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

DOUBLE FEATURES     PART 1

THOSE OF A CERTAIN AGE may remember the motion picture phenomenon of double features. Here, in Parts 1 and 2 today and tomorrow, are tidbits of exceptional twin billings, some … Continue reading

August 6, 2023 · 4 Comments

JANE’S ART    PART 2

YESTERDAY, TIDBITS FOCUSED ON SEVERAL ADS from Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft 1919. Today in Part 2, we enjoy the high level of technical illustration in this particular Jane’s. Attributions. … Continue reading

August 5, 2023 · Leave a comment

JANE’S ART    PART 1

A FELLOW NAMED JANE WAS a fin-de-siecle gamer with a special interest in naval battles. Wikipedia recounts, “He first began to sketch warships in his teens, and was notable in … Continue reading

August 4, 2023 · 1 Comment

COME SI DICE SPRITE IN ITALIANO?

THE QUESTION ABOVE (“HOW TO SAY SPRITE IN ITALIAN?”) has a perfect response in “Innocenti,” pronounced “I-no-CHEN-ty.” R&T concurred in May 1964: “A newcomer among the sports car currently offered … Continue reading

August 3, 2023 · 3 Comments

THE JAPAN YEAR BOOK 1918

NATIONAL “YEAR BOOKS” AREN’T THE SORT OF THING that a tourist totes around. Instead, they’re compendia identifying a country’s territory, its government, its people, its commerce, its general goings-on for … Continue reading

August 2, 2023 · Leave a comment

“FAIR USE” AND A.I.    PART 2

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL POPPING UP in generative A.I. is causing legal complications of the Fair Use Doctrine. Here in Part 2, more tidbits are gleaned from Paula Samuelson’s “Generative AI Meets … Continue reading

August 1, 2023 · Leave a comment

“FAIR USE” AND A.I.    PART 1

THE USE OF LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS scooping up copyrighted material has become a complex legal issue. Paula Samuelson’s article “Generative AI Meets Copyright” addresses fascinating aspects of this in AAAS … Continue reading

July 31, 2023 · Leave a comment

CALIFORNIA: AN AV LUDDITE OR JUST CAUTIOUS?

MY HOME STATE IS OFTEN criticized for being overly progressive (about things like human rights, y’know). But lately California has adopted less than enthusiasm for AVs, Autonomous Vehicles. Despite being … Continue reading

July 30, 2023 · 2 Comments

THANKS, MR. LIEBERSON, FOR ORIGINAL CAST LPS

FUNNY HOW ONE BIT OF SLEUTHING leads to another: In learning about Vera Zorina, one of the guests at Duffy’s Tavern, I found that her second husband was Goddard Lieberson. … Continue reading

July 29, 2023 · 1 Comment

MY FAIR 日本 LADY GETS A RELATIVE MEH FROM THE R&T TESTERS (PLUS A DATED COMMENTARY)

THE DATSUN SPL-310 WAS KNOWN as the Fairlady in right-hand-drive markets, the name linked to My Fair Lady, the fabulously successful Broadway show at the time. Indeed, Wikipedia notes, “To … Continue reading

July 28, 2023 · 2 Comments