tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5522891566532702495..comments2024-03-28T20:49:13.267-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Composer Shostakovich / TUE 8-3-10 / Small craft with launching tubes / "Sweet" bloomerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41541301144316446922010-09-07T21:17:38.354-04:002010-09-07T21:17:38.354-04:00My pleasureMy pleasureRex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13116004958016141932010-09-07T21:10:45.213-04:002010-09-07T21:10:45.213-04:00I also read the comments 5 weeks behind in syndica...I also read the comments 5 weeks behind in syndication land as this is "real time" to me! Sundays are frequently weird as references are made to puzzles I won't solve for weeks... :-) Too bad we don't have our own little world here at the end of the blog comments. I enjoy the write ups, the comments, and the glimpses into all your lives. Thanks for a wonderful and eclectic forum Rex!midjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01839241181602534916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41162042807022610322010-09-07T18:22:28.037-04:002010-09-07T18:22:28.037-04:00Wow, that's weird - yesterday I posted a comme...Wow, that's weird - yesterday I posted a comment to the syndicated puzzle, then today @Foodie wonders if there's a whole other conversation going on back here. Of course he wrote the comment five weeks ago but it was new to me, which got me thinking about the whole time-space continuum thing, which I totally do not understand, and then I thought, well why doesn't the party keep on going five weeks in the past (or is it the future?)- with @Rex' kind indulgence of course. So with that said, I agree with @SethG - I breezed through the top half of this puzzle (an aside - I solve top to bottom, left to right, in numerical order, as God intended)then met my come-uppance at 35A where I convinced myself that those waiting to be persuaded were some kind of -sitTERS. I had to go all the way to the bottom and work my way back up to straighten things out. Once I decided that a Beta dog's view really might be REAR, URSA won out over asia and my -sitTERS turned out to be UNDECIDEDVOTERS and voila - done! @Foodie, if you are still reading, hello from the past, or is it the future since you had to wait 5 weeks to read this? I am SO confused.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27924342326154452522010-08-04T17:57:34.701-04:002010-08-04T17:57:34.701-04:00@Sfingi
thanks for the explanations. Instead of in...@Sfingi<br />thanks for the explanations. Instead of insane religious pedantry, the new Hart gives us insane esoteric regionalism. Maybe that's an improvement, I'm not sure.Clumsynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71703422867890761722010-08-04T00:26:40.586-04:002010-08-04T00:26:40.586-04:00Long day (real-estate closing, my first, coming Fr...Long day (real-estate closing, my first, coming Friday -- and I would much rather be reading this blog than talking to legal/financial advisors and cleaning out garbage cans with a hose). But it was nice to do this smooth, cerebral puzzle at the end of the day. For me, the theme clicked perfectly, after the rest was finished, and Paula's droll wit kept things interesting along the way.<br /><br />Funny write-up: Rex excels as a talent-spotter.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-92116897038942123662010-08-04T00:14:15.374-04:002010-08-04T00:14:15.374-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my<a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35115061&postID=3588389571383499624&isPopup=true" rel="nofollow">7/30/2009 post</a> for an explanation. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.<br /><br />All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 7:16, 6:58, 1.04, 72%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 10:30, 8:49, 1.19, 92%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:51, 3:43, 1.04, 71%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 5:13, 4:33, 1.12, 90%, Challenging<br /><br />Yup ... this was a tough Tuesday.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64369173756048773152010-08-03T21:12:09.654-04:002010-08-03T21:12:09.654-04:00@Clumsy - Final comment on B.C. that I forgot - it...@Clumsy - Final comment on B.C. that I forgot - it stands for Broome County, NY.Sfingihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06903616949048940858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76911563907441849212010-08-03T21:03:16.980-04:002010-08-03T21:03:16.980-04:00@foodie: thanks for your clarification of the spec...@foodie: thanks for your clarification of the specific meaning of submission. The film title was likely using it in a different (negative) sense.shrub5https://www.blogger.com/profile/09466867716773759568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8470540292201631722010-08-03T19:40:38.151-04:002010-08-03T19:40:38.151-04:00@Zeke: I don't smoke. Just sayin'.
jesser...@Zeke: I don't smoke. Just sayin'.<br /><br />jesserjesserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13303862935098945757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1152256201055535412010-08-03T19:30:18.397-04:002010-08-03T19:30:18.397-04:00no smoke, Zeke. Well done.
And a really nice, thou...no smoke, Zeke. Well done.<br />And a really nice, thoughtful analysis of the work Rex puts in. Not something I had ever considered, really. I try and blog myself, and can't bring myself to do it every day.<br />Very nice words.<br />GregThe Big Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00383322329027962325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70161456058373056452010-08-03T19:08:32.097-04:002010-08-03T19:08:32.097-04:00Couple of thoughts after having done this.
