THAR’S GOLD IN THEM THAR PHONES
WIFE DOTTIE came upon a fascinating bit of recycling knowledge at the Urban Mining website (urbanmining.org): There’s more gold in a ton of recycled cellphone circuitry than there is in … Continue reading
OUTDATED ENGINEERING WINS THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
THE HAWKER Hurricane had old fashioned design elements even when introduced in 1935. And, yes, it was technically outshone by the Supermarine Spitfire coming along several years later. But the … Continue reading
VISITING “SCARIEST” AIRPORTS IN FLIGHT SIM
ACCORDING TO southern California’s Orange County Register newspaper, our local John Wayne Airport (KSNA, Santa Ana) makes the list as one of the scariest. This appellation comes from a travel … Continue reading
PLUG-IN HYBRIDS ARE NEAT, BUT NOT CREATED EQUAL
PLUG-IN hybrids, PHEVs, for short, have found more than 13,000 new homes in the U.S. during first six months of 2012; this, according to Edmonds.com. Most of these sales, of … Continue reading
NEW ASSEMBLY LINE MOVES PEOPLE, NOT PRODUCTS
VALEO SA, a worldwide auto supplier, has a radical way of building its subassemblies, things like the front-end modules for the new Infiniti JX. Rather than the product moving down … Continue reading
TONTO, TRAIN RAILS AND DISILLUSION
WHEN I was a youngster growing up in Cleveland, my parents would send me to spend some time each summer with my grandparents in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Railroad tracks ran directly behind … Continue reading
CLARK GABLE, CAR ENTHUSIAST EXTRAORDINAIRE
THE GOODING & Company auction this Sunday, August 19, features a car immensely rich in wonderful tales, a fabulous 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe. Not just any JN Convertible … Continue reading
SHRIMP WALLOP INSPIRES COMPOSITE DESIGN
THE PEACOCK mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus is native to the Indo-Pacific from Guam to East Africa. A large shrimp growing to 7 in. long, it has feelers that are so … Continue reading
WATSON’S EYESIGHT, HOLMES’ EATING HABITS
FOLLOWERS OF Sherlock Holmes take everything written by Dr. John H. Watson as utter truth. It’s a charming conceit among Sherlockians that all of the tales were merely relayed to … Continue reading
FEDS LIKE FUEL CELLS—AGAIN
THE FEDERAL government appears to be back encouraging fuel cell development in transportation. What’s more, this is just in the nick of time, what with several automakers intent on introducing … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 