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: March, 2018

NYC: AC? DC? AC/DC?

SO I’M listening to a Nick Carter mystery on SiriusXM “Radio Classics” and he reveals a frame-up by recognizing an alternating-current clock at the scene of the crime, a New … Continue reading

March 10, 2018 · Leave a comment

GERMANY COUGHS ON ITS OWN DIESEL EXHAUST

A RECENT German Federal Administrative Court ruling complicates that country’s love affair with diesel cars. The decision gives German cities the power to ban vehicles, especially older diesels, from urban … Continue reading

March 9, 2018 · 1 Comment

A SHARP RIGHT, THEN SET ‘ER DOWN

THESE DAYS, most commercial aircraft landings are thankfully bereft of drama. A long, straight, and gentle descent. Even St. Thomas’s relatively short 7000-ft. runway comes after a gradual straight-as-an-arrow approach … Continue reading

March 8, 2018 · 11 Comments

AN OCTAGONAL MOVIE STAR

TO CAR enthusiasts, the name MG conjures up an image of a classic two-seat English roadster. The MG TC was the sports car that American servicemen brought home after World … Continue reading

March 7, 2018 · 3 Comments

STEVEN PINKER AND ENLIGHTENMENT

IT IS only appropriate to offer some optimism after yesterday’s SimanaitisSays item on Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 dark and wonderful Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love … Continue reading

March 5, 2018 · 1 Comment

AN HOMAGE TO DR. STRANGELOVE

THE FULL name of Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 political satire flick is Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. And I cannot imagine a more … Continue reading

March 4, 2018 · 2 Comments

HOLMES AND BARTITSU

HOW WELL did the world’s greatest consulting detective know Japanese gentle arts of self defense? Indeed, the nearest that Holmes ever got to Japan was during his hiatus that included … Continue reading

March 3, 2018 · Leave a comment

CORPORATIONS—THE GOOD AND THE BAD

A CORPORATION is a legally authorized entity formed to pursue a particular goal. It might be manufacturing lightbulbs, selling firearms, or myriad other endeavors of modern civilization. Two things recently … Continue reading

March 2, 2018 · 1 Comment

HAPPY 50TH, ISIS IMPORTS! CONGRATULATIONS, BILL FINK!

THE ISIS, a river renowned for its rowing and punting, flows through the English town of Oxford. When American Bill Fink was a student at Keble College, University of Oxford, … Continue reading

March 1, 2018 · 19 Comments