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 – October 27, 2017 (permalink)

"Facial features of jack-o’-lantern are made amusing with vegetables," from Popular Mechanics, 1937.
[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 . . .
#jack-o'-lantern
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Restoring the Lost Sense – October 27, 2017 (permalink)

A pumpkin monument from Popular Mechanics, 1914.
[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 . . .
#pumpkin
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Old News – October 26, 2017 (permalink)

"They thought I was drunk when I drove nails in my tire."  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage ad #1920s #puncture #vintage headline #nails #punctured tire #headline #ad
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Presumptive Conundrums – October 25, 2017 (permalink)

There's been talk of the "public face of mathematics," the "changing faces of mathematics," the "new face of mathematics," even the "other face of mathematics."  Here's the "human face of mathematics," from Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Presumptive Conundrums . . .
#mathematician #math face #1920s #math
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Images Moving Through Time – October 25, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1929.
> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#skull and crossbones
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Images Moving Through Time – October 24, 2017 (permalink)

A ouija-board-like glove from Popular Mechanics, 1923.
> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#vintage photo #glove #ouija #hand #talk to the hand #ouija glove #communication tool
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Images Moving Through Time – October 24, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1909.
> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#vintage illustration #rooster #egg #illustration #giant rooster #giant eggs
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Images Moving Through Time – October 23, 2017 (permalink)

We can confirm that this seance parlor conforms to the delicate standards outlined in Seance Parlor Feng Shui.  From Popular Mechanics, 1929.
> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#ghost #halloween #spirit #october #spiritualism #seance #hallowe'en #halloween party
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Go Out in a Blaze of Glory – October 23, 2017 (permalink)

Northern lights from London Bridge.  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.
> read more from Go Out in a Blaze of Glory . . .
#vintage illustration #northern lights #london bridge #aurora borealis #illustration #art
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Precursors – October 22, 2017 (permalink)

Here's a precursor to photocopy fading and digital compression artifacts.  "Photos sent through air by radio or over wire."  From Popular Mechanics, 1924.
> read more from Precursors . . .
#vintage illustration #illustration #send photo #degradation #art
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Old News – October 22, 2017 (permalink)

"Buds of lotus flower talk when they open."  (One of the few headlines we've believed in Popular Mechanics.)  From 1933.
Someone called "Melted Bart Simpson" writes: "I love the massive problem this blog has with Popular Mechanics.  Keep fighting the good fight."
> read more from Old News . . .
#flower #vintage headline #lotus #talking flower #headline
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Restoring the Lost Sense – October 21, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1924.
[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 #glowing eyes #moloch #illustration #art
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Old News – October 21, 2017 (permalink)

"Living faces are preserved by plaster masks."  From Popular Mechanics, 1931.
> read more from Old News . . .
#grotesque #mask #face mask #vintage headline #plaster #beauty tip #headline
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Old News – October 20, 2017 (permalink)

You may have thought you need electricity, but in actuality electricity needs you.  This we learn in Popular Mechanics, 1923.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage ad #vintage headline #electricity #headline #ad
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Restoring the Lost Sense – October 19, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1924.
[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 #cliff #illustration #move any mountain #erosion #art
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Old News – October 19, 2017 (permalink)

"'Living light' a possibility, scientist declares."  From Popular Mechanics, 1929.
> read more from Old News . . .
#light #weird headline #vintage headline #luminescence #headline
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Old News – October 18, 2017 (permalink)

"'Watch him make a fool of himself' I heard someone whisper.  Then I started!"  From Popular Mechanics, 1929.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage ad #vintage headline #lost his head #foolish #losing your head #making a fool of oneself #headline #ad
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Images Moving Through Time – October 18, 2017 (permalink)

"The most important thing in the world."  From Popular Mechanics, 1923.
> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#vintage illustration #vintage ad #vintage gay #gay #illustration #homoerotic #muscles #important #male physique #muscle man #art #ad
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Puzzles and Games – October 17, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1924.  We've also encountered this game of lawn checkers.
> read more from Puzzles and Games . . .
#vintage illustration #tiny man #1920s #illustration #giant checkers #art
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Old News – October 17, 2017 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1929.
> read more from Old News . . .
#weird headline #vintage headline #on all fours #16 street #headline
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