First, ...Couple of thoughts after having done this.<br />First, Rex does a hell of a lot of work, and does it extremely well.<br />I wish I had read Foodie's first comment before I wrote the post, as Cognitive Dissonance was what I was trying to, but failed to, get at. All I want from a Monday/Tuesday puzzle is a lack of cognitive dissonance. It takes an extaordinary theme, either good or bad, to make me notice it. Today's theme wasn't at either extreme, so it made absolutely no impression on me. I also wasn't jarred by anything, so all I had was a nice little Tuesday, no cognitive dissonance, hohum theme.<br />As I was trying go through the puzzle post solve, clue by clue, my thought was How the hell does Rex do this? Where does the dedication come from to discuss whether LIONEL was fair, unfair, good, bad, etc, as clued seven days a week, fifty plus weeks a year? Beats the hell out of me. The toughest part of all of ths was to keep my mouth shut all day. Well, mostly shut.<br /> <br />So, thanks for all the kind words. For those who weren't just blowing smoke up my ass, I'm glad you liked it. For those who were, I'm thankful you were polite.Zekenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39337854786378868042010-08-03T18:52:16.229-04:002010-08-03T18:52:16.229-04:00I wanted to fill the DAL- AL-SSUM cross with E, si...I wanted to fill the DAL- AL-SSUM cross with E, since I've heard of the name Dale, and I don't know my flowers. But ALESSUM looked stupid. Thinking, maybe, just maybe DAL-'s a last name, I got DALY and that made sense (Daly City is near Berkeley). But it seems the actress is very well-known from TV, and I'm sure the flower is just as well-known, so I can't criticize this as some kind of early-week Natick.<br /><br />Yes, the HMS Beagle is megafamous, solely because of Charles Darwin's ride on it, which led him to develop evolution and natural selection. A decade later, Thomas Henry Huxley sailed on the HMS Rattlesnake, and that inspired him to develop his own circular/analogy theory of life form relations, now totally forgotten. As is the ship.<br /><br />But that ship should have been memorialized just the same. For once Darwin published, Huxley was won over instantly, and soon became known as Darwin's bulldog on account of his fierce argumentation (including the famed Wilberforce debate). But bulldog is all wrong. Huxley should be known as Darwin's rattlesnake.william e embanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17637609968041492042010-08-03T18:52:13.311-04:002010-08-03T18:52:13.311-04:00I thought this was a polished puzzle, favorite wor...I thought this was a polished puzzle, favorite word "debunk", least favorite "does a". Beta dog's view! The saloon doors hitting the rear! I've used SL's Opium, a winter fragrance.<br /><br />I thought "fiend" was a reference to @Orange, of course.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51810686390929116342010-08-03T18:07:33.335-04:002010-08-03T18:07:33.335-04:00@nanpilla thanx got the recipe but havent had tim...@nanpilla thanx got the recipe but havent had time to read itchefbeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15195945085405126511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34138435545961469492010-08-03T18:07:11.640-04:002010-08-03T18:07:11.640-04:00@shrub, I know this is what wiki says re the defin...@shrub, I know this is what wiki says re the definition of Islam. But submission does not exactly capture the right connotation of the word. And I'm only being linguistic here, not political or religious. In English, submission connotes a fearful response to a greater power. There is another, related word word in Arabic, ISTISLAM, which means to give in because of despair or weakness, as in a war, or to submit to a more powerful force. But "Islam" has more of a peaceful feeling of surrender, not out of fear, but out of belief, respect, love, etc... It really is hard to capture the nuance but it's clearly different in Arabic (a feeling of Zen??? : ). I can totally see how the militants these days would lead to added confusion. <br /><br />Thanks Sanfranman! Glad you enjoyed your time off : )foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37320082438250298182010-08-03T17:55:26.712-04:002010-08-03T17:55:26.712-04:00@ Zeke - liked the writeup.
@ SanFranMan59 - nice...@ Zeke - liked the writeup.<br /><br />@ SanFranMan59 - nice to have you back<br /><br />@DorkBoy - nice Jeopardy story. I thought of trying out for Wheel of Fortune but I feared my Irritable Vowel Syndrome would nix it.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85841161197803306192010-08-03T17:37:24.613-04:002010-08-03T17:37:24.613-04:00Nice pinch hitting, Zeke.
