LES AUTOS VOISIN
IT WAS 14 years after founding Avions Voisin in 1905 that the highly talented—and even more highly eccentric—Gabriel Voisin turned from aeroplanes (www.wp.me/p2ETap-B3) to automobiles. And what automobiles! Gabriel Voisin’s cars … Continue reading
PEWABIC POTTERY
FOR MANY years now, I’ve kept a touchstone at my work table. Merely through its appearance and texture, this object helps me put things—good or bad—in perspective. My touchstone is … Continue reading
JV CARS
THE “JV” I have in mind is “Joint Venture,” wherein two or more companies share their talents in research, development or production. We’ve seen this big time with Subaru/Toyota and their BRZ/Scion … Continue reading
JENNY LORE
THE CURTISS JN4-D “Jenny” was the iconic biplane of the Twenties, the aeroplane of choice for an entire generation of barnstormers including Charles Lindbergh. If it was good enough for … Continue reading
HANDS ON THE WHEEL
A FREQUENT query: “I have $xxxx to spend and want to improve my car’s handling. What should I do? Tires? Shocks? Springs? Anti-roll bars? ” An honest reply: Attend a … Continue reading
LAGO D’ORTA
NORTHERN ITALY has beautiful lakes, all thanks to glaciers carving their way south from the Alps. Maggiore, Como, even Garda are well known, but my favorite is Lago d’Orta. About … Continue reading
SCIENCE DUO
IT’S GREAT being a science dilettante, learning just enough about a topic to be fascinated without having to roll up one’s intellectual sleeves and actually do the science. The weekly Science … Continue reading
PARK IT!
A RECENT news item prompts this mini-history of the parking meter. According to the Orange County Register, January 20, 2013, Mexico City is installing parking meters in an effort to … Continue reading
FLYING 1918
WHEN LAST we encountered our intrepid—albeit only virtual—aviator, he/I had studied flying, 1909 style (http://wp.me/p2ETap-GO). I can now report that the Blériot has been good fun. Building the Blériot for … Continue reading
LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
NO PUN intended, but we need to go a little deeper with the grounding of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, their fire and smoke emergencies having been attributed to the aircraft’s use … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 