OPERA GOSSIP
IT’S TIME to approach once more the “razor edge of absurdity” that constitutes opera. This time around, I’m tapping an entertaining book, Opera Anecdotes by Ethan Mordden, and other gossip … Continue reading
De HAVILLAND DRAGON RAPIDE
THE DRAGON Rapide may well be my favorite aeroplane. And of Dragon Rapides and their World War II Dominie siblings, my favorite livery is that of G-ADDD, an aircraft of … Continue reading
JASPER FFORDE’S WORLD
I’M DELIGHTED to share the alternative world of author Jasper Fforde and his Thursday Next series, from The Eyre Affair to the one I’m reading now, One of our Thursdays … Continue reading
U.S. AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION—WWII
A MOTIVATED workforce, techniques of mass production—and even some topographical deception—played important roles in U.S. aircraft production during World War II. In Picture History of World War II American Aircraft … Continue reading
HENRY FORD LORE
WHAT WITH his putting America on wheels, paying his workers enough to aspire to those wheels (albeit controlling the workers’ private lives as well), being strongly anti-war, but also notoriously … Continue reading
ALTERNATIVE FUEL GAME PLAN
SAE INTERNATIONAL has published a Technology Profile, Future Automotive Fuels and Energy, by Bruce Morey. A brief summary of it appeared in SAE’s magazine, Automotive Engineering International, October 1, 2013. … Continue reading
BEETLE BITS
A GOOD number of us have recollections of the original Volkswagen Beetle, and a recent piece in the London Review of Books, September 12, 2013, caught my eye. The article, … Continue reading
BLOOD GOLD
THE TERM “blood diamonds” denotes the dark side of mining these precious gems, possibly in war zones, possibly financing insurgencies or warlord activities. We can add the term “blood gold” … Continue reading
VANWALL RACE CARS
ENGLISHMAN TONY Vandervell’s business was producing bearings in Acton, West London, but his passion was international Formula One racing. By 1959, when Tony’s health precluded his running these two activities, … Continue reading
ACE OF ACES
AIR COMBAT simulations are fun. Here’s a classic approach that doesn’t require the Internet, or a computer, or even electricity. The Ace of Aces: WWI Air Combat Game series is … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 