WHALE TALES
I DISLIKE multi-tasking but confess what follows is simultaneously a book review, a favored research activity and a technological report. Christopher Moore’s book Fluke is a tale of whimsy, fantasty … Continue reading
WHAT’S THAT IN LIGHT WARLPIRI?
A LANGUAGE is being born in Australia’s Northern Territory. Warlpiri rampamu is spoken by a small, isolated group of indigenous Australians, most under the age of 35. This is noteworthy … Continue reading
HOLMES’ WHEELS
PERSONAL MOBILITY was essential to Sherlock Holmes in his pursuit of evil doers. And, generally, in London and elsewhere, his travels had nothing to do with internal combustion. (See http://www.wp.me/p2ETap-dK … Continue reading
AIRCRAFT IN JAPAN, 1910-1945
FLYING MACHINES, both lighter- and heavier-than-air, came early to Japan. The country’s heritage of civil aircraft is wonderfully documented—in both Japanese and English—in one book in my collection. Another book, … Continue reading
BMW i3
TECHNICAL DETAILS of the 2014 BMW i3 urban electric vehicle have now been revealed. Is it a major step forward for BEVs? Is it a technical marvel? Is it merely … Continue reading
MY BOBSLEDS
BOBSLEDDING WOULD be my ideal sport. Run for only a short distance, hop into the bobsled, go like hell and have gravity scare the bejesus out of me. Plus, I … Continue reading
GAMING NOISE
“I WON! I won!” Or maybe not. Artfully engineered responses from games—and gambling hardware—are designed to encourage continued play through what researchers call “losses disguised as wins.” This concept is … Continue reading
THE ALPS: MOUNTAINS OF PROMINENCE
THE ALPS are more impressive than the Rockies. True, both have neat scenery, wonderful roads and great touring. But in the Rockies, you’re already starting from a mile high. It’s … Continue reading
PROPULSION FIGHT
THIS ISN’T the first time society gets to decide on personal mobility. Back at the previous turn of the century—the 19th to the 20th—the propulsion fight was among electricity, steam … Continue reading
ORCHESTRIONS
IF YOU’VE ridden a carousel, you’ve heard the music of an orchestrion. Think of this pneumatically controlled collection of pipes and percussion as sort of a high-level music box, but with … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 