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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
TOOT A LOO, AMBY
HINDUSTAN MOTORS Ltd has shut down production of the Ambassador, as reported in a series of BBC News reports, August 27, 2014. It’s an event celebrated in India with mixed … Continue reading
