FIREARMS OF THE HOLMESIAN CANON
IN FULL candor, I’m not much into firearms. By contrast, as chronicled by his friend and sidekick, Dr. John H. Watson, Sherlock Holmes certainly knew his way around them. Here’s … Continue reading
A FOURSOME OF FRONTENACS
SO THERE I was, preparing a remembrance of Quebec City’s Hotel Frontenac, when my research reveals yet more valve orchestrations. The resulting foursome of Frontenacs includes the famed hotel, a … Continue reading
VALVE ORCHESTRATIONS, OPUS 2
THE INTAKE and exhaust valves of an automotive engine have busy lives, operating each time the engine fires. Actuation of these depends on (at least) one crankshaft-driven camshaft, with a … Continue reading
VALVE ORCHESTRATIONS
AT 2400 RPM, a conventional engine has an orchestration of its intake and exhaust valves, each operating 10 times every second. Multiply this by a factor of six for a … Continue reading
WHAT A MESMERIZING BITCH!
“LOOK INTO my eyes, Lassie.” Or maybe it’s Lassie communicating this wish to her human pal. Between humans, a prolonged gaze into each other’s eyes promotes an emotional bond. There’s … Continue reading
VE DAY, 70 YEARS AGO, 20 YEARS AGO
THIS PAST week, May 7, 2015, was the 70th anniversary of VE Day, celebrating the end of World War II on the European Front. And, as I write this, a … Continue reading
HONDA’S ARCHITECTURAL WONDER
JUST AS architects sometimes design cars, automotive designers have been known to think architecturally. The Honda Unibox, exhibited at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, sets a record in this regard. … Continue reading
FERRARIS I HAVE KNOWN
FEW PEOPLE may never have heard the name Ferrari, but I suspect two planned biopics, one involving actor Robert De Niro, the other director Michael Mann, will remedy this presto. … Continue reading
PARIS 1922
“…PARIS IS a moveable feast,” said Ernest Hemingway. And, based on the 1922 Continental Hotel’s Guide, it must have been memorable. Surely Google Translate has this wrong: What I suspect … Continue reading
AUTOMOBILES AND ARCHITECTS
BUILDINGS ARE stationary; automobiles move, a truism that would seem to separate architects from automobile designers. However, there have been synergies between the two, with interesting results from the likes … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 