Now that most of the snow has melted, we are entering the ugliest time of the year. It is no longer a crisp, white winter, but it is not yet a warm, green spring. We are no longer constrained by the cold and the dark, but we are dispirited to find that we can’t […]
Ugliest Time of the Year Read More »
On Saturday, the finalists in the 2025 Arctic Innovation Competition made their presentations to the judges and the awards were presented. Out of 155 entries, I placed fourth. All things considered, I am not upset. The people who placed ahead of me put in significantly more effort than I did. In one case, it looked
Have you ever tried to make it look as if you were tripping over a power cord? I suspect not. It is probably uncommon as a pastime. However, in case you are ever motivated to attempt it, here are some of my thoughts on the matter. Perhaps they will be of assistance. It is important
My apologies for the image quality. My camera was not conveniently available at the moment of interest so I used my cell phone. The two hares that visit my back yard have now changed color sufficiently for the difference to be seen even in a cell phone picture. The smaller of the two made a
The Hares Are Varying Read More »
The temperatures in the biomeiler pile are measured with thermocouples buried in several locations. Nine of them are found at three heights (1’, 2’, and 3’ above the ground) in the inner core, outer core, and mantle of the pile. The graph in today’s post shows the temperatures measured by thermocouples at 2’ height. These
March Experimental Results, part 2 Read More »
Some good news! I was selected as a finalist in the Arctic Innovation Competition. This week, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the ten semifinalists made Zoom presentations to the judges. My presentation went well enough that the judges selected me as one of the four finalists. Now I have a chance to compete for the
The graph shows the temperature in the chicken coop, the temperature of the air in the vent pipe coming from the biomeiler, and the temperature of the outdoor air. The electrical energy usage is shown for any days when the electric heater was used. The scale is the same, but the units are in kWh.
March Experimental Results Read More »
This view caught my eye when I was at the library to pick up our youngest offspring. The side door has a standing seam roof over it. Now that warmer temperatures are upon us, the snow is sliding down the roof and getting sliced by the roofing seams as it passes the edge. To me,
Tattered Snow and New Visitor Read More »
Yesterday, I received word that my entry to the Arctic Innovation Competition has been selected for the semifinals. That was good news! I have a little time to prepare a slide set and video for use in the next levels of the competition. There can be 10 slides in the presentation and the video can
Earlier today, this fellow was nibbling one of the willow trees near the driveway to our field, across the street. He is a young bull, probably only 4.5’ tall at the shoulder. In the early evening, I noticed he made a wallow in the snow near the pen where the laying hens spend the summer.