THEO van Gogh of 54Down...Nice pinch hitting, Zeke.<br /><br />THEO van Gogh of 54Down was the great-grandson of Theo van Gogh, brother of Vincent. He was assassinated in 2004 at the age of 47 by a Muslim with terrorist ties. Prior to his death, van Gogh had created a short movie "Submission" dealing with the topic of violence against women in some Islamic societies. An English translation of the word "Islam" is submission. (wiki)shrub5https://www.blogger.com/profile/09466867716773759568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40404622949664018662010-08-03T17:27:03.823-04:002010-08-03T17:27:03.823-04:00@foodie ... Re my time away, I was out of town for...@foodie ... Re my time away, I was out of town for a week+ of R & R visiting family and friends in sweltering Northeast Ohio. I pretty much kept up with my daily crossword quota (NYT, LAT, Yahoo, Boston.com, & USAToday) but decided to take a break from posting the times here because I wasn't always near a computer to update my spreadsheet at closing time (as I almost always am when I'm home). I had a grand time at the Burning River Festival in Cleveland visiting with college friends and acquaintances I haven't seen in 30 years.<br /><br />Thanks for the encouraging words, PIXsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16402496772856938822010-08-03T17:26:30.407-04:002010-08-03T17:26:30.407-04:00@Dorkboy ... I have to chime in to say I loved you...@Dorkboy ... I have to chime in to say I loved your story. Thanks for sharing.johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28974540020161453742010-08-03T17:07:10.648-04:002010-08-03T17:07:10.648-04:00@dk, having seen Rex's comment, now I wonder w...@dk, having seen Rex's comment, now I wonder what he would have written (I'm sure it would have been hilarious). How are your mind-reading skills? <br /><br />@Dorkboy, wow, it's amazing to hear an answer 6 weeks later! Thank you!! It's great to hear that my impression has some data to support it. I'm a sucker for data. And I appreciate your taking the time to write. <br /><br />Getting your delayed answer reminds me of when I first moved to the US from the Middle East (way before e-mail, im, facebook, Skype, videoconferencing, and all that other good stuff). I'd write letters to my family with news, questions, descriptions of life- altering events or idle chitchat. It would take about 3 weeks for the letter to get there and 3 weeks to get the answer back. Sometimes, I'd stare at the response and I'd have no clue what they were commenting on. But it was actually good to stop, look back and reflect on where I had been in my life a few weeks before. So, your answer made me nostalgic... <br /><br />And I admire all the folks who read the comments a few weeks later thought they rarely participate. Is that right? Or do you guys have a whole other conversation after we've left and we just don't hear about it??? I should go back and check. <br /><br />@Sanfranman, are you going to tell us about your time off? Was it for fun? Did you do the puzzle? Did you miss us as much as we missed you? Or are you going to remain mysterious?foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60188905567538746052010-08-03T16:44:24.957-04:002010-08-03T16:44:24.957-04:00@ Dorkboy, Thanks for the Jeopardy story. I'm ...@ Dorkboy, Thanks for the Jeopardy story. I'm not surprised that crosswords and Jeopardy complement each other. Oh, yeah, I'm a fan of both. I've tried out for the show but no luck yet.Two Ponieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896743444873087885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-55487340381757866052010-08-03T16:43:19.934-04:002010-08-03T16:43:19.934-04:00@nanpilla - there is a HUGE explosion all over the...@nanpilla - there is a HUGE explosion all over the nation now for Whoopie Pies! (My fiancee loves them!) Nowadays they are not just limited to chocolate or even buttercream. In fact, I believe that traditionally they were chocolate cake with fluffernutter in the center.<br />Now you can have pumpkin cake, red velvet cake, fluffernutter, buttercream, or even a very tasty cream cheese frosting.<br />We get ours from One Girl Cookies in Cobble Hill! :-)The Big Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00383322329027962325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86238182287944056192010-08-03T16:40:02.531-04:002010-08-03T16:40:02.531-04:00@chefbea : you got it. Do you need to update your...@chefbea : you got it. Do you need to update your email on blogger?<br /><br />And it turns out what I make are whoopie pies, not moon pies - I probably don't even know what a moon pie is! Whoopie pies are two chocolate cakes filled with a cooked buttercream mixture. Sorry for stepping on any moon pie toes...nanpillahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05548473809500612699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-48274793729597786292010-08-03T16:18:32.036-04:002010-08-03T16:18:32.036-04:00If you're in jail, you frequently can only lea...If you're in jail, you frequently can only leave if you throw doubles. So moving 8 squares from jail is more likely than moving 7 (since that might be double 4s). Given the Monopoly rules, there's a table that lists the relative frequency of square visits <a href="http://www.maa.org/mathland/mathland_6_9.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />Note that once you have a hotel, oranges reach the break-even point most quickly but greens give a higher overall value per roll.Biggest Geeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87996359096408561532010-08-03T16:18:30.520-04:002010-08-03T16:18:30.520-04:00@sanfranman59...just wanted to say I am glad you a...@sanfranman59...just wanted to say I am glad you are back and posting the stats...I found this puzzle hard for a Tuesday( not a complaint, just an observation) and your numbers show it to be "challenging." That always makes me feel much better. Thanks.PIXnoreply@blogger.com