AN OLD CHINA HAND
THERE’S SPECIAL charm—not to say downright adventure—trusting the advice of old guidebooks. Something worth seeing 100 years ago is likely still worth a view, provided, of course, it’s still there. … Continue reading
BIG CATS, DOGS—AND A SEA OTTER?
BEING AT the top of the food web carries real ecological responsibilities. And I’m not talking about you or me. I’m talking about certain members of the order Carnivra, the … Continue reading
PANHARD DYNA X, DEUTSCH-BONNET AND MONOPOLE
FRENCH CARS have always been quirky fun, and Panhards are among the quirkiest. The Panhard Dyna X, introduced in post-World-War II, bristled with innovative features. It spawned a passel of … Continue reading
SCI-FI—OR IS IT CHILLINGLY NON-FI?
THERE’S A genre of science fiction that I enjoy, the near-term alternative-world variety. No alien invasions. No collisions of worlds. And no zombies, thank you. Just our own world gone … Continue reading
AMERICAN HONDA TAKES TO THE AIR
THE HondaJet is one of the coolest Hondas in the world. With a little more than a decade in development, this light business jet is in its final stages of … Continue reading
PITY THE SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETER
IT IS difficult to imagine a more nerve-wracking job than real-time translation. A person prattles on in one language while the audience wearing headphones awaits your interpretation in another. This … Continue reading
THE ULTIMATE SLEDDING MACHINE
THIS TITLE sounds like a sister slogan of a Bavarian automaker, but it’s completely appropriate: BMW plays an important role in the U.S. Olympic Team’s two-man and two-woman bobsled competition … Continue reading
PRIDDY FINE ART
AUTOMOBILE SPY photographers have been known for stealth, but not particularly for artistry. Brenda Priddy, however, is an exception. Her spy photo credits have appeared in prestigious magazines such as … Continue reading
SOLID-STATE BATTERY UPDATE
TOYOTA HAS recently released data on its battery research, both for solid-state batteries expected during a 2020s’ timeframe as well as a next-generation lithium-air concept perhaps a decade beyond that. … Continue reading
ABRAMS P-1 EXPLORER
EARLY AVIATOR Talbert “Ted” Abrams was the father of aerial photography. Not only did he perfect the genre into a measurement-oriented photogrammetry, he also established an aircraft manufacturing company to … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 