THE BOOKSHELVES AT 221B
THE SITTING room at 221b Baker Street, London, contained bookshelves, of course. But what were the books that Sherlock Holmes and his chronicler Dr. John H. Watson had on these … Continue reading
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN—75TH ANNIVERSARY
JULY 10 THROUGH October 31, 1940, marked one of the most valiant defenses in the history of human conflict, the Battle of Britain. Hitler sought air superiority in advance of … Continue reading
A CLOSE SHAVE WITH SET THEORY
YESTERDAY’S ITEM on countability mentioned Russell’s Paradox, but, in the interests of set-theoretic sanity, side-stepped details. Now that we’re rested, what the hey, why not delve into it? Among Bertrand … Continue reading
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME—OR MAYBE NOT
COUNTING SEEMS the most basic of mathematics, so isn’t it puzzling that lots of things are genuinely uncountable? To make any sense of this, let’s begin with the essence of … Continue reading
FROM LITHUANIA, WITH LOVE
I HAVE been remiss in scant praise of my ancestral homeland, Lithuania. Alas, when I toured nearby during especially historic times (see “He’s Got a Lot of Balts”), the pesky Russkies … Continue reading
THE CYBERPHILOLOGIST WILL SEE YOU NOW…
IN THE old days, I mean really old, the word “scientist” didn’t exist. I learned this reading “Megafauna,” by Adrienne Mayor, in the London Review of Books, July 2, 2015 … Continue reading
“POINTLESS” CARS?
BACK IN the 1980s when most cars still had traditional breaker-point ignitions, one carmaker’s innovative state-of-the-art electronic system was heralded with a wonderful press release: “New Rapidfire has a pointless … Continue reading
Wyoming Tales
I ENJOY when learning a little about something encourages one to discover a bit more. For example, I knew next to nothing about Wyoming until I randomly opened The WPA … Continue reading
THE STINSONS—HIGH FAMILY VALUES
BACK IN 1910, Katherine Stinson, age 19, had a great idea for financing lessons toward her career as a concert pianist: She’d learn to fly and earn the money from … Continue reading
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE SAM!
THE TALE of our Uncle Sam is oft-told, but not completely inappropriate on this, the 239th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Uncle Sam is a … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 