AVOCADO UNDER MY SKIN
OUCH. TODAY’S ITEM was inspired by two sources: a crossword puzzle clue in The New York Times, May 2, 2021; and, coincidently, a mention on BBC World Service, May 3, … Continue reading
JAPANESE CONVERSATION STARTERS—AND TERMINATORS
I’VE FORGOTTEN WHERE I acquired my Traveler’s Phrase Book & Dictionary; its price notation suggests it was here in the U.S. Nevertheless, it was published in Japan by Nanun-Do, 1976, … Continue reading
DIFFERENT HORSES FOR DIFFERENT COURSES—1954
THE MID-1950S WERE a heyday for European sports car racing, with epic battles fought by Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and other automakers. In particular, 1954 was a memorable year … Continue reading
MOZART DOODLE DANDY? PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, Mozart had royal patrons bringing him fame, though not reliable income. It was a time of revolution for Europeans as well as for American colonials. Where … Continue reading
MOZART DOODLE DANDY? PART 1
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART hobnobbed with important Europeans, Emperor Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire, for one, who in turn was Marie Antoinette’s brother; she, married to Louis XVI of … Continue reading
NEW COPTER REPELLED BY MARS TOO!
IT’S A HOARY old joke of fixed-wing aviators that helicopters don’t really fly; it’s just that the Earth repels them. With this in mind, it’s time to celebrate another rotary-wing … Continue reading
THE SIAI-MARCHETTI-NARDI FN-333—FOR PIRATES OF THE RIVIERA PART 2
YESTERDAY, THE FN-333 RIVIERA’S heritage was described here as a rare amphibious aircraft, 26 produced in Italy, perhaps six in the world airworthy today. Here in Part 2, I offer … Continue reading
THE SIAI-MARCHETTI-NARDI FN-333—FOR PIRATES OF THE RIVIERA PART 1
IN “THE COOL World of Seaplanes,” Flying magazine, June 1966, James Gilbert summed up the FN-333 Riviera, “The ads talk about your being a private pirate in the Riviera, but … Continue reading
CELEBRATING SECONDHAND ROCKETRY
ONE-USE ROCKETRY IS so 20th Century. In the old days of space exploration, rockets and their boosters were one-use entities, discarded in the ocean as part of the space capsule … Continue reading
SPACE GRUB EXTRAORDINAIRE
“THIS BOEUF BOURGUIGNON is over the moon!” Well, not quite yet, but it is among the offerings to astronauts now joined up at the International Space Station. Kenneth Chang writes … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 