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

SEVERAL MATHEMATICAL ETYMOLOGIES

WORDS IN MATHEMATICS have precise meanings. No surprise, this. And sometimes their etymologies have good tales to tell. Let’s look at “theorem,” and two of its related terms, “corollary” and … Continue reading

January 23, 2019 · 2 Comments

PIANO MASTERPIECES ON THE 1:1000 SCALE

I HAVE LONG been fond of architectural models. In fact, several have made appearances here at SimanaitisSays: “Edo Toggles and Models,” “The Village of Peter Fritz,” and “FLW at MoMA … Continue reading

January 22, 2019 · 2 Comments

BREXIT—ITS WITCHING HOUR

WHAT WITH ONE thing and another in the U.S. these days, Americans tend to have less than overwhelming concern about Brexit. On the other hand, Britain’s hyperchaotic intention to leave … Continue reading

January 21, 2019 · Leave a comment

THE MG TD — “AS FRIENDLY AS A TAIL-WAGGING DOG”

MY LOVE AFFAIR with the MG sports car continues here with details of the MG TD, which followed the TC in 1950. By February 1953, Road and Track promised “Four … Continue reading

January 20, 2019 · 1 Comment

THE CODEX AMIATINUS—A BIBLE WITH LEGS PART 2

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS OFTEN are associated with compelling tales. For example, yesterday’s Codex Amiatinus, Part 1, set the stage: There’s a trio of medieval English monks and three commissioned illuminated manuscripts … Continue reading

January 19, 2019 · Leave a comment

THE CODEX AMIATINUS—A BIBLE WITH LEGS PART 1

MORE THAN 1300 years ago, Benedictine monks in Anglo-Saxon England put together illuminated manuscripts of the Bible. Around 700 A.D., three of these immense handwritten tomes were produced at the … Continue reading

January 18, 2019 · Leave a comment

ETYMOLOGY: SCOUNDREL

TO QUOTE Trumpery of January 14, 2019, the president said that FBI personnel were “known scoundrels.” Were I a second-grader, I might respond, “It takes one to know one.” Given … Continue reading

January 17, 2019 · Leave a comment

ON PARTICLES

MRS. GRIMBLY, REST her teacher’s soul, would be disappointed that I’d forgot the meaning of an English language “particle.” Maybe I earn some redemption by recently learning about particles in … Continue reading

January 16, 2019 · 3 Comments

“HEY, BRO,” SAID THE SAGEBRUSH

IT MAY SOUND unscientific, but in SCIENCE magazine, January 4, 2019, Elizabeth Pennisi asks, ”Do Plants Favor Their Kin?” In fact, recent research suggests that individual plants may well help … Continue reading

January 15, 2019 · Leave a comment

PICKING UP THE PACE—BEV-WISE

THE START-UP COMPANY Rivian intends to beat Detroit at its own money-making game by being the first to build a battery-electric pickup truck. Thus far, pickups have been conventionally internal-combustion-powered, … Continue reading

January 14, 2019 · 2 Comments