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

IS YOUR NAME OH TOO KIRA-KIRA?

I WAS NAMED FOR THE MOVIES’ DENNIS MORGAN, though I’ve thought of a makeover to a single “n” (as in St. Denis, hem hem, or Denis Jenkinson). This thought recently … Continue reading

December 3, 2023 · Leave a comment

NSU SPIDER—A MATTER OF WANKEL SHELF LIFE

IN 1965, R&T’S RON WAKEFIELD (hi, Ron!) wrote, “Eleven years ago Felix Wankel devised his first rotary-combustion engine, which incorporated the normal gasoline engine (Otto) cycle in an epitrochoidal combustion … Continue reading

December 2, 2023 · 1 Comment

GRANDPA IS HEP

I AM INHERENTLY HEP, STRIVING TO BE au courant with our English language, from Beowulf to Chaucer to, like, y’know, jive talk. Being grandfather of two teens, I read with … Continue reading

December 1, 2023 · 1 Comment

AMONG THE FIRST FLYING BOATS: DENHAUT’S OFFSPRING

THE FIRST HYDRO-AEROPLANE COMPETITION took place in Monaco in March 1912; the first Coupe d’Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, the Schneider Cup, came a year later. However, these races favored conventional … Continue reading

November 30, 2023 · Leave a comment

ETYMOLOGICAL FUN

WORDS ENTER A LANGUAGE BY A VARIETY OF MEANS: onomatopoeia (identifying a sound), evolution (derived from an earlier word), immigration (imported from another language), and, adding to the fun, downright … Continue reading

November 29, 2023 · Leave a comment

MANNEY DRIVES A LAMBO

INDEED, UNLESS TRACTORS ARE COUNTED, Henry N. Manney III’s drive was of a first Lamborghini, the 350 GT. As Henry wrote in the car’s July 1965 R&T road test, “Engineers … Continue reading

November 28, 2023 · 1 Comment

DAVID HOCKNEY: DRAWING FROM LIFE

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT: Britain’s National Gallery will see a return of the five-star exhibition, ‘David Hockney: Drawing from Life,’ which was staged for just 20 days … Continue reading

November 27, 2023 · Leave a comment

A.I. TO REVOLUTIONIZE WEATHER PREDICTION

METEOROLOGISTS DESCRIBE IT AS “the ‘quiet revolution’: a gradual but steady improvement in weather forecasting.” Paul Voosen writes in AAAS Science, November 17, 2023, “Today the 6-day forecast is about … Continue reading

November 26, 2023 · 1 Comment

THE ZBROJOVKA/JAWA SIBLINGS

A GERMAN MODEL MAKER introduced me to two Czech siblings, the introduction brought about by my favorite British car magazine. Here are tidbits gleaned from several sources.  The Introduction. Classic … Continue reading

November 25, 2023 · 3 Comments

DINNER AT EIGHT—THEATRE WITH REAL LEGS

I’VE JUST WATCHED DINNER AT EIGHT for the third time on Turner Classic Movies, and this 1933 flick continues to delight. Its 3:01 trailer at IMDb serves as a fine … Continue reading

November 24, 2023 · Leave a comment