FORMULA ONE—A 1961 STATE OF THE ART
THE 1961 LOTUS F1 car lacks the Wagnerian force of the Grand Prix Silver Arrows of the late 1930s. Its Philip Glass-like minimalism contrasts with Formula One’s recent hypercomplexity. Sixty … Continue reading
PARIS OUT OF HAND
YOU’D SUSPECT THAT, despite its Baedeker’s-like red cover, Karen Elizabeth Gordon’s Paris Out of Hand is not your ordinary guidebook. For one thing, the Eiffel Tower is upside down. For … Continue reading
HENRI’S LIMO PART 3
PIONEER AIRCRAFT MODELS are fun to build on the computer. Not just sleek shiny tubes, they have everything hanging out to admire. My rendering of Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe’s … Continue reading
HENRI’S LIMO PART 2
YESTERDAY WE MET Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe, “the Oil King of Europe” and pioneer aviation enthusiast. Today we learn of his commissioning Louis Blériot to build a flying limousine—in … Continue reading
HENRI’S LIMO PART 1
HENRI DEUTSCH DE LA MEURTHE was a French John D. Rockefeller, “the Oil King of Europe.” What’s more, Henri’s oil was second-generation, in more ways than one. And whereas Rockefeller’s … Continue reading
GETTING SCREWED—HISTORICALLY
NOW THAT I have your attention, let’s talk about the historical standardization of fasteners: nuts, bolts, and screws. Today’s tidbits include a gunboat rush order, a Cadillac exhibition, and which … Continue reading
POSTWAR ARCHITECTURE: SPECIALISTS’ VIEWS
T, THE NEW YORK TIMES Style Magazine is published with the NYT Sunday edition and recently ran “The 25 Most Significant Works of Postwar Architecture.” Kurt Soller and Michael Snyder … Continue reading
IS THERE AN ALCHEMIST IN THE HOUSE?
ALCHEMY WAS MORE than changing base metals into gold. Malcolm Gaskill reviews Jennifer M. Rambling’s The Experimental Fire: Inventing English Alchemy, 1300–1700 in the London Review of Books, July 15, … Continue reading
THAT’S A PARAPROSDOKIAN TO ME!
THE WEBSITE Inspiring Quotes is entertaining. Plus, I learned a new word from it, “paraprosdokian.” The word has a Greek etymology: παρά, para, “against,” and προσδοκία, prosdokia, “expectation.” Inspiring Quotes, … Continue reading
KOREAN TIDBITS, OLD AND NEW, GOOD AND BAD
MORE THAN 71 YEARS separate us from the outbreak of the Korean War, the subject of several of today’s tidbits. Another tidbit is as recent as The New York Times, … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 