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

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

A HUNGER (AND LUST) FOR WORDS

MY LATEST HISTORY EXTRA (USTA BE BBC HISTORY) has “Eat, Drink and Be Merry,” by historian Sam Bilton, who certainly knows her way around Elizabethan times and kitchens: “Shakespeare’s works,” … Continue reading

April 28, 2026 · Leave a comment

RFK JR.—THE NEXT ONE OUTTA HERE!    PART 2

TRUMP’S CABINET RIGHTLY DESERVES the resignations and firings it has been experiencing. Yesterday’s Part 1 began the theme of Next One Outta Here! Evidence confirming this continues here in Part … Continue reading

April 27, 2026 · 2 Comments

RFK JR.—THE NEXT ONE OUTTA HERE!    PART 1

BACK IN NOVEMBER 2024, I WAS ASTOUNDED AND DISMAYED when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was named to be in charge of public health: “darkly satirical given his brain-worm, whale-head, bear-corpse, … Continue reading

April 26, 2026 · 3 Comments

PERUSING AUTOMOTIVE NEWS    PART 2

YESTERDAY WE STARTED CATCHING UP WITH TIDBITS from recent numbers of Automotive News. We continue here in Part 2 with topics range from Jaguar’s Formula E success, to Mercedes’ commitment … Continue reading

April 25, 2026 · Leave a comment

PERUSING AUTOMOTIVE NEWS    PART 1

THESE DAYS I CONTINUE TO DELIGHT IN PERUSING AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, the industry’s authoritative journal, especially its articles addressing matters beyond the realm of NPR or The New York Times. This … Continue reading

April 24, 2026 · 1 Comment

SAY THAT AGAIN    PART 2

JASON VANRULER ENCOURAGED ALL THIS with his article Discovering Your Communication Type: The 5 Paths to Deeper Connections and Stronger Relationships. Here in Part 2, his PATHS acronym is expanded … Continue reading

April 23, 2026 · 3 Comments