THE REDHEAD WITH DISTURBINGLY ROUND GOGGLES
A ROMANCE starring Tony Jannus, the Benoist XIV Flying Boat and the Redhead with Disturbingly Round Goggles. Chapter 1—No longer a lazy day FOR pilot Tony Jannus, it seemed just … Continue reading
MATHEMATICIANS AND THE NSA
THE FEDERAL government’s National Security Agency is charged with devising cryptologic systems for protecting U.S. information while, at the same time, exploiting weaknesses in the information systems of other countries. … Continue reading
IS PRIVACY GONE FOR GOOD?
SCIENCE MAGAZINE, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, has part of its January 30, 2015, issue devoted to “The End of Privacy.” A dozen essays present … Continue reading
CHANGING TIMES
HOW TIMES have changed. Sometimes for the better, sometimes…. Here’s a collection of trends that I certainly wouldn’t have expected at the beginning of my (40!) years of monitoring the … Continue reading
YOU GO, GRRLS!— IN 19TH CENTURY MASSACHUSETTS
A DRAMA on SiriusXM’s “Radio Classics” introduced me to the Peabody sisters of 19th century Salem, Massachusetts. This remarkable trio, Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia, left a legacy that would do … Continue reading
“SIT!” SAID THE CYNOLOGIST
A BOOK of Sherlockiana introduced me to the term cynology, “logy” as in “the study of,” cyno from the Greek κυνóς, “dog.” As is usually the case, this book led … Continue reading
LATINA MORTUA EST?
IS LATIN a dead language? Far from it if you’re into the biological sciences, philology, law or medicine. Or if you happen to be using an ATM in Vatican City. … Continue reading
THE HUM
I CAME upon the Hum only recently while researching ”Sounds Like…” Maybe you’ve heard of the Hum, within the context of the Auckland Hum, Bristol Hum, Kokomo Hum, Taos Hum, Windsor … Continue reading
“SOUNDS LIKE…”
AN ONOMATOPOEIC word is one that sounds like its meaning: Bang! Ring, ring. Meow. Some are cross-cultural; others are not. Some have been around a long time; others are only … Continue reading
FLYING ROME TO TOKYO—IN 1920
THE FIRST flying machines seen by thousands of people across Asia could have been two Ansaldo SVA.9 biplanes. Italian pilots Arturo Ferrarin and Guido Masiero, accompanied by their mechanics Gino … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 