HAIL TO THEE (WHOEVER HE OR SHE IS) PART 2
WE CONTINUE OUR celebration of national personifications here in Part 2 by encountering a previous SimanaitisSays cameo, a British yeoman, and an All-American. Germany’s Arminius. Arminius, aka Hermann the German, … Continue reading
HAIL TO THEE (WHOEVER HE OR SHE IS) PART 1
IN THESE PERHAPS overly nationalistic times, it seems appropriate to review national characters, emblematic personages of the world. Plenty of countries get by with a generic Mother This or Father … Continue reading
TEGERNSEE—A TOUR OF TIMELESS ART
TEGERNSEE IS IN the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. This lake isn’t very large, about 4 miles by less than a mile, its Alpine-fed water eventually reaching the Danube, known … Continue reading
IF ONE FUSELAGE IS GOOD,… PART 2
THE STRATOLAUNCH flew yesterday in Part 1 at SimanaitisSays. Today we offer tidbits on other aerial applications of multiple fuselages. The North American F-82 Twin-Mustang was the last American piston-engine … Continue reading
IF ONE FUSELAGE IS GOOD,… PART 1
NEWS OF THE Stratolaunch aircraft’s first flight, in The New York Times, April 14, 2019, brings to mind other twin-fuselage designs. These range from an Italian flying boat in the … Continue reading
THINKING OUTSIDE THE (BLACK) BOX
DO YOU RECALL Douglas Adams’ book and movie The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Deep Thought, its giant computer (with Helen Mirren’s voice), is asked the Greatest Question of Life. … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: PEEVISH, PETULANT
“PETULANT” WAS the first word that came to mind when I heard Trump’s threat to dump immigrants into U.S. sanctuary cities. But then etymology furthered my enlightenment. According to Merriam-Webster, … Continue reading
EVS—THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE INDIFFERENT
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS is an excellent weekly source of its industry’s happenings and trends. In particular, it has presented a variety of facts and opinions on electric vehicles. Here are a … Continue reading
SELECTIVE KLEPTOCRATIC SCAMS
KLEPTOCRACY IS DEFINED by the OED as “a ruling body of thieves.” Merriam-Webster amplifies a bit: “government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of … Continue reading
PHOTOGRAPHING THE POINT OF NO RETURN
THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH of a black hole is a major astronomical achievement. This also relates to several items that appeared here at SimanaitisSays: “Happy Birthday—General Relativity!,” March 27, 2015; “China’s … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 