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

HOW DO YOU SAY THAT IN MID-ATLANTIC?

KATHARINE HEPBURN OR ORSON WELLES would have known. And, being as I am into old movies, I recognize this artificial accent as its name suggests sort of a mix of … Continue reading

October 14, 2023 · 1 Comment

WEAVNG A LIFE OF ART: DOROTHY LIEBES

FIBER ARTS HAVE FASCINATED BOTH Wife Dottie ( “We Keep Sheep, Y’Know”) and Daughter Suz (“On Stage at Scripps College”). Thus I was interested to read Katherine Roth describing “An … Continue reading

October 13, 2023 · 2 Comments

HAVE A GRINDER WITH A FRAPPE

THE RECENT WORD GENIUS titled “10 Words Only People From New England Will Understand” evoked memories of my undergrad years some six decades ago at Worcester Poly. Anyone familiar with … Continue reading

October 12, 2023 · 1 Comment

G.P. MERCEDES OF MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO    PART 2

YESTERDAY, ANTHONY BIRD OFFERED ANALYSIS of the 1908 G.P. Mercedes, a 12.8-liter behemoth winning the Grand Prix at Dieppe much to the consternation of the French (who, in a sense, … Continue reading

October 11, 2023 · 1 Comment

G.P. MERCEDES OF MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO   PART 1

IT WAS 115 YEARS BEFORE TODAY’S Mercedes-Benz participation in Grand Prix racing (and, indeed, it wasn’t until 1926 that the hyphenated firm even existed). Laurence Pomeroy’s The Grand Prix Car … Continue reading

October 10, 2023 · Leave a comment

MY MY FAIR LADY   PART 2

YESTERDAY WE SAW Pygmalion evolve from Greek legend to George Bernard Shaw play to Leslie Howard/Wendy Hiller movie to Broadway’s My Fair Lady and its Hollywood flick to my entertaining … Continue reading

October 9, 2023 · Leave a comment

MY MY FAIR LADY   PART 1

I’M ENJOYING MY FAIR LADY on Turner Classic Movies in multiple viewings: Conveniently enough, the first one coincided with the closing notes of “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” the second one … Continue reading

October 8, 2023 · 2 Comments

NOT SO SILENT

MY FAVORITE TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES are from the pre-Code Thirties, though I confess to enjoying the occasional silent film. Indeed, a couple of the latter are real keepers having been … Continue reading

October 7, 2023 · 2 Comments

HÉLÈNE DUTRIEU—AVIATRIX AND MORE

I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT HÉLÈNE DUTRIEU from my Minute Epics of Flight, a book that begins with ancient Babylon and Etana’s flight on the back of an eagle and brings … Continue reading

October 6, 2023 · 4 Comments

WHAT MAKES FOR A PERFECT TWO-SEAT COMMUTER?

BACK IN DECEMBER 1983, R&T WROTE “The 1.5-liter CRX is the most fun you can have on four wheels for less than $7000.” Cover blurbs blurbed, “Lotus Turbo Esprit: blindingly … Continue reading

October 5, 2023 · 3 Comments