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

SCHNEIDER TROPHY, PART 2

WHEN LAST we visited the Schneider Trophy seaplane races (virtually yesterday, http://www.wp.me/p2ETap-1ct), the Italians had choice of venue for the 1920 event, the fourth of an eventual 11 competitions. They … Continue reading

June 16, 2013 · Leave a comment

SCHNEIDER TROPHY, PART 1

THERE’S A rich history documenting the Schneider Trophy, seaplane races held 11 times between 1913 and 1931. It began in Monaco and was to end—somewhat ignominiously—off the Isle of Wight, … Continue reading

June 15, 2013 · 1 Comment

CONNECTED CARS?

I SENSE that I may be preaching to the (car enthusiast) choir here, but haven’t we had enough with cars connected to social networks and the like? Automakers seem to … Continue reading

June 14, 2013 · 1 Comment

ROARING TWENTIES

IT’S NO wonder the 1920s acquired the name Roaring Twenties. It’s certainly warranted from an economic point of view. A recent piece, “The Myth of Gatsby’s Suffering Middle Class,” by … Continue reading

June 13, 2013 · Leave a comment

MARIENPLATZ

ONE OF my favorite European cities is Munich, in the south of Germany, not far from the Alps. Among other things that endear it to me, it’s the home of … Continue reading

June 12, 2013 · 1 Comment

NISSAN TAXI—TAKE 2

SHOULD THE government trust an automaker and its future intentions? Should an automaker be offered an exclusive deal based on these plans? This time around, the answers appear to be “no.” … Continue reading

June 11, 2013 · 3 Comments

ARCHAEOLOGY, MARITIME STYLE

AVAST, YE—Them that dies ’ill be the lucky ones. Now that I have your attention, I’ll share information on maritime archaeology as detailed in the 17 May 2013 issue of … Continue reading

June 10, 2013 · Leave a comment

HAVE A SMOKE

IT WAS extremely easy for me to quit smoking in 1984. The doctor said, “Yes, pal, you’re having a heart attack,” and, later, “Do you smoke?” “I used to,” I … Continue reading

June 9, 2013 · 2 Comments

A CENTURY OF AIRLINE COMFORT

IT’S TIME to celebrate the 100th anniversary of airline comfort. Things have changed a great deal since 1913’s first commercial scheduled passenger-carrying heavier-than-air flight (all these qualifiers are useful). Here’s … Continue reading

June 8, 2013 · 5 Comments

U.S. DIALECTS

WE ARE a country rich in dialects, y’know? The dialects are partly based on geography, partly education, partly upbringing, partly age, but fun to learn about however they’re analyzed. A … Continue reading

June 7, 2013 · 2 Comments