GIBRALTAR NEWS
GIBRALTAR HAS been in the news of late. And, with no modesty on my part, I admit this has nothing to do with my recent item on Peter Ustinov and … Continue reading
FORD MODEL T LORE
JOHN STEINBECK said it best in his book, Cannery Row. “Someone should write an erudite essay on the moral, physical, and esthetic effect of the Model T Ford on the … Continue reading
FROM POND SCUM TO RICHES
THE IDEA of turning algae, a smart version of pond scum, into automotive fuel is a tantalizing one. In its production of synthetic hydrocarbons, the process can use non-arable land … Continue reading
SAVOIA-MARCHETTI SM.55X
A WINGED armada of 24 Savoia-Marchetti SM.55X flying boats transported Italo Balbo and his 96 colleagues in their mass flight from Orbetello, Italy, to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair (www.wp.me/p2ETap-1q1). One … Continue reading
ITALO BALBO’S CHICAGO VISIT
IMAGINE THE sight in Chicago at 5:45 p.m., July 15, 1933: To the east over Lake Michigan, an airplane comes into view, then another two droning just aft of its … Continue reading
WEEKENDS IN MONTEREY
AT ONE time or another, the most interesting cars in the world show up on the Monterey Peninsula. Given that the 2013 Monterey Weekend is taking place at the moment … Continue reading
WHY ANIMALS LINK UP
HUMANS AND some other mammals practice social monogamy; one guy, one gal, more or less for life. Researchers have done lots of work seeking clues about the evolutionary benefits of … Continue reading
MG C-TYPE, 1931
THE MOTORING moniker “C-Type” usually conjures an image of a 1950’s Jaguar competition car, successful in endurance racing. But two decades before this, other C-Types—these, MGs—made a name for themselves … Continue reading
A YEAR IN REVIEW
THIS MINI-ESSAY appears precisely one year after the first of SimanaitisSays. As such, it’s devoted to a review of the past year’s activities, the highs, the lows… no, let’s leave … Continue reading
ADAPTIVE OPTICS FROM THE PERSEIDS
ASTRONOMERS CAN benefit from air pollution—provided it’s cleverly exploited in what’s called “adaptive optics.” The topic is most appropriate at this time, as we’re at the high point of the … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 