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’

Old News – March 31, 2018 (permalink)

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.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage photo #automaton #robot #news #vintage headline #vintage news #animatronic #robot model #headline
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This May Surprise You – March 30, 2018 (permalink)

Key juggling attracts the demon of jangled nerves.  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
> read more from This May Surprise You . . .
#vintage ad #demon #imp #devil #nerves #jangled #ad
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Old News – March 29, 2018 (permalink)

You don't even have to be a swimmer for this to work -- "Swimmer sees mistakes reflected in mirror."  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
> read more from Old News . . .
#man in the mirror #vintage headline #mistakes #look in a mirror #headline
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Restoring the Lost Sense – March 28, 2018 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
[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 #cowboy #motorcycle #harley davidson #ad
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Images Moving Through Time – March 27, 2018 (permalink)

From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#vintage photo #mannequin
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Restoring the Lost Sense – March 26, 2018 (permalink)

"How part or all of [a] photograph may be made invisible by swabbing with special fluid."  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
[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 #illustration #invisibility
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Old News – March 25, 2018 (permalink)

"Big thrills from little negatives."  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage ad #negative #vintage headline #big thrills #headline #ad
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Old News – March 24, 2018 (permalink)

"Overalls force plane to make landing."  A headline from Popular Mechanics, 1920.
> read more from Old News . . .
#weird headline #vintage headline #overalls #headline
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Old News – March 23, 2018 (permalink)

"Rainbow seen from plane is circle of color."  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage illustration #rainbow #vintage headline #illustration #headline
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Images Moving Through Time – March 22, 2018 (permalink)


> read more from Images Moving Through Time . . .
#vintage illustration #boat #illustration #strongman #strong man #art
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Old News – March 21, 2018 (permalink)

"A blow-out!  Will it be your turn next?"  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage ad #vintage headline #blowout #headline #ad
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Restoring the Lost Sense – March 19, 2018 (permalink)

"Join the knights of the highway."  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
[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 #knight #illustration #motorcycle #harley davidson #ad
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Restoring the Lost Sense – March 18, 2018 (permalink)

The jangled nerves of a pencil chewer.  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
[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 ad #demon #devil #nerves #1930s #pencil chewing #ad
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Old News – March 17, 2018 (permalink)

"Tiny windmills serve as eyes."  From Popular Mechanics, 1929.
> read more from Old News . . .
#weird headline #vintage headline #windmills #headline
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Old News – March 16, 2018 (permalink)

"Wrapping the world in furs."  From Popular Mechanics, 1923.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage illustration #vintage headline #illustration #fur #seal #headline #art
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Restoring the Lost Sense – March 15, 2018 (permalink)

"Device for smuggling intoxicants."  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 #liquor #alcohol #illustration #intoxicants #smuggler
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Restoring the Lost Sense – March 14, 2018 (permalink)

Goggles saved both his eyes on the same day.  From Popular Mechanics, 1923.
[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 #illustration #safety goggles #safety poster #eye protection #art
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Old News – March 13, 2018 (permalink)

"An elephant made of walnuts."  From Popular Mechanics, 1909.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage illustration #elephant #vintage headline #illustration #walnuts #headline
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Old News – March 11, 2018 (permalink)

Weather changes explained -- "Chicks turn heat on and off."  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
> read more from Old News . . .
#vintage illustration #chicken #vintage headline #illustration #smart animal #chicks #turn up the heat #headline
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Restoring the Lost Sense – March 10, 2018 (permalink)

"35 -- but out of date!  He's young; a few years ago his friends and associates predicted a great future for him.  But something happened.  The world got ahead of him.  He didn't realize it until the business procession was almost out of sight.  He is not alone in his predicament."  From Popular Mechanics, 1934.
[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 ad #out of date #over the hill #ad
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