DINING WITH HOLMES
ONE OF the best titles of Sherlockiana is “Alimentary, My Dear Watson,” John Bennett Shaw’s study of the Canon’s meals, published in the Baker Street Journal, 1947, 2. In it, … Continue reading
DAMN THE CO2, MOVE THE METAL!
WHAT WITH German luxury and high-performance automobiles not exactly prized for their frugality—and the European market currently in the dumps—the German government has persuaded the European Commission to ease its … Continue reading
GOOD-BYE, TRIB—AND THANKS
ON OCTOBER 14, 2013, The International Herald Tribune, the Trib, for short, changed its name to The International New York Times. It wasn’t the first name change, but it’s fun … Continue reading
MINI HYDROFOILS
THE 2013 America’s Cup news coverage introduced me to super-advanced hydrofoil racing boats. The races were won by Oracle Team USA over Emirates Team New Zealand. See the organizer’s official … Continue reading
VOLVO + DIMETHYL ETHER
ONE OF the most promising sustainable fuels is appearing first in heavy trucks. Volvo believes it has found a winner in DME, dimethyl ether. Among DME benefits are simple conversion … Continue reading
SCIENCE WITH OPEN ACCESS
THE OCTOBER 4, 2013, issue of Science magazine, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, has a Special Section on Communication in Science. There are aspects galore, … Continue reading
DUNNE FLYING WINGS
WE’D CALL them “flying wings,” but the first of their type were termed “tailless aeroplanes.” British Lieutenant John William Dunne, ex-His Majesty’s Wiltshire Regiment, experimented with a tailless glider in … Continue reading
ESCAPE FROM THE AMAZON!
SERENDIPITY SEEMS to occur whenever I search for a particular book—and find another that I completely forgot I had. So it is with the wonderful humor of Alex Atkinson and … Continue reading
IMERO FIORENTINO, EXPERT OF LIGHT
WHEN I was in high school, my ambition was to design theater set lighting. Then someone told me that perhaps six people in the entire world specialized in this and … Continue reading
HARRY A. FRANCK: PRINCE OF VAGABONDS
IF ANYONE ever earned the title “Prince of Vagabonds,” it was Harry A. Franck. A trip around the world sans cash? Sure. Through Germany immediately after World War I? Yep. … Continue reading
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