VAUDEVILLE AND MUSICALS
VAUDEVILLE COULD well be a metaphor for my career in magazines and academe, and maybe for yours too. There are two entertaining books that are fun to share. The first is No Applause—Just … Continue reading
NAVY-CURTISS NC-4
WHO FIRST flew the Atlantic? A quick answer is Charles Lindbergh. His stunning achievement on May 20-21, 1927, was the first solo flight from New York to Paris. But eight … Continue reading
FREEWHEELING 3-WHEELERS
WITH THE obvious exceptions of H.F.S Morgan’s trikes and the Messerschmitt KR200 Kabinenroller, many 3-wheel cars have been promoted by whackadoodles, not to say outright con artists. I offer two … Continue reading
EFFICIENT BULBS, BUT….
I CONTINUE to encounter neat tidbits in Science magazine, published weekly by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The 25 January 2013 issue has two related pieces on … Continue reading
NL EV?
AN OVAL plate with letters “NL” identifies a vehicle from the Netherlands. And, of course, EV suggests that a vehicle is electrified in some way, an HEV as in Hybrid … Continue reading
POWER PLAY
EVERY SO often, it’s good to think about basic physics and engineering matters such as torque, horsepower and, these days, their electrical equivalents. Being the internationalists we are, let’s discuss … Continue reading
POLITICS AND MOTORSPORTS
VLADIMIR PUTIN has been courting Bernie Ecclestone. The reason: The Russian president hopes to “encourage” the boss of Formula 1 to bring a Grand Prix to Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, next year. … Continue reading
BIG SHIP, BIG DATA
AN INTERESTING article by Thomas Laqueur, “Why Name a Ship After a Defeated Race?,” in the London Review of Books, 24 January 2013, discusses seven recent books on the RMS … Continue reading
BENOIT B. MANDELBROT
I’LL BET you never thought about fitting an infinite length onto something the size of a postage stamp. However, this is today’s topic, thanks to Benoit B. Mandelbrot, the Polish-born … Continue reading
AMÉDÉE GORDINI
THEY CALLED him le Sorcier—the Wizard—because Amédée Gordini performed sorcery in engine tuning. He worked magic as well in contesting Grands Prix and endurance racing in the 1950s against the … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 