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

Author Archives: simanaitissays

APPRECIATING MATERIALS

LEARNING THAT NOTRE DAME RESTORATION was featuring medieval craftsmanship prompted pal and regular reader Bob Storck to share a similar tale from a classic barn raising: “I learned,” he wrote, … Continue reading

June 7, 2023 · Leave a comment

A.I. GIGO

IT’S A TIME-HONORED TRADITION of computer programming: Garbage In/Garbage Out. And, all its hallucinations included, modern Artificial Intelligence is nothing more than high-falutin computer programming. Here are tidbits on recent … Continue reading

June 6, 2023 · 2 Comments

ROCKING WALLS MAY SURVIVE THE BIG ONE

AS REPORTED IN The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 9, 2023, Gary Robbins writes, “10-story Tower Survives Fake Earthquake in Possible Boon for Tall Wood Structures.” UCSD’s Large-scale Shaker Table. The … Continue reading

June 5, 2023 · 5 Comments

FLYING ENZED

“AIR NZ NAMED AIRLINE OF THE YEAR FOR 2023,” says AirlineRatings.com, as reported by Francesca Street at CNN Travel, May 30, 2023. She writes, “Its economy lie-flat seating concept is making … Continue reading

June 4, 2023 · 8 Comments

RESTORATION—IN MEDIEVAL STYLE

A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF RESTORATION: Jeffrey Schaeffer reports in AP News, May 30, 2023, “If time travel was possible, medieval carpenters would surely be amazed to see how woodworking techniques … Continue reading

June 3, 2023 · 4 Comments

PITY THE AUSTIN A-30

AN ASTOUNDING DESIGN LEAP in automobile design occurred in Britain between the 1954 Austin A-30 and the 1959 Morris 850, aka the Mini. Whereas the Mini was innovative in so … Continue reading

June 2, 2023 · 1 Comment

MORETTI—AN ETCETERINA OF NOTE

ETCETERINI ARE DIMINUTIVE Italian sports cars, typically snarly Fiat-propelled and charming. I’ve never heard the singular of this Italian noun. But I assume, like macchina, it’s feminine. Thus, perhaps, “etceterina” … Continue reading

June 1, 2023 · 6 Comments

AMERICA WANTED A SMALL CAR? THE 1954 NASH METROPOLITAN DELIVERED

“THIS, THE NASH COMPANY ASSURES US,” R&T WROTE IN MAY 1954, “is what the public asked for…. Well, let’s see what the public wanted.”  “First,” R&T said, “the public wanted … Continue reading

May 31, 2023 · 3 Comments

CORONATION TIDBITS

MOST APPROPRIATELY, THE MAY 2023 ISSUE of BBC History featured Tracy Borman’s “How (and How Not) to Stage a Coronation.” Here are my favorites, together with a Papal tale topping … Continue reading

May 30, 2023 · Leave a comment

OL’ BLUE-EYES, JACK BENNY, ME, AND THOSE SIMILARLY ENDOWED

GEE, I NEVER REALIZED how rare blue eyes are. We make up only eight percent of the world’s population, according to AucklandEye. Here are other tidbits gleaned from this source, … Continue reading

May 29, 2023 · 2 Comments