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

RAIL, ROAD, AND AIR—THE ART OF TERENCE CUNEO

ENGLISH PAINTER Terence Cuneo had a way with locomotives, cars, and even aircraft. Quite apart from this, he was also the official artist for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II … Continue reading

November 25, 2019 · 3 Comments

SLONIMSKY ON CONDUCTING

NICK SLONIMSKY PLANNED to title his autobiography Failed Wunderkind, but was persuaded otherwise. Wisely too: Having been told by his mother that he was a genius at age 6, Slonimsky … Continue reading

November 23, 2019 · Leave a comment

UPDATING ALICE

MARTIN GARDNER’S Annotated Alice, 1960, was the first in my collection of annotated classics. Indeed, Gardner’s was the first in the series, many of which I have. Wife Dottie recently … Continue reading

November 22, 2019 · 1 Comment

HERE’S A GOOD POLITICAL COLUMNIST WHEN WE NEED ONE

ALAS, WILL ROGERS died in an airplane crash in 1935, but he clearly left a legacy for our times: “Everything is changing,” he said, “People are taking their comedians seriously, … Continue reading

November 21, 2019 · Leave a comment

MEZZANOTE PAPPARDELLE: BUON APPETITO!

THIS MIDNIGHT GOBBLE is one of the quickest meals to fix, though it calls for an oddly stocked larder: olive oil (easy), garlic (of course), Parmesan cheese (no problem), red … Continue reading

November 20, 2019 · Leave a comment

WOZNIAK DISSENTS ON FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

STEVE WOZNIAK, one would think, would be a proponent of fully autonomous vehicles. However, within the last month, Wozniak spoke at a J.D. Power Auto Revolution conference in Las Vegas … Continue reading

November 18, 2019 · Leave a comment

SYSTEMATOLOGY (WITH SOME DIALECTIC MATERIALISM TOSSED IN) PART 2

YESTERDAY, WE LEARNED Chinese mathematician Hsue-Shen Tsien’s characterization of systematology, an interdisciplinary approach to studying open, complex, giant systems. Today in Part 2, we’ll continue examining this innovative philosophy of … Continue reading

November 17, 2019 · 1 Comment

SYSTEMATOLOGY (WITH SOME DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM TOSSED IN) PART 1

A GLOSSY 56-PAGE supplement to a weekly Science magazine offers information on systematology, an innovative approach to interdisciplinary studies. Coming as it does from the People’s Republic of China, it … Continue reading

November 16, 2019 · Leave a comment

A TREASURE OF GREENLAND DIRT

BACK IN THE 1960s, the U.S. military Camp Century in Greenland was publicized as a scientific research base. Actually, though, Camp Century, about 150 miles east of Thule Air Base, … Continue reading

November 15, 2019 · Leave a comment

GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME! OR MAYBE NOT

IN MY FAIR LADY, Alfred P. Doolittle sings “Get Me to the Church on Time.” However, this signifies a marked turnaround from his being one of London’s “undeserving poor.” Henry … Continue reading

November 14, 2019 · Leave a comment