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

CHATTING ABOUT CHATGPT AND OTHER A.I. PART 2

YESTERDAY, The New York Times offered several viewpoints about ChatGPT, Generative Pre-trained Transformer capabilities (and its potential threats). Today in Part 2, AAAS Science offers insights. And a previously unknown … Continue reading

February 5, 2023 · Leave a comment

CHATTING ABOUT CHATGPT AND OTHER A.I. PART 1

CHATGPT, AS IN Generative Pre-trained Transformer, has been much in the news. Maureen Dowd has written about it in The New York Times, January 28, 2023. In a full-page ad … Continue reading

February 4, 2023 · 3 Comments

LINCOLN CONTINENTALS—APPARENTLY SIZE MATTERED

DOMESTIC AUTOMOBILES OF THE 1950s grew and grew… and grew. The Lincoln Continental is an interesting example, especially because it had appeared in R&T, indeed even once as a cover … Continue reading

February 3, 2023 · 1 Comment

UNIVERSAL DESIGN REDUX

“RESTORING A HOUSE FOR EVERY BODY,” by Penelope Green, The New  York Times, January 29, 2023, rekindled my interest in “Universal Design,” as described in SimanaitisSays back in 2014.  Penelope … Continue reading

February 2, 2023 · 1 Comment

EVEREST, THE QUEEN, AND A CODED MESSAGE BY RUNNER

ONE OF THE FIRST ROYAL ACTIONS of the coronated Queen Elizabeth II was to knight Edmund Hillary for the conquest of Mt. Everest. In fact, loudspeakers announced the conquest to … Continue reading

February 1, 2023 · 1 Comment

THE POWER OF WORDS AND CLAY PART 2

AN INVITATION TO THE 78th Scripps College Ceramic Annual got me interested in the article “Speaking Volumes: Pottery and Word,” by ceramicist Paul Mathieu. Today in Part 2, Mathieu discusses … Continue reading

January 31, 2023 · 1 Comment

THE POWER OF WORDS AND CLAY PART 1

A NEAT POSTCARD ANNOUNCES the 78th Scripps College Ceramic Annual at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery in Claremont, California. Bless their hearts; the Gallery has me on its mailing since … Continue reading

January 30, 2023 · Leave a comment

VICTORIAN THOUGHT AND SCIENCE

HOW THE VICTORIANS TOOK US To The Moon is Iwan Rhys Morus’s new book reviewed in Science, January 20, 2023. Both the book and its review by Bernard Lightman are … Continue reading

January 29, 2023 · Leave a comment

VINTAGE CAR ART

INTRODUCING VINTAGE CAR ART in R&T August 1958, the magazine observed, “To the dyed-in-the-wool enthusiast for the marque Aston Martin, no other make is even worthy of a second glance. … Continue reading

January 28, 2023 · Leave a comment

LRB LETTERS—A READER’S PLEASURE

LETTERS TO THE LONDON REVIEW of Books are no less insightful and erudite than the editorial matter of this wonderfully British publication. Here are tidbits gleaned from LRB, January 19, … Continue reading

January 27, 2023 · Leave a comment