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

I REALLY LIKE THAT SONG TOO, FROGGIE

HERE’S A TANTALIZING TITLE FOR A TECHNICAL PAPER: “Humans Share Acoustic Preferences With Other Animals,” by Logan S. James et al., AAAS Science, March 19, 2026. Science editor Sacha Vignieri … Continue reading

April 12, 2026 · Leave a comment

A CALIFORNIAN MINX

ANOTHER REASON WHY THE BRIT CLASSIC & SPORTS CAR is my favorite car magazine: Senior Contributor Martin Buckley has a marvelous way with words in describing something of a Time … Continue reading

April 11, 2026 · 3 Comments

HURRAH FOR RENEWABLES     PART 2

YESTERDAY Susanna Twidale celebrated renewables approaching the halfway point of global resources. Today in Part 2 we continue with a significant renewable not cited in her report.  How About Hydro? … Continue reading

April 10, 2026 · 2 Comments

HURRAH FOR RENEWABLES     PART 1

IN A WORLD BESET WITH AN UNJUSTIFIED (AND LIKELY ILLEGAL) MIDDLE EAST WAR, it’s encouraging that Susanna Twidale reports “Renewables Grew to Almost 50 Percent of Global Electricity Capacity in … Continue reading

April 9, 2026 · 1 Comment

USED CAR ADS—ROAD AND TRACK 1949-1950   PART 2

YESTERDAY THIS BEGAN WITH digging into used car ads in what used to be called Road and Track. Several neat cars surfaced, including a Speedway/Sprint car and another offered by … Continue reading

April 8, 2026 · 2 Comments

USED CAR ADS—ROAD AND TRACK 1949-1950   PART 1

TALK ABOUT A FASCINATING WISH LIST! In the early days of Road and Track (the “&” didn’t appear until 1954), there were several means of advertising used cars. Here are … Continue reading

April 7, 2026 · 1 Comment

A CHAT WITH CHRIS: “PUTTING THE HEART BACK IN TECHNOLOGY”

CHRIS BORRONI-BIRD HAS APPEARED SEVERAL TIMES here at SimanaitisSays: Along with Larry Burns and Bill Mitchell, he’s coauthor of my much-cited Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st … Continue reading

April 6, 2026 · 3 Comments

NO MORE INNIES NOR OUTIES??

SIMANAITISSAYS PRIDES ITSELF ON BEING CULTURALLY HEP. Note its recent analyses of “Kit Marlowe—an Elizabethan John le Carré,” “ ‘Poi Tristano,’ Jotted Puccini,” and “Liar, Liar, Middle East on Fire.” … Continue reading

April 5, 2026 · 6 Comments

THE JAPANESE HAVE A WORD FOR IT     PART 2

YESTERDAY, REBEKAH BRANDES’ NICE NEWS article got us started with Japanese words and phrases enriching our lives. Perhaps still in need of intellectual and emotion reparation, we continue today in … Continue reading

April 4, 2026 · Leave a comment

THE JAPANESE HAVE A WORD FOR IT     PART 1

I ENJOY READING NICE NEWS—a website that, as its name describes, celebrates the world’s joys. For example, Nice News’ Rebekah Brandes offers “From Ikigai to Wabi-Sabi: 8 Japanese Philosophies for … Continue reading

April 3, 2026 · Leave a comment