tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post751716948894966948..comments2024-03-29T08:57:48.742-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: SATURDAY, May 10, 2008 - Karen M. Tracey (COMMODORE COMPETITOR)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8335581891243276532008-06-21T18:09:00.000-04:002008-06-21T18:09:00.000-04:00A red herring got me started. I had AMORE,1d and B...A red herring got me started. I had AMORE,1d and BREED for 3d "Dalmatian, e.g.", Making MORATORIA obvious. It wasn't until the ENTER KEY that I was forced to reconsider the spotted dog. <BR/><BR/>This was a 3 cupper for me. I never go for speedy solving, preferring to savour the flavour, rather than bolting it down.<BR/><BR/>I think I can already detect a softening of Rex's attitude towards the constructors since he began constructing himself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60404243570028638452008-06-21T16:56:00.000-04:002008-06-21T16:56:00.000-04:00Let's get that 3rd paragraph straight.Did anyone e...Let's get that 3rd paragraph straight.<BR/><BR/>Did anyone else have CHEAT instead of COZEN for 2D(gull) at first? That, with ADO instead of the big stretch AIL for 7D (bother) made my NW a slow and painful trek, but more like Lewis and Clark than the Donner party. By which I mean I survived...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11544517412454512942008-06-21T16:53:00.000-04:002008-06-21T16:53:00.000-04:00Re TANDY - it was the name used for Radio Shack co...Re TANDY - it was the name used for Radio Shack computers. The notorious TRS-80, pronounced trash-eighty, as one. They no longer are made. As a local, North Texas (Fort Worth) product, they were popular here. <BR/><BR/>@ Barb in Chicago - YOLATENGO and TANGELO - OY! are true anagrams. The latter is a paraphrase of my comment when I got 4D.<BR/><BR/>Did anyone else (gull) at first? That, with ADO instead of the big stretch AIL for 7D (bother) made my NW a slow and painful trek, but more like Lewis and Clark than the Donner party. By which I mean I survived...<BR/><BR/>And I personally think re 22A, "it's hit with a pinky" is not a good clue for ENTER KEY. ENTER KEY is hit with a pointer or middle finger. Come to think of it, ALL keys are when I type....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1587020044808991312008-06-21T13:41:00.000-04:002008-06-21T13:41:00.000-04:00Tandy = Radio ShackTandy = Radio ShackAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86764486378438483142008-06-21T12:26:00.000-04:002008-06-21T12:26:00.000-04:00prefillerate - yes, I do it all the time. I'm so g...prefillerate - yes, I do it all the time. I'm so glad I'm not alone.<BR/><BR/>I never time myself but I just "knew" a lot of this and if I'd been timing I would have been tripping over my pencil to get it all in. Much more fun to savor all the great stuff in here slowly. <BR/><BR/>You % buffs - do you think it was close to 100% of us who wanted ecstatic? Have I ever heard of a seaquake? Don't think so. After all it is still the earth quaking under the sea, yes? No matter. Grew up near an arm of the San Andreas fault and am terrified of earthquakes to this day and mildly hyperventilate at any quake clue or answer. No, I do not wish to move back to CA and this is the only reason.<BR/><BR/>I sometimes have trouble with the Sun and/or archived NYT. Never knew why, don't care. Because I just reload and it works on my mac. The elves inside my computer take coffee breaks too, I suppose.<BR/><BR/>As usual this 9:25 post is 6 weeks later. Grumble, grumble.<BR/><BR/>ChoristerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63903759998488456212008-06-21T11:26:00.000-04:002008-06-21T11:26:00.000-04:00What's a TANDY?What's a TANDY?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29651618946220727812008-06-21T11:10:00.000-04:002008-06-21T11:10:00.000-04:00What in the world is TANDY?What in the world is TANDY?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7577563196007892282008-05-11T10:27:00.000-04:002008-05-11T10:27:00.000-04:00Hey Mellocat! Great puzzle! I finished without g...Hey Mellocat! Great puzzle! I finished without googling -- which to me means the puzzle has solid construction with no arcane crossings a person can't suss out given enough time and a good eraser. So what if it took me several "sittings"?!?<BR/><BR/>Hey Rex, my favorite quote of yours to date.... "not *that* Rome, sucka!"<BR/><BR/>Rock RabbitAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24551697744342735682008-05-11T04:37:00.000-04:002008-05-11T04:37:00.000-04:00DeWitt Clinton Park is a really shitty dustbowl in...DeWitt Clinton Park is a really shitty dustbowl in West Midtown. The kids hate it when their baseball games are scheduled there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-72876194764524125312008-05-11T02:00:00.000-04:002008-05-11T02:00:00.000-04:00@fergusIt's late (though still Saturday on this en...@fergus<BR/><BR/>It's late (though still Saturday on this end of the continent), but I did want to say that I think this stretch of the West Coast is the closest thing to perfection I have ever seen. We've been coming to Big Sur for years, and it never fails to take my breath away. Yet, as you point out, civilization is nearby. What else can anyone ask for?