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, and a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly. 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.
An Animated Collage of the Hans Feibusch Gate House Mural
At the fairy-tale Welsh village of Portmeirion, Hans Feibusch's classical-style ceiling mural graces the archway of the Gate House. The figures are pagan deities, reminiscent of ancient zodiacal personages at play in the heavens. Acrobatically tumbling through the ethers, one figure atop a horse reaches out to join hands with another whose cape billows like a parachute. Though their fingers haven’t yet touched, their eyes are locked. The composition suggests a Yin/Yang balance and a clockwise cyclical flow. These figures may symbolize a connection, bonding, or affinity. They epitomize the quest for the Other that stretches us as human beings, at the risk of breaking our hearts.
The mural is too large to be photographed in a single frame. Below we have animated the reconstruction of the complete image from 23 separate photographs.
