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.
From the outrageous to the inspirational to the hilarious, here’s a daily reminder to break out of the old grind and do something unexpected, for the fun, the challenge, or the heck of it.
Do you deserve a nostalgic breather? Through the delicate workings of the music box, even the most dramatic compositions seem to play only for you. You’ll hear even a very familiar piece in a whole new way. Courtesy of home recording pioneer Ken Clinger, here’s today’s music box selection. It will sound surprisingly good even through built-in computer speakers, and it will cut through the ambient noise of the office without being distracting.
Featured in Today’s Music Box:
String Quartet #7 - movement #1 (Haydn) performed by Ken Clinger
One's life path is marked by crossroads and signposts. If you are confronted with making a choice today, perhaps the signpost displayed here will help to characterize your situation and guide you to make a decision. If you need more guidance, refresh this page for another symbol. If both signs are the same, perhaps any choice will lead to the same outcome.
The signs are inspired by a system of symbols entitled "Spiritual Diagnosis," developed by Dr. Robert McNary of Montana. Dr. McNary actually creates nine-faceted mandala charts for people and interprets the symbols with uncanny accuracy. If you're interested, you can contact Dr. McNary at theportableschool @ gmail.com.
A "dangling ampersand," like a dangling shoelace, can affect any of us. Our whimsical look at the phenomenon appears today at the ever-hilarious SPOGG (Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar).
Eleanorsatbackundertheshadeofherwhiteumbrella.Theairseemedtohumwiththeheat.Theairseemedtosmellofsoapandchemicals.HowthoroughlypeoplewashinEngland,shethought,lookingattheyellowsoap,thegreensoap,andthepinksoapinthechemist’swindow. —Virginia Woolf, The Years, 1937.
* Though printed in black and white, great literature is bursting with vibrant colour. In this rebus-style puzzle, color words and parts of words have been replaced with colored boxes. Try to guess the exact hue of each. Roll your mouse over the colored boxes to reveal the missing words. Click the colored boxes to learn more about each hue. Special thanks to Paul Dean for his colorful research.