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

Category Archives: And Furthermore…

MALL MUSINGS

I’M TOLD THE CULTURE of giant shopping malls is ending. But this wouldn’t be evident by driving past South Coast Plaza here in Orange County, California. Even without holiday shopping, … Continue reading

December 14, 2022 · 5 Comments

CALDER’S CIRCUS—AND SO MUCH MORE

ALEXANDER CALDER CAME FROM a family of artists—his grandfather’s colossal William Penn stands atop Philadelphia’s City Hall; his father’s public installations grace this and other cities; his mother, having studied … Continue reading

December 12, 2022 · 4 Comments

THE VARIOUS INTRIGUES OF TOUCH OF EVIL PART 2

HAVING RECENTLY VIEWED Touch of Evil, we celebrated the innovative cinema of Orson Welles and colleagues in Part 1 yesterday. However, the final “Action!” and “Cut!” were far from the … Continue reading

December 2, 2022 · Leave a comment

THE VARIOUS INTRIGUES OF TOUCH OF EVIL PART 1

THERE’S PLENTY OF CLASSIC NOIR in Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil, 1958/1976/1998, both on the screen and in post-production. Here, in Parts 1 and 2 today and tomorrow, are tidbits … Continue reading

December 1, 2022 · Leave a comment

WHAT DO PISTACHIOS HAVE IN COMMON WITH SPINAL TAP’S THIRD AND POSSIBLY FOURTH DRUMMERS?

HERE WE CELEBRATE Pistacia vera, a member of the cashew family not unrelated to poison ivy and positively replete with other fascinating tidbits (including the provocative headline above).  The Basics. … Continue reading

November 30, 2022 · 1 Comment

HOPPER’S HORIZONTAL CITY

THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART has an exhibition described by Karen Rosenberg as “Edward Hopper’s Fantasy Island.” Here are tidbits gleaned from her article in The New York Times, … Continue reading

November 26, 2022 · 1 Comment

MUSLIM LORE—FROM GLUBB PASHA AND THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE PART 2

YESTERDAY, SIR JOHN BAGOT GLUBB described the high points of Islamic culture culminating in 732, only a hundred years after the death of Muhammud. Today in Part 2, we glean … Continue reading

November 17, 2022 · Leave a comment

MUSLIM LORE—FROM GLUBB PASHA AND THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE PART 1

HAVING ONCE MET Sir John Bagot Glubb, aka Glubb Pasha, I now and again enjoy perusing his authoritative and most readable account of the founder of Islam.  The Los Angeles … Continue reading

November 16, 2022 · 1 Comment

TEAM TEACHING: DISSOLVING THE WALLS OF EDUCATION

AT FIRST GLANCE, IT LOOKS LIKE pandemonium. But Mesa, Arizona, is piloting a Team Teaching project, wherein the separation of classes across physical or grade distinctions are dissolved. Here are … Continue reading

November 8, 2022 · 7 Comments

A PLACE FOR THE CAR

BRITISH ARTIST KIERAN GABRIEL HITS a sweet spot in my appreciation of cars, architecture, and favorite artistic influences. The September 2022 Classic & Sports Car features his work in its … Continue reading

November 4, 2022 · 1 Comment