AFRICA BIZARRE POSH
I’VE SAMPLED an odd bit of the African continent that can be justifiably characterized as bizarre posh. Awhile back, I was sorting photos while on a long airline trip and, just for … Continue reading
CLESSIE CUMMINS—A CLASSY GUY
THE SAME guy who invented the heavy-duty truckers’ Jake Brake toured Europe at the wheel of an Indy race car. He was also briefly credited with—incorrectly, I hasten to add—fueling … Continue reading
DATA MINING
CALL ME Big Data. Several years ago—never mind how long precisely—computers became potent enough to analyze huge collections of information. These metastudies of data mining have included everything from medical reports … Continue reading
RONALD SEARLE
THE ART and humor of Ronald Searle delighted me once again when I was moving some of my books and came upon Slightly Foxed. This wonderful book addresses one of … Continue reading
48 VOLTS
JOHNSON CONTROLS, a major automaker supplier, has announced it’s developing a 48-volt lithium-ion battery for automobile applications. According to Automotive News, January 21, 2013, an unnamed European automaker (spelled Mercedes-Benz?) … Continue reading
THE ART OF EARLY FLIGHT
FLYING WOULD have seemed magical to that earliest generation of viewers—including artists. Here’s a sampling of several books that display this. Each is listed at either http://www.amazon.com or http://www.abebooks.com. This … Continue reading
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
