THE BARONESS OF DADA
TALK ABOUT a great book blurb: MIT Press described Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven as “a neurasthenic, kleptomaniac, man-chasing proto-punk poet and artist.” Gee, I’ve got to learn more about this Baroness … Continue reading
FIDO’S ANCESTORS
THE DOG EVOLVED from the wolf. It was man’s first domesticated animal, accomplished before humankind’s domestication of farm stock. Details of canine domestication are still controversial. However, part of the … Continue reading
THE WEEKEND
VIOLET CRAWLEY, Dowager Countess of Grantham, delivered a wonderful line at Downton Abbey: She asked, quite innocently for once, “What is a weekend?” The Countess was responding to Matthew Crawley, … Continue reading
AUTOS BY THE NUMBERS
TWO STATISTICAL STUDIES described in Automotive News, July 4, 2016, caught my eye. One has to do with new car quality; the other, with a car’s country of origin. This … Continue reading
FAIRIES IN THE GARDEN
THERE’S NOTHING particularly new about recent reports of a likely faked Everest photograph or another showing a mysterious hand in an image from 1900. Back in 1920, Sir Arthur Conan … Continue reading
THE BITCOIN SAGA CONTINUES
THERE’S NOTHING SIMPLE about the virtual currency Bitcoin. And there’s one helluva saga evolving. “The Satoshi Affair,” by Andrew O’Hagan, occupies 17 oversize pages of the London Review of Books, … Continue reading
SCOTLAND YARD’S FLYING SQUAD
I WAS ENJOYING one of the Paul Temple radio mysteries when Scotland Yard Chief Commissioner Sir Graham Forbes said to Paul, “We’ve got the Flying Squad on it.” Scotland Yard … Continue reading
BEEN THERE, SORTA
MR. AND MRS. Dinesh Rathod, both police officers in Pune, Maharahstra, India, claim to have climbed Mount Everest. As proof of conquering this 28,028-ft. peak, they offer a photo showing … Continue reading
CENTRAL-SEAT SPORTS CARS
IN HIS MOTORSPORTS satire The Grand Prix of Gibraltar, Peter Ustinov described the hyper-technical Schnorcedes as having perfect weight distribution: Its driver sat neither left nor right; what’s more, his … Continue reading
A DUO OF JULY 4TH CELEBRATIONS
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! I recognize that about half of SimanaitisSays readers live elsewhere around the world. Nevertheless, do join us in celebrating the 240th anniversary of the signing of the … Continue reading
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