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

COUNT VISITS MINNESOTA; SETS DESTINY

IT WAS 1863 and a well-connected German count was on military leave in America. On a trip in the Upper Midwest, this adventurous lieutenant and his party traveled by canoe, … Continue reading

January 6, 2016 · Leave a comment

BLAISE CENDRARS—FLÂNEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE

THE FRENCH word flâneur has nuances of meaning: loafer, stroller, dabbler, dawdler, loiterer, yet somehow describing a person who’s anything but inactive in these activities. Blaise Cendrars was a Swiss-born … Continue reading

January 5, 2016 · Leave a comment

RUN THE MILLE MIGLIA IN THAT??

WE USUALLY associate Italy’s Mille Miglia 1000-mile road race with high-powered sports cars. And, indeed, after an O.M.’s victory in the 1927 inaugural Mille Miglia, Alfa Romeo garnered 10 wins … Continue reading

January 4, 2016 · Leave a comment

LONDON EYE—AN ENTERTAINING ROUND TRIP

THE LONDON EYE gives spectacular views of a great city. My memories of the experience include an in-flight mini guide, a London Eye crystal and a House of Commons place … Continue reading

January 3, 2016 · 2 Comments

ON THINKING

BEING RETIRED and all, I’m not much into organizational research. Nor have I usually found attraction to the Harvard School of Business. Its graduates always seemed to be cutting quarter-inches … Continue reading

January 2, 2016 · 1 Comment

RATS! TECH-FOILED AGAIN

GENERALLY, WE SAVOR our world of high technology. However, there are those who rue it. Schadenfreude, literally harm-joy, is the German word for our pleasure derived from the tough times … Continue reading

January 1, 2016 · Leave a comment

IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR

ON THIS LAST DAY of 2015, it’s fun to mention SimanaitisSays.com topics during the past 12 months that occurred to me unexpectedly. Like the dotty old lady remarked, “How do … Continue reading

December 31, 2015 · 4 Comments

AUTOMOTIVE HEADLIGHTS, PART 2

THE BOSCH AUTOMOTIVE HANDBOOK devotes 37 pages of fine print to the subject of Lighting Equipment. Wikipedia’s Headlamp entry is also extensive, with 116 references. Here I offer highlights, with … Continue reading

December 30, 2015 · 3 Comments

AUTOMOTIVE HEADLIGHTS, PART 1

IN 1940, the Society of Automotive Engineers said, “Let there be standardized automotive lighting.” And the lighting was good. But not as good as Europe’s. Things evolved over the years. … Continue reading

December 29, 2015 · 3 Comments

WHAT’S PLAYING IN OUR HOUSE THIS CHRISTMAS

I WENT SEARCHING for a particular CD to include in our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day musical selections and, while doing so, unearthed several others I haven’t heard in a … Continue reading

December 24, 2015 · 3 Comments