IS URBAN LIFE TOO HYGIENIC?
CHLDREN WHO grow up on dairy farms are considerably less likely to develop allergies or asthma than their urban counterparts. This finding, published in Science, September 4, 2015, offers new … Continue reading
CURTISS-WRIGHT CONDOR—AIRLINER, BOMBER, POLAR EXPLORER
I ADMIRE the pugnacious lines of the Curtiss-Wright Condor T-32, a biplane transport designed in 1932 that continued in service well into the 1950s. It carried Admiral Richard Byrd on … Continue reading
URBAN FLIGHTS OF FANCY, FRUGALITY AND SECURITY
BUILD UPWARD, not outward. This has been an architectural truism for centuries, but not always for the same reasons. My interest in this was piqued by learning of the Two … Continue reading
L’ITALIE PITTORESQUE, 1905
A LOVE of old travel books is based on my oft-repeated belief that anything that was worthy of a visit at the time of publication, even if 100 years ago, … Continue reading
FUN WITH CHEMISTRY—FIVE DECADES AGO
HOW TIMES change. Fun with Chemistry: Easy Experiments for Young People was originally published in 1944. A revised edition appeared in 1962, with additional printings up through 1973. However, were … Continue reading
CELEBRATING PENGUIN BOOKS
PENGUIN BOOKS is celebrating its eightieth anniversary, thus reminding me of the pleasure I’ve derived from these pocket-size, color-coded, modestly priced editions of literature. A Penguin celebration also appeared in … Continue reading
SANTA ANA DRAGS
PEOPLE FLYING into or out of Orange County, California, John Wayne Airport (SNA) may not realize it, but they’re sharing real estate with 1950s’ hot rodders. What’s more, hot rod … Continue reading
MOVING THE GOODS—BY AIR
IT DIDN’T take long for marketers to realize that aeroplanes could move the goods, in the advertising sense. Quite distinct from poster art of early aviation meets, another genre quickly … Continue reading
HELLO, CAN WE HEAR YOU NOW?
NASA’s RECENT announcement that there are signs of water on Mars is a long, long way from any chance that it has life as we know it. However, this news … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 