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

IT SEEMS LIKE AN INFINITY… AND SO IT IS: ∞

IN MY CONTINUING exploration of math symbols, what better one to examine these days than ∞, the symbol for infinity. Here are tidbits on its definition, origin, and modern uses. … Continue reading

June 26, 2020 · Leave a comment

THE KOUGAR—A REINCARNATED SOUL

IT IS AN accepted belief among automotive enthusiasts that many cars have souls. What’s more, some cars are rolling proof of reincarnation. The British Kougar is one. The marque owes … Continue reading

June 25, 2020 · Leave a comment

LET’S CELEBRATE THE VOA, NOT CORRUPT IT! PART 2

FOR ALMOST 78 years now, the Voice of America has showcased American values around the world by broadcasting a valuable commodity: truth. These days, however, Trumpian strategies could corrupt its … Continue reading

June 24, 2020 · 2 Comments

LET’S CELEBRATE THE VOA, NOT CORRUPT IT! PART 1

IN AN EVER-GROWING list of things Trump and his connivers are corrupting, the Voice of America may be next. Imagine if this highly regarded international news service had the reputation … Continue reading

June 23, 2020 · Leave a comment

GENERAL AVIATION—A HALF-CENTURY PERSPECTIVE PART 2

YESTERDAY, WE STARTED leafing through the November 1966 issue of The Flyer. Today, we continue with this general-aviation magazine’s coverage of a “10-Engine Magic Carpet,” an instrument tutorial, a woman’s … Continue reading

June 22, 2020 · Leave a comment

GENERAL AVIATION—A HALF-CENTURY PERSPECTIVE PART 1

SORTING ONE THING and another, I came upon the November 1966 issue of The Flyer magazine, Vol. 6, No. 8, 40¢. It offers interesting insights about general aviation of more … Continue reading

June 21, 2020 · 1 Comment

AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AWAITED

FOR 30 YEARS, Anne Glenconner was a lady in waiting for Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. Now in her late 80s, Glenconner has got around to writing … Continue reading

June 20, 2020 · Leave a comment

ARCHIGRAM—AN ARCHITECTURAL COLLECTIVE OF WHIMSY

JONATHAN MEADES’ “SIGHTBITES,” in the London Review of Books, May 21, 2020, summed up Archigram perfectly: “They formed in the early 1960s and over the next decade or so produced … Continue reading

June 19, 2020 · Leave a comment

GOODBYE, MOORE’S LAW. HELLO TO THE TOP

IN 1975, INTEL founder Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors in a semiconductor would double every two years. Moore’s Law, as it came to be known, held true … Continue reading

June 18, 2020 · Leave a comment

ON TUMBLING ICONS

WE AMERICANS AREN’T the only ones soul-searching about what to do with historic icons that no longer reflect modern times. In the London Review of Books, June 12, 2020, Rebecca … Continue reading

June 17, 2020 · 3 Comments