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.
"'Hullo, old lady!' he said in a little flute-like voice, 'you don't seem very comfortable." From Fairy Prince Follow-My-Lead by Emily E. Reader, 1885.
"It may surprise you to hear that humans, by comparison with other species, are conspicuously cooperative and helpful to each other." —Origins of Language: A Slim Guide
Q: "Who is responsible?" —Judy, Or The London Serio-Comic Journal, 1886.
A: "In all likelihood, the responsibility lies with both of you – even though your role and your faults have only been those of passive neglect." —Ernest Dichter and Motivation Research