited who works with, or is interested in, technology in the Brattleboro area, from makers to programmers to artists.

We’ll meet at Estey Millworks, a huge, mostly empty building behind the Estey Organ factory. This is one of the better options we’ve seen in town for a possible community makerspace. The building has three 4000 sq foot floors, power, heat, a spray booth, freight elevator, views, and a loading dock. Right now a two-person custom furniture company, esteymillwork.com, is the only tenant. They are interested in filling up the building somehow with other maker-type folk.

Brattleboro homeowners, business owners, landlords, and renters who are interested in going solar will now have even more incentive. Local nonprofits, solar companies, and a credit union are teaming up to launch Brattleboro Solar Summer, a program to assist residents in choosing locally generated solar power.

The campaign will run from May 1 – September 30, 2015, with the goal of increasing the overall number of solar electric installations and the total solar capacity in Brattleboro. The campaign aims to have at least 100 Brattleboro residents and businesses install solar arrays or purchase solar capacity from community solar arrays.

On March 2, 2015, the NRC Commissioners voted to allow VY to shrink it’s Emergency Panning Zone (EPZ) from 10 miles down to the site boundary in ~Arpil 2016. This will eliminate >2 milllion emergency planning dollars per year that Entergy currently provides to Vermont and will allow Entegy to futher reduce site staff at that time.

I haven’t seen an offical Vermont response yet.

The Federal Communications Commission voted today to regulate broadband under Title II of the Communications Act. In ordinary speak, this is Net Neutrality. It eliminates threats of a multi-tiered system, where certain bandwidth costs more than other bandwidth depending on what you want to access.

The actual rules will be published in the near future, but the impact is a good one for anyone who has, or is wanting to start, a site on the internet. Your site will remain as accessible as all others.

Library technology: All Your Questions Answered! Join Reference Librarian Jeanne Walsh on the first Tuesday (4 PM to 6 PM) and first Friday (11 AM to 1 PM) of the month for one-on-one help on the various aspects of library technology, such as downloading e-books and e-audio; accessing your library account to place holds, renew your items, suggest new titles for the collection, make lists of your favorite titles to share with your fellow library users.

Get help with online tasks like filling out forms and emailing attachments.…and more. NO QUESTIONS ARE TOO SMALL OR TOO SILLY! Bring your devices if you have them: iPads, smartphones, laptops, etc.

The next meeting of the Brattleboro Area Techies, the fast-growing networking group for tech users, will be on Thursday, February 19, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, at the office of Mondo Mediaworks in Brattleboro. Everyone who works with technology in the Brattleboro area, from programmers to designers to makers, is welcome.

Recent developments in shared working space in Brattleboro will be discussed, together with other topics. As is the habit, most of the meeting will be devoted to introductions and informal networking. Over 750 people have attended Brattleboro Area Techie meetings in the past few months.

Brattleboro Area Techies, the fast-growing networking group for technology users, will host its first meeting of 2015 on Thursday, January 22, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, at the office of Mondo Mediaworks in Brattleboro. Everyone who works with technology in the Brattleboro area, from programmers to designers to makers, is invited to attend. There is no cost.

Brattleboro Area Techies was formed as a networking group to bring technology people and makers together in an informal setting to discuss common issues and provide people with an excuse to get out from behind their computers.

There are many good reasons to cut back on oil consumption, and moving to self sufficiency, especially in terms of food, is wise, prudent and good. Global warming is one good reason, and preventing oil spills another. 

But knowing when a commodity such as oil is going to run out, is not hard, its impossible Here is an article on the current oil glut, which it predicted. More interestingly, it also explains why all models are weak predictors of this resource. 

The Brattleboro Area Techies group is doing a survey of folks who might be interested in a downtown Co-Working/Makerspace/Office Space

Go to .

We’ll keep it up until 2015!

According to this article, linked below, a relatively simple engineering advance has boosted solar cell efficiency up to about 40%. If true, this really would make a big difference in the cost of solar. A BIG difference. Cross your fingers.

Rolf

The holiday meeting of Brattleboro Area Techies will be held on December 4, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, at the office of Mondo Mediaworks in Brattleboro. All people who work with technology in the Brattleboro area are invited to attend. There is no cost.

Brattleboro Area Techies was formed as an networking group to bring technology people and makers together in an informal setting to discuss common issues and provide people with an excuse to get out from behind their computers.

Brattleboro Area Techies, a new Windham Country group, will hold its first meeting on Thursday, October 16 at Fireworks Restaurant in Brattleboro. The new group is designed to facilitate networking among the area’s many high tech workers who are all too often locked in an office behind a computer.

The group is intended to include designers, makers, educators, programmers, freelancers, videographers, artists, consultants and business people who work in these fields. The first meeting will be informal and give everyone who attends the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work. This will be followed by time for relaxed networking.

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast                                            

July 25, 2014, Gibson-Aiken Center

Climate Change: Should we be Fearful? Or Hopeful?
George Harvey, General Factotum for the  blogging at   one of 

George Harvey was introduced and asked to react to a news  recently quoted in his blog that “No state has done more than California to fight global warming. But a deepening drought could make that battle more difficult and more expensive.” He stated that his pessimism around climate change is based on its effects on nature. Species are going out of existence at the rate of 200 per year and with the increase in global warming that increase in extinction rate is moving from one species every 40 hours to one every ten minutes to one every 50 seconds.