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.
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Magic Words: A Dictionary
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Abecedarian
personal effects of 'a mad genius'
Today — August 28, 2008

Forgotten Wisdom (permalink)


A printed collection of Forgotten Wisdom diagrams is now available from Lulu and Mindful Greetings.  Selected posters are also available via Zazzle.
> read more from Forgotten Wisdom . . .


Did You Hear the One I Just Made Up? (permalink)
Did you know that John Venn's innovations overlapped with some of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's diagrams?
> read more from Did You Hear the One I Just Made Up? . . .


Is Today The Day? (permalink)
28
August 2008

“Today is the day for a walking tour.”

—Joan Morley, Extempore Speaking Practice, 1991
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.

If today simply isn’t your day, click here to have a different day.

Music Box Moment (permalink)
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

Today’s Color Palette: Odd Wisdom (more info)
Odd Wisdom is the name of the color palette featured today, created by Sluz. The palette consists of the following colors:

• hex #F5142E — Woman's Secret
• hex #A7ADB5 — In a Special Place
• hex #3A323D — Promised Land
• hex #DEFFFA — Bewildering
• hex #A899AC — Lunar Twilight

The palette name refers to my avatar Professor Oddfellow.
> learn more about this palette at ColourLovers . . .


There’s a Signpost Up Ahead (permalink)
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.
> view a larger version of your signpost . . .
Yesterday — August 27, 2008

The Right Word (permalink)
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).
> read more from The Right Word . . .


Did You Hear the One I Just Made Up? (permalink)

Book collectors "appreciate" vintage stock.
What's this blue book's value?
> read more from Did You Hear the One I Just Made Up? . . .


One Mitten Manager (permalink)

 
Dedicated to the people of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan — an inspiration to us all.  (This parody was sparked by Jonathan Caws-Elwitt.)
> read more from One Mitten Manager . . .


Colorful Allusions (permalink)

Eleanor sat back under the shade of her white umbrella. The air seemed to hum with the heat. The air seemed to smell of soap and chemicals. How thoroughly people wash in England, she thought, looking at the yellow soap, the green soap, and the pink soap in the chemist’s window.
—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.
 
> read more from Colorful Allusions . . .

August 26, 2008

Did You Hear the One I Just Made Up? (permalink)


(This is a spoof of a diagram by community planning expert Mary C. Means.)
> read more from Did You Hear the One I Just Made Up? . . .


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>  August • July • June


Copyright © 2008 by Craig Conley. All rights reserved.