Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

VIRGIN ISLAND KITCHEN

THERE’S SERENDIPITY in organizing old books. Where else would I expect to find my signed edition, from 1969, of Erva Boulon’s cookbook? And why else would I research this Virgin … Continue reading →

October 5, 2013 · 2 Comments

JAPANESE AESTHETICS, COURTESY OF MAZDA

SOME YEARS back, Mazda offered a short course in Japanese aesthetics through publication of several books. Being the Nipponophile I am, I am delighted to share details here. The four … Continue reading →

October 4, 2013 · 2 Comments

A COYOTE TALE

IT’S ONE of North America’s more encouraging ecological tales: Coyotes are thriving. Never endangered, never protected, Canis latrans (Latin for “barking dog”) was once indigenous to roughly the U.S. Mountain … Continue reading →

October 3, 2013 · 3 Comments

HOUDINI—PIONEER AVIATOR

HARRY HOUDINI performed death-defying feats during the early years of the 20th Century. Flying through the air—in the earliest of aeroplanes—was one of these feats, an achievement that got him … Continue reading →

October 2, 2013 · 1 Comment

HERE’S TO THE IGGIES!

IG NOBEL Prizes for 2013 have been announced. These annual honors are organized by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine and co-sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Society of Physics Students and … Continue reading →

October 1, 2013 · 1 Comment

OP SHAKESPEARE

WE RECOGNIZE the sounds of Shakespearean English, that regal, full and slightly plummy resonance of the language. But this is modern theatrical English; it’s not the language as she was … Continue reading →

September 30, 2013 · Leave a comment

SUBARU EYESIGHT

ACCIDENT MITIGATION and autonomous driving are much in the news these days. Autonomous driving claims to replace the driver in mundane tasks of mobility. By contrast, accident mitigation takes over … Continue reading →

September 29, 2013 · Leave a comment

TOM McCAHILL

THERE HAVE been lots of automotive journalists over the years, but Tom McCahill was one of a kind. He more or less invented the U.S. road test and certainly enriched … Continue reading →

September 28, 2013 · 9 Comments

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST (MAYBE)

EVERY SO often, even the blind pig finds a truffle. And so it is with this website. One way or the other, items in the past resonate with the latest news. … Continue reading →

September 27, 2013 · 1 Comment

THE RIGHT STUFF, THE WRONG WAY

AN IRASCIBLE Douglas Corrigan wanted to fly the Atlantic solo in the mid-1930s. However, federal officials looked at his clunker of an airplane and said no. The officials had good … Continue reading →

September 26, 2013 · 4 Comments