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

READING—A LONG VIEW

TODAY’S TIDBITS TAKE a long view on reading and its celebration of our living in one of two pivotal periods: the transition of script to print and from print to … Continue reading

June 14, 2021 · Leave a comment

$1.2 MILLION, EVENTUALLY, FOR LOSING A DEBATE WITH EINSTEIN

THIS IS A WIN-WIN story in the annals of theoretical physics. In 1905, Albert Einstein published the equation E = mc2, thus positing that energy and mass are essentially two … Continue reading

June 13, 2021 · 3 Comments

I WISH I’D SAID THAT. AND I SHALL.

I CONTINUE TO encounter comments I wish I had said. And, paraphrasing Oscar Wilde’s quote, I offer here several good ones originally appearing in the London Review of Books. Fries … Continue reading

June 12, 2021 · Leave a comment

HURRAH FOR THE FBI’S ANOM!

THE VOICE OF AMERICA reports “800 Arrested in Global Organized Crime Investigation,” June 8, 2021. VOA says “Operation Trojan Shield involved police raids in 16 countries in which 250 firearms … Continue reading

June 11, 2021 · Leave a comment

THE OUIJA CAPER

TWO PALS USED outlandish means to escape from an Ottoman prison camp during World War I. Chris Jennings’ “Breaking Out of Prison With a Ouija Board and Some Clever Tricks” … Continue reading

June 10, 2021 · Leave a comment

TRIUMPH TR2 ROADSTER—1954

WHAT A PROVOCATIVE headline: “Tiny, Rapid 2.” The Triumph TR2 Roadster was the cover car for R&T, April 1954. Here are a few tidbits from that road test.  “The Triumph … Continue reading

June 9, 2021 · Leave a comment

ETYMOLOGY: RANSOM

WHAT WITH RANSOMWARE much in the news these days, etymology of the word “ransom” is worthy of research. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a consideration paid or demanded for the release … Continue reading

June 8, 2021 · Leave a comment

CAN YOU FEEL IT WITH ME NOW?

CELLPHONES ARE so reliable now that we rarely ask, “Can you hear me now?” However, Science magazine, April 28, 2021, reports that “New Google Effort Uses Cellphones to Detect Earthquakes,” … Continue reading

June 7, 2021 · Leave a comment

BEVS AT A CRITICAL JUNCTION

BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES have hitherto been few and far between. But environmental goals around the world are increasing BEV presence and impact.  True, these are clean-air vehicles, even with mixed … Continue reading

June 6, 2021 · 3 Comments

LET’S CELEBRATE SPAM!

I’M NOT ENCOURAGING use of the Internet sewer. Rather, I’m thinking of real Spam, the canned luncheon meat sold around the world and celebrated in a recent Voice of America … Continue reading

June 5, 2021 · 5 Comments