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

SPORTS SKULLDUGGERY

CHEATING AT SPORT is unsportsmanlike. But, according to John Lancaster writing in the London Review of Books, sports skullduggery has become institutionalized. His “How Bad Can It Be?, LRB, July … Continue reading

August 14, 2021 · Leave a comment

NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS WEBSITE

THE FIRST OF SimanaitisSays, August 13, 2012, celebrated the Mazda Miata. I’m still enjoying no. 000348. And I continue to enjoy the research, composition, and production of SimanaitisSays. It’s my … Continue reading

August 13, 2021 · 8 Comments

BEES DO IT; DAVENPORT KIDS ASPIRED TO IT; THE DALAI LAMA ALMOST DIDN’T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY

DIVERSITY OF INFORMATION is a hallmark of Science, published weekly by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Recently, the magazine offered research on apian geometry, a book review … Continue reading

August 12, 2021 · Leave a comment

FORMULA ONE—A 1961 STATE OF THE ART

THE 1961 LOTUS F1 car lacks the Wagnerian force of the Grand Prix Silver Arrows of the late 1930s. Its Philip Glass-like minimalism contrasts with Formula One’s recent hypercomplexity. Sixty … Continue reading

August 11, 2021 · 1 Comment

PARIS OUT OF HAND

YOU’D SUSPECT THAT, despite its Baedeker’s-like red cover, Karen Elizabeth Gordon’s Paris Out of Hand is not your ordinary guidebook. For one thing, the Eiffel Tower is upside down. For … Continue reading

August 10, 2021 · Leave a comment

HENRI’S LIMO PART 3

PIONEER AIRCRAFT MODELS are fun to build on the computer. Not just sleek shiny tubes, they have everything hanging out to admire. My rendering of Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe’s … Continue reading

August 9, 2021 · Leave a comment

HENRI’S LIMO PART 2

YESTERDAY WE MET Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe, “the Oil King of Europe” and pioneer aviation enthusiast. Today we learn of his commissioning Louis Blériot to build a flying limousine—in … Continue reading

August 8, 2021 · Leave a comment

HENRI’S LIMO PART 1

HENRI DEUTSCH DE LA MEURTHE was a French John D. Rockefeller, “the Oil King of Europe.” What’s more, Henri’s oil was second-generation, in more ways than one. And whereas Rockefeller’s … Continue reading

August 7, 2021 · Leave a comment

GETTING SCREWED—HISTORICALLY

NOW THAT I have your attention, let’s talk about the historical standardization of fasteners: nuts, bolts, and screws. Today’s tidbits include a gunboat rush order, a Cadillac exhibition, and which … Continue reading

August 6, 2021 · 6 Comments

POSTWAR ARCHITECTURE: SPECIALISTS’ VIEWS

T, THE NEW YORK TIMES Style Magazine is published with the NYT Sunday edition and recently ran “The 25 Most Significant Works of Postwar Architecture.” Kurt Soller and Michael Snyder … Continue reading

August 5, 2021 · 8 Comments