CADILLAC’S DEWAR TROPHY
CADILLAC SET the world’s standard for high quality in 1908 in earning the Dewar Trophy presented by England’s Royal Automobile Club. The automaker’s actions in accomplishing this would seem trivial … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES, 1996—WITH A GOOGLE TIME MACHINE
“LOS ANGELES is just New York lying down,” said English original Quentin Crisp. And I wish I knew exactly how he meant that. In fact, though, a lot of Los … Continue reading
CAPRONI NOVIPLANO—A FLYING CRUISE SHIP
IN EARLY days of aviation, some thought anything might be urged aloft, given sufficient wing area and propelled by enough propellers. This fanciful idea graced a magazine cover in 1910. … Continue reading
MY FAVORITE NEW BUGATTI—THAT’S NEVER TO BE
ONE OF the first sports cars I rode in was a Bugatti Type 44, and I’ve been an enthusiast of Bugattis ever since. The marque has had two resurrections since … Continue reading
A PERPETUAL CALENDAR
AMONG MY many ornamental objects of questionable modern utility is a perpetual calendar. After all, there’s always the Calendar icon on my smart phone. Also, complete data are displayed, to … Continue reading
MANY FLUTES ARE MAGICAL
MOZART’S DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, The Magic Flute, is an opera that has been magical in many ways. When it premiered in 1791, it was a linguistic breakaway that also spilled the … Continue reading
SOME OF THE THINGS I KNEW FOR SURE WERE NOT
LIFE IS full of continuing ed. Or at least it can be. Among the many facts I’ve accumulated over the years, more than a few of them are downright incorrect. … Continue reading
GEORGIAN DIGS, PART III: THE ROYAL PAVILION AT BRIGHTON
IN THE late 18th century, Brighton was an eight-hour trip from London to England’s south seacoast, 58 miles. George, Prince of Wales, later to become King George IV, liked the … Continue reading
LITHIUM-AIR—THE BEST OF BATTERIES, THEORETICALLY
LITHIUM-AIR TECHNOLOGY comes as close as possible to the theoretical limits of battery energy density; this, according to Science, the weekly magazine published by the American Association for the Advancement … Continue reading
GEORGIAN SHENANNIGANS, PART II: ENGLAND’S GOLDEN AGE OF CARICATURE
IF EVER there was a royal personage ripe for caricature, it was George, Prince of Wales, later succeeding his father to become King George IV. A wonderful scalliwag, George had … Continue reading
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