RACE DRIVERS EVOLVED
TODAY’S RACE drivers—especially those in the lofty realm of Formula 1—have evolved into specialists who possess intellect as well as athleticism. They’re closer to astronauts than they are to race … Continue reading
BUGATTI F1
THE ENGINE of Bugatti’s Type 251 Formula 1 car is mounted properly aft of the driver. This engine has double overhead camshafts and its eight cylinders are fashionably oversquare, the … Continue reading
CAUSALITY?
“THERE ARE lies, damned lies—and statistics!” And one of the damnedest lies—which, I hasten to add, shouldn’t be blamed on statistics—involves the confusion of “causality” with “correlation.” This shows up … Continue reading
PAPAL HIGHJINKS
THE ACCESSION of Pope Francis I has been taking place with high ceremony and, given His Holiness’s nature, a sense of humility. But it wasn’t always that way. In the … Continue reading
TOYOTA, HONDA SITTING EPA-PRETTY
WITHOUT A lot of fanfare last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published an update of automakers and their emissions credits amassed since 2009. Toyota and Honda are sitting pretty. GM … Continue reading
THE ROYALS—OLD AND NEW
HILARY MANTEL is a marvelous writer, whether she’s documenting the Tudor goings-on of Henry VIII et al or delivering a lecture as part of the London Review of Books Winter … Continue reading
BUGATTI 100P
ETTORE BUGATTI combined artistry with his engineering of cars, boats, railway transport—and an airplane, the Bugatti 100P. In the mid-1930s, he teamed with Belgian aeronautical engineer Louis de Monge to … Continue reading
WAR BY BITS AND BYTES
CYBER WAR: Does this describe the next major world conflict? Or is it merely electronic saber rattling of those hoping to profit from a non-threat? An item in 1 March … Continue reading
WHAT’S ISINGLASS?
“WITH ISINGLASS curtains y’ can roll right down/In case there’s a change in the weather.”—“The Surrey With The Fringe On Top,” from Oklahoma!, 1943. What do you suppose “isinglass” was? … Continue reading
NANO BRIGHT
KEEPING GRANDMA’S silver tea service nice and bright has always been a pain—until now. Researchers in the University of Maryland’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering have applied nanoscience to … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 