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

HORTUS DELICIARUM—THE GARDEN OF DELIGHTS

MY RECENT TREATISE ON PRETZELS got me consulting The Authorized King James Version of the Bible. Prompting of this biblical research was straightforward: Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus enjoying a … Continue reading

May 12, 2026 · Leave a comment

D.J. SIMS GOT THINGS RIGHT, SORTA

IT WAS MORE THAN A HALF-CENTURY AGO (AGG!?) that a math professor at the College of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas submitted a freelance piece to R&T.  Image by … Continue reading

May 11, 2026 · 3 Comments

IN PRAISE OF THE COMMON    PART 2

THE THEME OF GENTLE CONVENTIONALITY echoes in our review of the British flick This Happy Breed. Its time capsule continues here in Part 2 as the Gibbons family settles in … Continue reading

May 10, 2026 · Leave a comment

IN PRAISE OF THE COMMON       PART 1

BEING THE ANGLOPHILE I AM—SHAKESPEARE, MARLOWE, Morgans, Dellows, and White Stilton with Apricots—I was attracted to Turner Classic Movies’ recent showing of This Happy Breed.  This Happy Breed, based on … Continue reading

May 9, 2026 · Leave a comment

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