Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

NASH-HEALEY—MORE THAN A SPORTY IMAGE

SOME CARS just don’t get no respect. Here’s one that had its genesis on the Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth. The car went on to best the likes of Cunningham, Jaguar … Continue reading

September 10, 2014 · Leave a comment

PICASSO SHOULD HEAR IT CALLED “SHMATTE”

NOT FOR the first time, a brief news item has a lot more interest lurking beneath its few paragraphs. The item, appearing on CBS New York, September 6, 2014 (http://goo.gl/epXRAq), … Continue reading

September 9, 2014 · 2 Comments

HAPPY DOG

THE UBIQUITOUS Hello Kitty and other happy cats are familiar bits of Japanese culture, but dogs are highly regarded there as well. I have several examples of canine folk art … Continue reading

September 8, 2014 · Leave a comment

STILL OFF-SCALE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIASTS of a certain age (and retentive memory) still celebrate the Tapley Meter. This British piece of instrumentation thrilled us no end when it measured that a car’s performance … Continue reading

September 6, 2014 · 3 Comments

BY THE NUMBERS….

HAVE YOU ever done anything “by the numbers”? Have you ever wondered about the origin of this phrase? Or have you actually ever painted by the numbers? This term “paint … Continue reading

September 5, 2014 · Leave a comment

HAPTICS—A TOUCHING TOPIC

ROBOTS DO a great many things better than their human counterparts, but they have yet to achieve our sense of touch. “Brainy, Yes, but Far From Handy,” by John Markoff, … Continue reading

September 3, 2014 · Leave a comment

CURVES OF STEEL

IN 2007, Dennita Sewell of the Phoenix Art Museum curated an exhibition titled “Curves of Steel,” featuring 22 automobiles of world-class stature. The exhibition’s catalog is a handsome book of … Continue reading

September 2, 2014 · 3 Comments

NETWORKING ALONG KÖNIGSBERG’S SEVEN BRIDGES

“THE SEVEN Bridges of Königsberg” sounds like a romantic novel set elsewhere than Iowa. In fact, though, it’s a classic problem of mathematics, one that led to modern mathematics’ graph theory, … Continue reading

September 1, 2014 · Leave a comment

THE WRIGHT ART

REPORTS OF the first powered, heavier-than-air, controlled flight encouraged artists around the world to incorporate the Wright Brothers’ craft in their work. Even today, the Wright Flyer is the subject … Continue reading

August 31, 2014 · Leave a comment

WHAT’S THAT IN FRANCS? BUT WHICH FRANCS?

THE EURO took a lot of fun out of European travel. This less than profound thought came to me recently when sharing a tale of currency exchange with friends Kathy … Continue reading

August 30, 2014 · Leave a comment