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: May, 2023

BALTO AND KENWOOD—HERO OF NOME, GODDOG OF INNES IRELAND, RESPECTIVELY

“IN 1925,” ELIZABETH PENNISI RECOUNTS IN AAAS Science, April 27, 2023, “a sled dog named Balto made headlines around the world when he braved fierce winds, a raging blizzard, and … Continue reading

May 8, 2023 · Leave a comment

WOMEN IN THE CRUSADES

A TYPICAL IMAGE OF CRUSADING WOMEN has them as suffragettes or wielding hatchets against Demon Rum. But Barbara Newman writes of “Cauldrons for Helmets” in London Review of Books, April … Continue reading

May 7, 2023 · Leave a comment

HURRAH FOR BUTTONS!

I TAKE ERASMUS-LIKE SATISFACTION in reading David Zipper’s “The Glorious Return of a Humble Car Feature” in Slate, April 26, 2023. Indeed, it was way back on August 31, 2012, … Continue reading

May 6, 2023 · 5 Comments

TUDOR KIDS HAVING FUN

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY: KIDS of the Tudor era didn’t have to contend with Shakespeare. Unless their parents brought them along as Globe Theatre groundlings. Indeed, the April 2023 … Continue reading

May 5, 2023 · Leave a comment

SIR PAUL’S STAGE DESIGNS

NO SURPRISE, THERE’S A LIVERPOOL BEATLES MUSEUM. In its three levels, the museum contains more than 1000 bits of Beatlemania. A surprise, though, is to find an example of little … Continue reading

May 4, 2023 · 1 Comment

ON CHATBOTS AND OTHER HALLUCINATORS

KNOWING JUST A TAD ABOUT LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS, I’m not surprised that they occasionally “hallucinate.” That is, spout out erroneous stuff. I’ve known other B.S. artists all my life. Here … Continue reading

May 3, 2023 · Leave a comment

THE LIMOS’ DEMISE, BUT….

“ONCE THE SYMBOL OF AFFLUENCE, the stretch limo has largely fallen out of favor…,” writes Jesus Jiménez in “The Long Demise of the Stretch Limo,” The New York Times, April … Continue reading

May 2, 2023 · Leave a comment

KATIE’S AEROPLANES—AND MINE

KATIE HOUNSOME IS A TALENTED ILLUSTRATOR with an evident love of classic aeroplanes. “My parents think it’s hilarious that I’m so retro,” she told Mick Walsh in Classic & Sports … Continue reading

May 1, 2023 · 5 Comments