CONTRASTING VIEWS THIRTY YEARS AGO
“AS ENGINEERING EDITOR,” I BEGAN, “I TAUGHT KIM REYNOLDS everything I knew about road testing. And, as Road Test Editor, he’s learned even more on his own.” This and the … Continue reading
CROWS COUNT
IN TEACHING MATH FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS, I oft shared the tale of a farmer plagued by crows feasting on his crops. The corvids weren’t fooled by a scarecrow. And they’d … Continue reading
A PLEA FOR SCIENTOCRACY
IMAGINE GOVERNMENT ADOPTING SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES of observation, measurement, experiment, and refinement of hypotheses. Instead we have hypocritical jackasses following whatever conspiracy theories happen to come to what passes for mind. … Continue reading
THE BONAPARTE/WALEWSKA FLING (THE FLICK, NOT REAL LIFE)
IT’S GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT NAPOLEON BONAPARTE fooled around. Wikipedia notes in an extensively documented entry, “Napoleon acknowledged one illegitimate son: Charles Léon (1806–1881) by Eléonore Denuelle de La Plaigne. Alexandre Colonna-Walewski (1810–1868), the son of … Continue reading
TEMPORARY? NO WAY!
THE DAILYPASSPORT WEBSITE RECENTLY POSTED A TANTALIZINGLY TITLED “10 Iconic Structures That Were Supposed to be Temporary.” I could guess at several I’ve visited (The Eiffel Tower, The London Eye, … Continue reading
CELEBRATING RADIO CAROLINE—648 ON YOUR AM DIAL
“WHAT’S A ‘DIAL,’ GRANDPA?” And, for that matter, what’s “AM” besides time to get up for the day? Caroline logo on the ship’s starboard (its right side for us land-lubbers). … Continue reading
VILLA D’ESTE AS SEEN BY C&SC
THE BRITISH CLASSIC & SPORTS CAR is my preferred auto magazine. And one of its subscriber spiffs is a regular online presence. Indeed, recently C&SC visited one of my favorite … Continue reading
STRETTO PIANOS
RACHMANINOFF’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3, “RACH 3,” as it is known, is notoriously difficult and feared by many pianists, particularly those with smaller handspans. Details about this are offered in … Continue reading
A NEW PARLOUR GAME (AT LEAST TO ME)
A FRIEND IN ANACORTES INTRODUCES me to a new parlour game (or for any other locale one has these days): Take a well-known expression in a foreign language, change a … Continue reading
SCENIC ROUTES IN THE U.S.
THE JUNE 2024 SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE CELEBRATES “THE WHEEL DEAL: This space-age sensation kicked the American road trip into high gear.” Its topic by Steven Melendez is a familiar one to … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 