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

TALKING ABOUT PAINT THAT’S COOL!

“PASSIVE RADIATIVE COOLING” can lower a surface’s temperature by around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Think of images of Greek isles, with sun-baked buildings painted white to keep cool. Or recall “Cool … Continue reading

October 9, 2018 · Leave a comment

A PROPER ALPINE DRIVE

I AM EVIDENTLY in good company considering the Alps to be “Mountains of Prominence”. G. Geoffrey Smith, Bentley driver, surely agreed. The first two issues of On the Road, published … Continue reading

October 8, 2018 · 2 Comments

THE CHASLES VRAIN-LUCAS SCAM PART 2

YESTERDAY IN Part 1, Michel Chasles was ecstatic having bought a letter from fellow Frenchman Denis Vrain-Lucas. This letter proved that French scientist Blaise Pascal had figured out gravitation before … Continue reading

October 7, 2018 · Leave a comment

THE CHASLES VRAIN-LUCAS SCAM PART 1

SOMETIMES PASSIONATE highly intelligent people are the easiest marks. Or so it seemed with 19th-century French mathematician Michel Chasles. Chasles had a passion for collecting antiquarian ephemera; fellow Frenchman Denis … Continue reading

October 6, 2018 · 1 Comment

SAMUEL SLOAN ON SCHOOLHOUSES—1852

PHILADELPHIA ARCHITECT Samuel Sloan, 1815-1884, left a rich legacy of buildings, particularly in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. In fact, I’ve seen his Lancaster County Courthouse, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the … Continue reading

October 5, 2018 · 2 Comments

HAMLET, REVISITED

HITHERTO, HAMLET’S principal appearance here at SimanaitisSays was in the Classics Illustrated comic book version. And a fine example of the graphic genre it is. I also have a rather … Continue reading

October 4, 2018 · Leave a comment

BELLICOSE—ITS ETYMOLOGY

FOR ONE REASON or another, the word “bellicose” sprang to mind as deserving addition into my Etymology for our Times series. Why do you suppose? It might have been something … Continue reading

October 3, 2018 · 3 Comments

A SCREENPLAY PITCH PART 2

WE LEFT transplanted Kiki Lowell Yerex barnstorming in the U.S. after his World War I combat experiences. A primary source here in Part 2 is “Touring with Pyle,” by famed … Continue reading

October 2, 2018 · Leave a comment

A SCREENPLAY PITCH PART 1

“I GOT this great screenplay! It has everything. Action. Glamor. International rivalry. Airplanes for the guys. Romance for their girlfriends.” “Old hat….” “Wait! There’s this World War I pilot who’s … Continue reading

October 1, 2018 · 2 Comments

SUBSCRIBE TO AN AUTOMAKER?

YEARS AGO, September 2001 specifically, in the R&T piece “Whither the Automobile?,” futurists at American Honda told me that automaker subscriptions were a coming trend. That is, rather than buying … Continue reading

September 30, 2018 · 3 Comments