A RESURGENCE OF WARMTH AND TACTILITY?
VINYL IS making a comeback. It’s a fascinating cultural phenomenon, perhaps in part expressing a preference for warmth and tactility over digital accuracy and efficiency. Or is it simply a … Continue reading
THE FIRST MILLE MIGLIA WINNER
WINNERS OF Italy’s Mille Miglia come readily to mind: Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz. And Italian forklift manufacturer O.M. O.M.?? Yes, the firm wasn’t into forklifts back in 1927, but the … Continue reading
THE DVLA, A BRIT’S DMV
PITY THE Brits enjoying vintage cars of one sort and another. In marked contrast to the U.S., there’s a single omnipotent Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for the entire country. … Continue reading
FREUDIAN HOLMES/SHERLOCKIAN FREUD
NO LESS than Dr. John H. Watson, chronicler of his friend Sherlock Holmes, refers to Sigmund Freud as “the greatest detective of them all.” Or at least this high praise … Continue reading
IS URBAN LIFE TOO HYGIENIC?
CHLDREN WHO grow up on dairy farms are considerably less likely to develop allergies or asthma than their urban counterparts. This finding, published in Science, September 4, 2015, offers new … Continue reading
CURTISS-WRIGHT CONDOR—AIRLINER, BOMBER, POLAR EXPLORER
I ADMIRE the pugnacious lines of the Curtiss-Wright Condor T-32, a biplane transport designed in 1932 that continued in service well into the 1950s. It carried Admiral Richard Byrd on … Continue reading
URBAN FLIGHTS OF FANCY, FRUGALITY AND SECURITY
BUILD UPWARD, not outward. This has been an architectural truism for centuries, but not always for the same reasons. My interest in this was piqued by learning of the Two … Continue reading
L’ITALIE PITTORESQUE, 1905
A LOVE of old travel books is based on my oft-repeated belief that anything that was worthy of a visit at the time of publication, even if 100 years ago, … Continue reading
FUN WITH CHEMISTRY—FIVE DECADES AGO
HOW TIMES change. Fun with Chemistry: Easy Experiments for Young People was originally published in 1944. A revised edition appeared in 1962, with additional printings up through 1973. However, were … Continue reading
CELEBRATING PENGUIN BOOKS
PENGUIN BOOKS is celebrating its eightieth anniversary, thus reminding me of the pleasure I’ve derived from these pocket-size, color-coded, modestly priced editions of literature. A Penguin celebration also appeared in … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 