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.
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Abecedarian personal effects of 'a mad genius'
A Turkish Delight of musings on languages, deflations of metaphysics, vauntings of arcana, and great visual humor.

Found 608 posts tagged ‘popular mechanics’

Restoring the Lost Sense – November 12, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1930.
[Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost sense of immediacy.  We follow the founder of the Theater of Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free.  The images we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.]
> read more from Restoring the Lost Sense . . .
#vintage illustration #vintage ad #bicycle #illustration #the people could fly #glider #art #ad
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Old News – November 12, 2017 (permalink)

"Guardians of the ghost camps."  From Popular Mechanics, 1928.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage illustration #ghosts #vintage headline #illustration #headline #art
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This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea – November 11, 2017 (permalink)

"The ways of a waterspout."  From Popular Mechanics, 1928.
   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(
`-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `
"The sea is a cruel mistress. Yet again the sea has behaved unconscionably. It's time to address this terrible problem that is the sea." —Captain Neddie, from the hilarious BBC series Broken News
> read more from This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea . . .
#vintage illustration #illustration #waterspout #art
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This May Surprise You – November 10, 2017 (permalink)

As his hand passed over the magic sphere, a steel mill 300 miles away was set in operation.  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from This May Surprise You . . .
#vintage magic #1920s #magic ball #magic sphere
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Old News – November 9, 2017 (permalink)

"Flames from Liberty torch only chemical smoke."  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Old News . . .
#statue of liberty #vintage headline #lady liberty #blowing smoke #headline
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Restoring the Lost Sense – November 8, 2017 (permalink)

Mindreading.  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
[Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost sense of immediacy.  We follow the founder of the Theater of Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free.  The images we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.]
> read more from Restoring the Lost Sense . . .
#vintage illustration #magician #vintage magic #mind reading #mentalism #mind reader #stage magic #illustration #art
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Old News – November 7, 2017 (permalink)

"His tail between his legs.  Most men are being whipped every day in the battle of life.  Many have already reached the stage where they have their tails between their legs."  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage illustration #1920s #vintage headline #illustration #emasculated #tail between the legs #headline #art
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Old News – November 6, 2017 (permalink)

"How hard do you sleep?"  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Old News . . .
#insomnia #sleeping #vintage headline #sleep study #sleep science #headline
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Go Out in a Blaze of Glory – November 5, 2017 (permalink)

Here's Milwaukee as a giant candle taller than Chicago.  From Popular Mechanics, 1933.
> read more from Go Out in a Blaze of Glory . . .
#vintage illustration #candle #giant candle #chicago #milwaukee #illustration
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Old News – November 5, 2017 (permalink)

"Games you can't beat."  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage illustration #vintage headline #illustration #vintage man #man #shell game #headline #art
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Restoring the Lost Sense – November 4, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
[Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost sense of immediacy.  We follow the founder of the Theater of Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free.  The images we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.]
> read more from Restoring the Lost Sense . . .
#vintage illustration #vintage ad #vintage telephone #1920s #telephone #illustration #giant telephone #art #ad
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Restoring the Lost Sense – November 3, 2017 (permalink)

"Playing games with the ghost of himself."  From Popular Mechanics, 1909.
[Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost sense of immediacy.  We follow the founder of the Theater of Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free.  The images we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.]
> read more from Restoring the Lost Sense . . .
#vintage illustration #ghost #spirit photography #illustration #ghost of himself
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Images Moving Through Time – November 2, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#anthropomorphism #vintage photo #weird photo #lol
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This May Surprise You – November 1, 2017 (permalink)

Here is revealed how to talk back to a loud speaker.  From Popular Mechanics, 1930.
> read more from This May Surprise You . . .
#talking back
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Old News – November 1, 2017 (permalink)

It's not just squirrels who save walnuts.  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Old News . . .
#butterflies #vintage headline #walnuts #headline
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Restoring the Lost Sense – October 31, 2017 (permalink)

Chained!  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
[Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost sense of immediacy.  We follow the founder of the Theater of Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free.  The images we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.]
> read more from Restoring the Lost Sense . . .
#vintage illustration #vintage ad #illustration #responsibility #discouragement #chained #burdens #in a rut #art #ad
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This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea – October 29, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1923.
   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(
`-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `
"The sea is a cruel mistress. Yet again the sea has behaved unconscionably. It's time to address this terrible problem that is the sea." —Captain Neddie, from the hilarious BBC series Broken News
> read more from This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea . . .
#vintage illustration #boat #illustration #sharks #art
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This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea – October 29, 2017 (permalink)

"Ghostly voices brought from bottom of sea."  From Popular Mechanics, 1930.
   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(   ,(
`-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `-'  `
"The sea is a cruel mistress. Yet again the sea has behaved unconscionably. It's time to address this terrible problem that is the sea." —Captain Neddie, from the hilarious BBC series Broken News
> read more from This Terrible Problem That Is the Sea . . .
#ghosts #under the sea #weird headline #headline
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Restoring the Lost Sense – October 28, 2017 (permalink)

"Heirloom or not -- give it the air!"  From Popular Mechanics, 1933.
[Inexplicable images from generations ago invite us to restore the lost sense of immediacy.  We follow the founder of the Theater of Spontaneity, Jacob Moreno, who proposed stringing together "now and then flashes" to unfetter illusion and let imagination run free.  The images we have collected for this series came at a tremendous price, which we explained previously.]
> read more from Restoring the Lost Sense . . .
#vintage illustration #vintage ad #smoke #pipe smoker #illustration #vintage pipe #heirloom #ad
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Old News – October 28, 2017 (permalink)

"Hearing through the teeth possible with stick."  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Old News . . .
#deafness #hearing #vintage headline #headline
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