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.
A baker's dozen of things that inspire "wordless awe"*
1. the star-encrusted heavens 2. the thunderous silence of Yosemite 3. a classically beautiful woman 4. a diamond necklace 5. cherry blossoms 6. nature's grandeur 7. anatomical knowledge 8. standing atop Mt. Wilson 9. the thought of God 10. scientific discoveries 11. the shrouded dead 12. new life 13. ancient architectural wonders
* found via online research, in no particular order