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

WINDSHIELDS IN NASCAR

AS WE’VE seen recently, NASCAR collisions result in debris flying everywhere. Wheel tethers and other safety hardware can do only so much. Even minor on-track debris can cause windshield damage. … Continue reading

March 29, 2013 · 1 Comment

SOLAR FLARES

AS IF we haven’t already had enough celestial excitement with asteroids, comets and meteorites (www.wp.me/p2ETap-SU). Add solar flares, and consider what happened when Earth experienced its most recent major one … Continue reading

March 28, 2013 · 1 Comment

“GOOGLING,” SO TO SPEAK

LANGUAGES ARE living things—and occasionally combative ones. So it was recently when the Språkrådet, the Swedish Language Council, had it out with no less than Google Inc., all over the … Continue reading

March 27, 2013 · Leave a comment

RED WINE

HERE’S TO your health! After many years of supposition and more than a decade of investigation, the nutritional efficacy of red wine is even more certain. No less than Science, … Continue reading

March 26, 2013 · 2 Comments

COMPUTING WITH QUANTA

LET’S TANTALIZE ourselves with a peek into the bizarre world of quantum physics, where an entirely new kind of computer offers capabilities unbelievably beyond those of today’s most sophisticated digital … Continue reading

March 25, 2013 · Leave a comment

ZEPPELIN-STAAKEN E-4/20

A DECISION made shortly after World War I likely delayed aircraft technology by more than several years. In its structure, power and utility, the German Zeppelin-Staaken E-4/20 was simply too … Continue reading

March 24, 2013 · 2 Comments

COPPERSTATE LORE

SEVERAL FRIENDS have reminded me of other happenings along the Copperstate 1000 old car rally (www.wp.me/p2ETap-Vq). Here are three of them. Those of you who have enjoyed this annual event are … Continue reading

March 23, 2013 · Leave a comment

THE CHINA TRADE

TRADE WITH China is often in the news. At the same time, I’m enjoying Eric Jay Dolin’s book, When America First Met China, as sort of a “Chinese Trade, Part … Continue reading

March 22, 2013 · 1 Comment

MORGAN ON THE COPPERSTATE

THE COPPERSTATE 1000 Rally is one of the premier vintage car events in the U.S. Run each spring to benefit the Phoenix Art Museum (www.phxart.org), the Copperstate is a four-day … Continue reading

March 21, 2013 · 3 Comments

HOLMES NON-CANONICALS

SHERLOCK HOLMES was acquainted with many famous personages, albeit not always Canonically (i.e., not always specifically cited in Watson’s chronicles). Well researched are his interactions with the Count Vlad Dracula … Continue reading

March 20, 2013 · Leave a comment