What's a Stylite?
It's a monk who sits on a pole. Some of the first monks, beginning in the fifth century, expressed their devotion and solitude by spending months and years at a time on the top of tall pillars. Simeon the Stylite (390-459) was the first of this kind of monk, and he lived on a series of pillars for 37 years. Simeon became renowned for his unique act of devotion and pilgrims from around the world came to visit and hear his teaching. Twice a day he addressed the crowds, and although his lifestyle was extreme, "his preaching was practical, kindly, and free from fanaticism" (Oxford Dictionary of Saints). Christians came to be encouraged and to hear his teaching; pagans came out of curiosity, and some of them converted. I probably won't address the crowds twice a day from my electronic pillar...