Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK IN THE CRETACEOUS SEA      PART 2

YESTERDAY, WE LEARNED FROM AAAS SCIENCE THAT THE CRETACEOUS SEA contained cephalopods of unprecedented size. Sources for this are Phie Jacobs’ “Octopus ‘Krakens’ as Large as Semi-Trucks Stalked Ancient Seas,” … Continue reading

May 8, 2026 · Leave a comment

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK IN THE CRETACEOUS SEA….   PART 1

AAAS SCIENCE TELLS US ABOUT NANIOUTEUTHUS haggarti: “the largest invertebrate ever described,” an octopus that makes even the sea-monster krakens of legend seem playful.  What’s more, the 23 April 2026 … Continue reading

May 7, 2026 · Leave a comment

PUMPING URANIUM?

QUENTIN SEPTER EXPRESSES “DEEP UNEASE” in AAAS Science, April 23, 2026: “A push to expand mines that use fluids to extract uranium from aquifers is raising concerns about groundwater pollution.” … Continue reading

May 6, 2026 · 1 Comment

A LENTEN WORKAROUND—AND A BREAKFAST TREAT   PART 2

YESTERDAY SARAH PRUITT HELPED US CATCH UP WITH NATIONAL PRETZEL DAY by way of her “The Pretzel: A Twisted History.” Today in Part 2, we continue with the theoretical side … Continue reading

May 5, 2026 · 2 Comments

A LENTEN WORKAROUND—AND A BREAKFAST TREAT   PART 1

I MISSED NATIONAL PRETZEL DAY (APRL 26), though in a sense I celebrate it daily. Sarah Pruitt gave details in “The Pretzel: A Twisted History,” History, May 27, 2025. Here, … Continue reading

May 4, 2026 · 1 Comment

TESLA PROFIT-SHIFTING SHEDS SOME $400M IN U.S. TAXES

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, APRIL 27, 2026, SHARES A REUTERS REPORT “Offshore Tax Tricks Likely Saved Tesla Millions,” This, despite Elon Musk saying back in 2024 when campaigning for Trump, “I’m often … Continue reading

May 3, 2026 · 1 Comment

COLOR—PHILOSOPHICALLY

DEIDRE MASK’S “DOES THIS COME IN PINK MARGARINE? A SURPRISING HISTORY OF COLOR NAMES” caught my eye in The New York Times Book Review, April 26, 2026. In fact, her … Continue reading

May 2, 2026 · Leave a comment

NICE WORK IF A.I. CAN GET IT

I HAD AN ADVENTURE WITH A.I. after enjoying (for the second time) A Damsel in Distress, a 1937 flick starring Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Joan Fontaine. Based … Continue reading

May 1, 2026 · Leave a comment

FROM MOTHER EARTH TO YOUR CAR’S TANK; SLEUTHING ADDED    PART 2

MOLLY BOIGON GOT US OFF TO A GOOD START with her “Fluctuating Fuel Costs: How Refiners, Retailers and Regulators Set the Price at the Pump.” We continue today in Part … Continue reading

April 30, 2026 · 4 Comments

FROM MOTHER EARTH TO YOUR CAR’S TANK; SLEUTHING ADDED PART 1

IT’S QUITE THE COMPLEX TRIP from Mother Earth’s petroleum resources to the fuel tank of your car, the diesel truck delivering your goods, or the airliner transporting you one place … Continue reading

April 29, 2026 · 2 Comments