UNIVERSAL DESIGN
THE PRINCIPLES of universal design offer utility to people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations. Note, too, this isn’t just about the...
View ArticleTRADING IN NANOSECONDS
I RECALL that my degree in mathematics came with a pledge to use this knowledge always for Good and never for Evil. Apart from occasionally torturing students with exam tie-breakers, I believe I’ve...
View ArticleA PILOT’S VIEW, EPISODE 2
THE FIRST pilots moved levers forward and aft, wiggled their hips or shoulders this way or that and gripped wheels, only some of which steered. (See http://wp.me/p2ETap-2aF.) Before long, however,...
View ArticleARE HYBRIDS PASSÉ?
HYBRIDS OFFER fuel economy better than 40 mpg, but apparently only a few buyers care. “Have hybrid cars hit their peak?” asks Automotive News correspondent Mark Rechtin in the June 9, 2014, issue of...
View ArticleTRANSPORT MEMORABILIA, 1995 (AND TIMELESS)
I LOVE auction catalogs. They contain a wealth of information. Printed on fine stock, they are typically a bibliophile’s delight. Transport Memorabilia and Models, including the Klaus Düts collection...
View ArticleSCHMID LSR CRACKS 800 KM/H AT BONNEVILLE
VIRTUALLY, THE Land Speed Record car of Leopold F. Schmid has achieved its design goal of 800 km/h, 497 mph or 432 knots. I include this third equivalent unit because my GMax-built Schmid LSR performed...
View ArticleON BILINGUAL TROLLEY ACCIDENTS
DO OUR morals depend on which language we’re speaking? Can something be ethically acceptable in a second language, but not in our native tongue? Researchers in cognitive sciences say “yes,” as reported...
View ArticlePETER HELCK—THE ENTHUSIAST’S ARTIST
MANY ARTISTS have specialized in automobiles, but few with the enthusiasm of Peter Helck. How many other American artists traveled Europe to cover motor racing? How many were commissioned by Esquire...
View ArticleMAKE BIG AUTO BUCKS WITHOUT SELLING CARS
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES can give rise to curious marketing anomalies. For instance, it’s possible within the auto industry to make big bucks without selling cars. This reminds me of an adage when I was...
View ArticleGUIDE(S) TO PARIS
“PARIS, THE capital of France, may justly be termed the centre of the whole pleasure seeking world…” And for the armchair traveller, there’s nothing better than a stack of Paris guidebooks with which...
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