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

Monthly Archives: February, 2014

SCI-FI—OR IS IT CHILLINGLY NON-FI?

THERE’S A genre of science fiction that I enjoy, the near-term alternative-world variety. No alien invasions. No collisions of worlds. And no zombies, thank you. Just our own world gone … Continue reading →

February 14, 2014 · Leave a comment

AMERICAN HONDA TAKES TO THE AIR

THE HondaJet is one of the coolest Hondas in the world. With a little more than a decade in development, this light business jet is in its final stages of … Continue reading →

February 12, 2014 · Leave a comment

PITY THE SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETER

IT IS difficult to imagine a more nerve-wracking job than real-time translation. A person prattles on in one language while the audience wearing headphones awaits your interpretation in another. This … Continue reading →

February 11, 2014 · 3 Comments

THE ULTIMATE SLEDDING MACHINE

THIS TITLE sounds like a sister slogan of a Bavarian automaker, but it’s completely appropriate: BMW plays an important role in the U.S. Olympic Team’s two-man and two-woman bobsled competition … Continue reading →

February 9, 2014 · 1 Comment

PRIDDY FINE ART

AUTOMOBILE SPY photographers have been known for stealth, but not particularly for artistry. Brenda Priddy, however, is an exception. Her spy photo credits have appeared in prestigious magazines such as … Continue reading →

February 7, 2014 · Leave a comment

SOLID-STATE BATTERY UPDATE

TOYOTA HAS recently released data on its battery research, both for solid-state batteries expected during a 2020s’ timeframe as well as a next-generation lithium-air concept perhaps a decade beyond that. … Continue reading →

February 6, 2014 · Leave a comment

ABRAMS P-1 EXPLORER

EARLY AVIATOR Talbert “Ted” Abrams was the father of aerial photography. Not only did he perfect the genre into a measurement-oriented photogrammetry, he also established an aircraft manufacturing company to … Continue reading →

February 4, 2014 · 2 Comments

A ROYAL WAY WITH WORDS

OVER THE years, the English royals have been generally an entertaining lot. A book in my collection offers proof of this. Elizabeth Countess of Longford, 1906 – 2002, had a … Continue reading →

February 3, 2014 · Leave a comment