SHAKESPEARE COUNTRY—1914 AND TODAY
I HAVE claimed that old guidebooks are useful for travel today. (See “Baedeker’s Handbooks for Travelers,” http://wp.me/p2ETap-ki.) What was worth seeing a century ago is still worthy of attention today, … Continue reading
SMUGGLING AND MOTORSPORTS
FULL DISCLOSURE: Here I do not mean mere smugglers, of drugs or whatever, who happened as well to participate in motorsports of one kind or another. Instead, I celebrate two … Continue reading
OPERA AND AVIATION
A RECENT mention of the John Adams opera Nixon in China (http://wp.me/p2ETap-2Rh) got me thinking of other links of aviation and opera. One of today’s links is a classic, two are … Continue reading
PRESIDENTS ALOFT
THE TALES of U.S. presidents in the air extend from a joy ride of Teddy Roosevelt to a flying date of Barak and Michelle Obama. In between, there are international … Continue reading
SUSHI GAME
寿司が大好きです! Sushi ga daisuki desu! I love sushi! This artful Japanese presentation of vinegared rice, seafood and other delicacies offers a variety of tastes; a sushi bar offers a congenial … Continue reading
BUGATTI RAILCARS
IT’S THE Great Depression, fabulous Royale luxury cars are glued to the Molsheim showroom floor, and there’s a surfeit of the Royale’s 12.76-liter six-cylinder powerplants. What is one to do? … Continue reading
PASSING A TURING TEST
CAN YOU outthink a 13-year-old Ukrainian kid? Or, more accurately, can you outthink an artificial intelligence, a chatbot, programmed to imitate him? This has become a cause célèbre, not without … Continue reading
FLATLAND—THE ANNOTATED VERSION
I WAS a mere lad when I first encountered the science-fiction fantasy Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Its multi-dimensional worlds amused me; but its 19th-century verbosity challenged my typical … Continue reading
RALPH MULFORD’S INDY 500 VICTORY
RALPH MULFORD’S performance at the 1911 Indy 500 was no less dramatic than his 1912 achievement (see http://wp.me/p2ETap-2PY for the latter). The 1911 event is also rather more controversial. In fact, this … Continue reading
THE AMAZING TALE OF THE SLOWEST INDY FINISHER
THE SLOWEST driver credited with finishing the Indianapolis 500 might also have been credited with being the Indy 500’s first winner. Added to this is the paradox that he is … Continue reading
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