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

SET AND REST A SPELL

FLYING CREATURES conserve energy by occasionally perching. And, as reported in Science, published weekly by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, engineers are applying nature’s techniques to make … Continue reading

June 14, 2016 · Leave a comment

CAR CURTAILING AROUND THE WORLD

LET’S ASSUME for a moment that the U.S. Declaration of Independence’s “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” has personal mobility as one of these pursuits. If so, and if … Continue reading

June 13, 2016 · 2 Comments

CHINESE AUTO TIDBITS

I AM FASCINATED by the People’s Republic of China and its relationship with the automobile. One of the longest lasting Communist economies in the world also has a rich heritage … Continue reading

June 12, 2016 · Leave a comment

A STATUE FOR PORTO EMPEDOCLE

SEPARATED AT BIRTH: Russian Communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin and Italian Fascist playwright Luigi Pirandello, right?? It would be difficult to imagine two more politically antithetical individuals of the 20th century. … Continue reading

June 11, 2016 · Leave a comment

MEDITATIONS ON CBS RADIO WORKSHOP

THE CBS RADIO WORKSHOP teamed famed journalist Edward R. Murrow and other commentators with the music of Norman Dello Joio in an epic broadcast on June 23, 1957. Murrow opened … Continue reading

June 9, 2016 · 1 Comment

THE MUSIC OF AVIATION

AVIATION HAS provided significant inspiration for music. And I’m not just talking about titles such as Flying Down to Rio or Der fliegende Holländer. I’m thinking of classic musical pieces … Continue reading

June 6, 2016 · 2 Comments

CLASSIC SUBTERRANEAN CRIMINALITY

SHERLOCK HOLMES knew about London’s underground, including Professor Moriarty, Colonel Moran, John Clay and the like. He also knew the London Underground, the world’s first and one of the grandest … Continue reading

June 5, 2016 · Leave a comment

HOW DO BEV LIFE CYCLES RATE?

BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES have zero tailpipe emissions. However, the production of their batteries, the supply of their electricity and their eventual disposal affect the environment. Such life-cycle analyses, from cradle … Continue reading

June 4, 2016 · 1 Comment

ANTHONY NELLÉ—DESIGNER OF DECO STAGE

MODERN MULTIPLEX theaters have choices, but little glamor compared with movie theaters of the 1920s and 1930s. It wasn’t just the times that made movies all the more glamorous. For … Continue reading

June 3, 2016 · 1 Comment

R&T, MAY 1954

MY DAD, rest his soul, wasn’t really a car nut. But he was interested in keeping his kid off the streets and out of the pool halls. I’ve forgotten the … Continue reading

June 1, 2016 · 5 Comments