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

ART DECO, THE MET, THE POLISH BRIGADE, TRUMP TOWER AND TRUTH

RECENT NEWS OF possible demise of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting got me thinking about Bonwit Teller’s … Continue reading

February 23, 2017 · 1 Comment

RIDING ON THE RED? THE GREEN? JUST THE RODS?

HERE’S HOW TO know when you’re a hep-ghee (sophisticated individual) and counter the lamentable trend of 140-character missives, all through a study of English language usage from the 1950 Dictionary … Continue reading

February 22, 2017 · Leave a comment

BLACKBURN B.20: FLOATPLANE? FLYING BOAT?

HERE’S A DESIGN that looks particularly unorthodox, only, guess what, it does make sense. The Blackburn B.20, a British aircraft at the beginning of World War II, was a flying … Continue reading

February 21, 2017 · 1 Comment

HOLMES AND OUR PRESIDENTS

GIVEN THAT we’re bracketing the birthdays of two of our greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, what better time to celebrate presidential linkages with the world’s greatest consulting detective, … Continue reading

February 19, 2017 · Leave a comment

48 VOLTS? (YET AGAIN? OR DIFFERENT?)

AUTOMOBILES WITH 48-volt electrical systems are being seen in some markets as a near-term necessity. In other markets, the unsettled U.S., for example, it’s anyone’s guess. Automobiles with 48-volt electrical … Continue reading

February 18, 2017 · 2 Comments

CHEECH’S STASH

INVETERATE 17-YEAR-OLD that I am, I associate Cheech Marin with his stoner-hippie comedy partner Tommy Chong. And then in the 1990s he was Don Johnson’s partner in the Nash Bridges … Continue reading

February 17, 2017 · Leave a comment

HEY! YOU! GET OFF MY CLOUD!

PROFESSORS AT Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Vernam Group hacked Amazon Web Services, the Cloud computing business that earned Amazon more than $6 billion in 2015. Then, honest guys that WPI’s Thomas … Continue reading

February 16, 2017 · Leave a comment

PACIFIC OPERA PROJECT!

L’ELISIR D’AMORE, by Gaetano Donizetti, had its debut in Milan, Italy, in 1832. Yet this comedy of phoniness promoted by a charlatan of the highest order remains a grand operatic … Continue reading

February 15, 2017 · Leave a comment

MAKE TOMATOES GREAT AGAIN!

MODERN TOMATOES don’t taste as good as they did in the old days. Nor are today’s commercial varieties as tasty as their heirloom counterparts. How come? Is there any hope … Continue reading

February 13, 2017 · 2 Comments

MAKE LITHUANIA GREAT, AS USUAL

WHAT WITH recent executive hawking of an apparel brand tweeted and then promoted by an alternative-facted underling, I thought that perhaps my ancestral homeland might likewise profit from similar hype: … Continue reading

February 11, 2017 · 2 Comments