HELLO, KITTY—FROM FERAL TO FRIENDLY
THREE RECENT events got me thinking about the world’s most popular pet, Felis silvestris catus, the domestic cat. First of all, Los Angeles hosted the first Hello Kitty Convention. Then … Continue reading
AMILCAR—A ROLLING SPIRIT OF THE ROARING TWENTIES
RACING, IT is said, improves the breed. And, maybe inadvertently, government improves the breed as well. Or at least racing and government combined to the benefit of the French Amilcar. … Continue reading
McCLINTOCK No. 1 AND COAL OIL JOHNNY
IN THESE days of fracking and horizontal drilling, seemingly seeking the last drop of petroleum, it’s comforting that the world’s longest-running oil well, McClintock No. 1, remains productive after 153 … Continue reading
DUCHESS OF ALBA, R.I.P.
IT ISN’T everyone whose ancestor’s nude portrait may hang in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. But for the late 18th Duchess of Alba, this was probably a whimsical sidelight … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW 2014
AUTO SHOWS are good fun, whether they’re overflowing with live-action glitz or merely new-car curious tire-kickers. Here are some tidbits from our local show of international status, the Los Angeles … Continue reading
MINI BOOKS OF ART
ART BOOKS are often oversize tomes appropriate for display on coffee tables, but I have a trio of them that would fit in a single pocket. Nonetheless, each celebrates its … Continue reading
A MURDER AT TUDOR CLOSE
A SHOW of hands, please, of those who know Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green or Mrs. Peacock. North Americans suspect these people of murder performed … Continue reading
ALEXANDER EAGLEROCK
IF YOU’VE changed planes in Denver (and haven’t we all at one time or another?), you might well have admired a biplane displayed overhead near Gate 21 of Concourse B. … Continue reading
LASERS OVER MAHWAH
IT’S NOT exactly Bullets Over Broadway, but Lasers Over Mahwah is the reality of High Frequency Trading of stocks, as practiced in one of the world’s major centers of such … Continue reading
STRUCTURAL INSTABILITY
IT MAY seem odd that the BBC World Service got me thinking of dynamical systems being structurally stable or not. However, this happened at 6:05 a.m. on Thursday, November 13, 2014. … Continue reading
