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

PASS THE PASTICHES, PLEASE

THE YEAR 2019, according to Alexandra Alter in The New York Times, December 29, 2018, will be one of “New Life for Old Classics, as Their Copyrights Run Out.” She … Continue reading

January 5, 2019 · Leave a comment

RACE TO THE CLOUDS, R&T’S 1956 REPORT

NEW HAMPSHIRE’S Mt. Washington is among the most prominent peaks in the U.S. And, as reported in R&T, it’s renowned as a hillclimb venue and notorious for erratic weather as … Continue reading

January 4, 2019 · 4 Comments

GETTING OPERATIC, QUOTEWISE

QUOTES ABOUT opera range from ”Bravi tutti!” to “Wagner’s music is better than it sounds.” A new book reviewed in The New York Times Book Review offers a goodly number … Continue reading

January 3, 2019 · Leave a comment

THE STATE(S) OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY

AN ARTICLE IN The New York Times, December 24, 2018, by Nadja Popovich, asks “How Does Your State Make Electricity?” Alas, its graphics seem not to be reproducible here. Instead, … Continue reading

January 2, 2019 · 2 Comments

A YEAR IN REVIEW

I THANK YOU ALL for your readership. Here’s an overview of this year’s SimanaitisSays categories and frequencies of their appearance: And Furthermore (120 items); Science & Technology (59); I Usta … Continue reading

December 31, 2018 · 9 Comments

IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE ODDEST OF TIMES

MY NEW T-SHIRT reads “These are difficult times.” But before we yell “Right On!” or get all Trumpery about it, the T-shirt is referring to musical signatures. Though I love … Continue reading

December 30, 2018 · 3 Comments

PROGRAMMIC ADVERTISING—BENEFICIAL OR A BANE?

HOW DO YOU feel about programmic advertising? At this point I am of two minds, though I’m occasionally creeped-out when my computer or cellphone seems to know what I really, … Continue reading

December 28, 2018 · 8 Comments

A SENTIMENTAL (AND TASTY) JOURNEY

RAIL TRIPS HAVE been known to offer culinary adventures. There’s the elegance of the Orient Express, the glamor of the Santa Fe Super Chief, the history of the Trans-Siberian Railway, … Continue reading

December 27, 2018 · 2 Comments

BEGONE, YE AULD SOD

ELIMINATING PEAT from the Irish energy picture sounds more than a little heretical. But even Ireland’s Bord na Móna, its state-owned peat harvesting and energy company, is in favor of … Continue reading

December 26, 2018 · 1 Comment

PIÑATA TIDBITS—CELEBRATING LAS POSADAS

LAS POSADAS, Spanish: “the inns,” celebrates the Nativity and humble birthplace of Christ. These nine days, from December 16 through 24, traditionally involve the breaking of piñatas, papier-mâché objects containing … Continue reading

December 24, 2018 · Leave a comment