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

ADVANCED AUTOMOTIVE MATERIALS

THE VEHICLE Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy has worked with the Lightweight Materials National Laboratory Consortium in optimizing advanced automotive materials. The March 2018 issue of Tech … Continue reading

March 23, 2018 · 13 Comments

HOAX: A REAL ETYMOLOGY

IN MY continuing Etymology for our Times, I offer the word “hoax,” often tweeted by Trump to describe things with which he disagrees or possibly misunderstands. Merriam-Webster says the verb … Continue reading

March 22, 2018 · Leave a comment

CHINESE TYPEWRITERS

THE CHINESE invented the world’s first movable-type printing press around 1040 A.D., yet practical Chinese typewriting had to wait until the late 20th-century and the computer era. Indeed, there has … Continue reading

March 21, 2018 · 1 Comment

MY STORMY LADY

I PREDICT a hot Broadway musical comedy called My Stormy Lady. I leave plot details to the imagination (and possibly the U.S. Congress), but it could join today’s topic: other … Continue reading

March 20, 2018 · 5 Comments

HAPPY 50TH, SUBARU!

LET’S CELEBRATE Subaru’s golden anniversary selling cars here in the U.S. In doing so, I offer a parable of focusing on strengths to overcome adversity. Other tidbits here touch on … Continue reading

March 19, 2018 · 1 Comment

ROLL OVER EVERY FEW WEEKS

I USED to believe that bears were the typical hibernators. However, “Squirrels With a Rainy Day Fund,” by Mitch Leslie, in AAAS Science magazine, March 2, 2018, encouraged a bit … Continue reading

March 18, 2018 · Leave a comment

HOLMES, DEDUCTION, THE KLAN, AND A LESS THAN PERFECT RESOLUTION

AN EXAMPLE of Sherlock Holmes’ deductive skills lies in his encounter with the Ku Klux Klan described in Dr. John H. Watson’s chronicle of “The Five Orange Pips.” This adventure … Continue reading

March 17, 2018 · Leave a comment

IGNORANCE: ITS ETYMOLOGY AND DISPLAY

“I AM largely ignorant of Latin.” “Ignorance is bliss.” “Tweeting it as ‘Marine Core’ displays more than a little ignorance.” Each of these sentences displays a nuance of “ignorance,” defined … Continue reading

March 16, 2018 · Leave a comment

AERO HISTORY—A CENTURY AGO PART 2

C.G. GREY’S 1917 Jane’s summary of “modern” aeronautics seems to predate his political inclinations discussed yesterday here at SimanaitisSays. However, his views were no less outspoken in matters technical and … Continue reading

March 15, 2018 · Leave a comment

AERO HISTORY—A CENTURY AGO PART 1

“A BRIEF History of Modern Aeronautics,” by C.G. Grey, appeared as a supplement to Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft 1917. By that time, Jane’s had become the world’s authority on … Continue reading

March 14, 2018 · 2 Comments