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

BONNET BLING

THE DETROIT AUTO show, formally the North American International Auto Show, runs from today, January 11, through January 24, 2016. It’s expected to fill Detroit’s Cobo Hall with global debuts … Continue reading

January 11, 2016 · 1 Comment

WIDER TIRE = BIGGER FOOTPRINT?

NO, LET’S DISPEL that myth right off. To a large extent, a tire’s inflation pressure—not its width—determines the area of its contact with the tarmac. However, there are still lots … Continue reading

January 10, 2016 · Leave a comment

A HOLMESIAN CALENDAR

HERE IT IS January 8, 2016, and we’ve already missed, by two days, the 161th anniversary of the birth of Sherlock Holmes. But there are a lot more places to mark our … Continue reading

January 8, 2016 · Leave a comment

CENTURY-OLD SLANG

LADY MARY CRAWLEY of Downton Abbey uttered “Golly!” and that got me thinking. What were the slang terms of a hundred years ago? I dug into this with A Dictionary … Continue reading

January 7, 2016 · Leave a comment

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