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.
Why is it Thanksgiving has to be overshadowed by Christmas? Because no one sets up a corn stalk in their living room and piles tons of Thanksgiving presents around it. From Fitchburg's The Cycle newspaper, 1970.
Perversely, this article about how witches aren't pointy-hatted, broomstick-riding crones is illustrated with a pointy-hatted, broomstick-riding crone. From the Villanovan newspaper, 1977.
See this remarkable guide to practial magick you can do with a pencil and paper: The Pencil Witch.
If you ever wondered about how fashion models affect those still expressions, it's all done with motors. The headline reads, "Expression of model's face changed by motor." From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
Here's someone who somehow managed to take 30 years to come up with a symbol for the word "the," only to gain the general public's indifference. From Popular Mechanics, 1929.
"A pyramid of lost articles," from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1915. "Just because you lost it is not sign that you'll never see it again. On the contrary, the chances are 96% in your favor!"
Here's a precursor to the "tinfoil hats" of those shielding against mind control by governmental or paranormal forces. In 1920s England, tinfoil hats were a fashion statement. From Popular Mechanics, 1927.