CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
"I stepped backward in time. How else explain my visit to that oddly old-fashioned office—which ceased to exist after I left?" From Fate magazine, 1960.
This happened to us when we purchased the Medusa plaque pictured here.
Here's how mycelium grows into a man, apparently. From the Molds and Man by Clyde M. Christensen. You may recall our previous encounter with slime mold.
We may think a certain type of way about dressing up animals, but it turns out that all creation wants new things to wear. From the Duluth Evening Herald, 1916.
You've heard the classic question about whether the glass is half full or half empty. Turns out it's both, simultaneously. A paradox! From Title IX: The Half Full, Half Empty Glass (1981; ERIC ED209152).
It's lesser known that Jesus Christ was of a knightly order. His coat of arms features a black cross mounted on 3 green hills, in a field of gold, topped with a double crown of stars and thorns. From the Duluth Evening Herald, 1903.
You may have read the evidence that Lincoln faked his death, but even more intriguing is the idea that he still lives. From Lincoln and the Riddle of Death by Robert V. Bruce, 1981.
No wonder we're so tired! "It may surprise you to learn that you also work during recess and at lunch. Playing and eating are work too!" From Put Screws to the Test by Sally Walker, 2012.