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: I Usta be an Editor Y’Know

TONY PALLADINO’S GRAPHIC ART

ART MAKES us think, even if its intellectual prodding is subliminal. Tony Palladino, who passed away two weeks ago at age 84, knew how to prod with typography as well … Continue reading →

May 28, 2014 · Leave a comment

JAPAN—IN 1950

MY COLLECTION of guidebooks on Japan goes back to the turn of the century (that earlier turn, not our recent one). Two of my favorite books, however, are rather more … Continue reading →

May 14, 2014 · Leave a comment

HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY, LEONARDO DA VINCI

WELL, WE missed celebrating Leonardo da Vinci’s 562nd birthday. It was a few weeks ago on April 15 Old Style, so I can’t even appeal to the Julian-to-Gregorian Calendar update, … Continue reading →

May 8, 2014 · Leave a comment

CREATIVE HEARING, TAKE 2

PART OF the fun of listening is trying to figure out what is being said. I mentioned a few family classics of this creative hearing in http://wp.me/p2ETap-1rY. Things like “penguins” when … Continue reading →

April 24, 2014 · 2 Comments

ENGLAND AT WAR: TWO NOTEWORTHY BOOKS

MY PRIMARY source for yesterday’s SimanaitisSays item on the Jane comics (http://wp.me/p2ETap-23p) is the book Little Friends. Plus, Go To It! is another worthy book in a similar genre. The … Continue reading →

April 18, 2014 · 1 Comment

$AVE THROUGH FONT$

ONE OBSERVANT 14-yer-old could save the federal government roughly $234 million a year—by suggesting a standardization of type font. His research made “News of the Week” in the March 14, … Continue reading →

April 12, 2014 · 2 Comments

FOR SALE—WITH STORIES ATTACHED

ONE OF the high points of my career as an automotive journalist was enjoying Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks with friend and Grand Prix driver Innes Ireland as we … Continue reading →

March 11, 2014 · Leave a comment

AN OLD CHINA HAND

THERE’S SPECIAL charm—not to say downright adventure—trusting the advice of old guidebooks. Something worth seeing 100 years ago is likely still worth a view, provided, of course, it’s still there. … Continue reading →

February 18, 2014 · 1 Comment

SCI-FI—OR IS IT CHILLINGLY NON-FI?

THERE’S A genre of science fiction that I enjoy, the near-term alternative-world variety. No alien invasions. No collisions of worlds. And no zombies, thank you. Just our own world gone … Continue reading →

February 14, 2014 · Leave a comment

PITY THE SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETER

IT IS difficult to imagine a more nerve-wracking job than real-time translation. A person prattles on in one language while the audience wearing headphones awaits your interpretation in another. This … Continue reading →

February 11, 2014 · 3 Comments