THE GLEN, 1948
THERE WAS A time when Watkins Glen was known primarily for its salt mines. It was the home of Watkins Salt Company, a major player in salt production in the … Continue reading
A CLASSICAL VACATION—THE SUMMER OF ’93
SPILLVILLE, IOWA, in the state’s northeast corner, has never had a population exceeding 415. In the 2010 census, there were 367 people in 168 households. And, back in the summer … Continue reading
WHO WAS THAT LADY I’LL SEE YOU WITH?
ENGLISH NOVELIST Jane Austen, Scottish astronomer Mary Somerville and an as-yet unnamed American woman of historical significance will soon be portrayed on their respective countries’ paper currency. They join an elite … Continue reading
CAUDRON G.3 TECHNICALITIES
I UNDERRATED technical nuances of René Caudron’s G.3, the aeroplane flown by Frenchwoman Adrienne Bolland in her 1921 conquest of the Andes. Describing the G.3, I termed it “of the … Continue reading
ON THINKING (TO ONE’S SELF)
THE BEAUTY of English is its clarity. Some languages can be ambiguous, encouraging interpretation, nuances, not to say differences of understanding, between speaker and listener. But not English, when properly spoken. … Continue reading
WHERE ARE SELF-DRIVING CARS HEADED?
IF SELF-DRIVING CARS are to be common on U.S. streets by 2020, many crucial decisions are still to be made. Even the basic concept isn’t clear: Google’s goal, for example, … Continue reading
CHINA’S FAST TELESCOPE TO ENHANCE MANKIND’S LISTENING
CHINA IS well along in constructing the world’s largest radio telescope, scheduled to be completed in September 2016. Known as FAST, for 500-meter aperture spherical telescope, the project is making … Continue reading
SAY AGAIN, PLEASE, SYNTHETICALLY IF YOU LIKE
AMONG VOICES I might recognize are those of HAL 9000, Siri, Stephen Hawking, our Honda’s nav system, IBM “Jeopardy!” Watson and the Tokyo Subway’s Elmer Fudd. All are examples of … Continue reading
AIDA AND THE CANAL? THE COBBLESTONES OF SUEZ ONCE TROD BY OTHELLO?
EGYPT HAS rich operatic history, but not without misunderstanding, myth and surmise. It has been said that Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida was commissioned to celebrate the grand opening of Cairo’s Khedivial … Continue reading
CHINA’S EV MARKET
WHAT WITH gasoline prices at historic lows, BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) and HEVs (Hybrid EVs) have been glued to U.S. showroom floors. Not so in China, though. A series of … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 