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81076398655580359902008-05-10T23:59:00.000-04:002008-05-10T23:59:00.000-04:00I too am a Yahtzee virgin.Really enjoyed this puzz...I too am a Yahtzee virgin.<BR/><BR/>Really enjoyed this puzzle. Lots of great words and clues. Did anyone else appreciate the cool almost anagrammatic (?) relationship of TANGELO ad YOLATENGO? <BR/><BR/>The grid was pretty, too.Barbara Bolsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06520568012674731813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9034041137851156502008-05-10T23:49:00.000-04:002008-05-10T23:49:00.000-04:00mac, can you describe the problem you are having w...mac, can you describe the problem you are having with the sun puzzles? "i haven't been able to see it" isn't very specific. it might also help to know what operating system and browser you are using.<BR/><BR/>one common problem people have with the NYS is that the server presents the file to your browser as text, rather than as a binary, so that many browsers attempt to display the file instead of having an external program (across lite) handle it. one workaround is to download the .zip file instead, and then unzip it to find the .puz file inside, which you can then open with across lite. but it's a bit clunky.<BR/><BR/>on a mac, it's not trivial to download a file that your browser thinks is text, because even if you do save it to your computer, the operating system still thinks it's a text file and won't open it in across lite. one way to work around this is to specify the format as "all files" instead of as a text file when you save it, but not every browser displays this option. right-clicking (or control-clicking if you don't have the mighty mouse) sometimes solves this problem, but not always.<BR/><BR/>if you are using a mac, by far the nicest way to get the sun puzzles is using alex boisvert's <A HREF="http://www.alexboisvert.com/sun.html" REL="nofollow">handy utility</A> which downloads a week's worth of sun puzzles at a time with no right-clicking or anything of that sort. but it might take some effort to get it working off the bat.Joonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825085755390339668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16104637129315193342008-05-10T23:25:00.000-04:002008-05-10T23:25:00.000-04:00Sorry, all of you, I still cannot get the Sun puzz...Sorry, all of you, I still cannot get the Sun puzzle. Not a very user friendly site.....machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-1217107457756143002008-05-10T22:31:00.000-04:002008-05-10T22:31:00.000-04:00Thanks, Fergus - I'm just trying to keep up here!Thanks, Fergus - I'm just trying to keep up here!Bill Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741876820211768387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75914587976351469482008-05-10T22:14:00.000-04:002008-05-10T22:14:00.000-04:00Dear Wobbith (sounds like something from Tolkien),...Dear Wobbith (sounds like something from Tolkien), nebraska doug and artlvr, thank you so much for the tips: I'm going to try all of them. As I said before, it's not even easy to buy the paper!<BR/><BR/>@Ulrich: I think here they say: "You don't miss what you don't know".<BR/><BR/>@Fergus, we travel a lot but I am loathe to go where I can't get the NYT or the Herald tribune....machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89350693965628755782008-05-10T21:54:00.000-04:002008-05-10T21:54:00.000-04:00@ bill d -- your comments are consistently amusing...@ bill d -- your comments are consistently amusing. I liked your take on Wade's pipe dream.<BR/><BR/>@ foodie -- don't you love that about coastal California campgrounds? You get wonderful pristine wilderness, yet can find the NYTimes at the nearest bodega. Driving a couple of miles from the Pomo campground, as I once did, to get Indian take-away near the mouth of the Russian River illustrates the accessibility. Purists will detest this arrangement, but so what.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57442791509407617442008-05-10T21:52:00.000-04:002008-05-10T21:52:00.000-04:00In 1831 the first steam railroad locomotive to run...In 1831 the first steam railroad locomotive to run in New York State was christened <I>The DeWitt Clinton</I> for the Mohawk & Hudson RR. It ran between Albany and Schenectady, probably along the route of the canal. Its passengers cars were stage coaches mounted on flanged wheels.<BR/><BR/><I>The DeWitt Clinton</I> was the fourth steam engine in the US. The first three were <I>The Stourbridge Lion</I> (1829/Delaware & Hudson; built in England), <I>The Tom Thumb</I> (1829/Baltimore & Ohio), and <I>The Best Friend of Charleston</I> (1830/Charleston & Hamburg).Bill Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741876820211768387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84967982909864154512008-05-10T21:48:00.000-04:002008-05-10T21:48:00.000-04:00@wade: I appreciate your concern. But you're a law...@wade: I appreciate your concern. But you're a lawyer and may know the old Latin saw <I>ignoti nulla cupido</I>: There is no desire for that which is unknown.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53142599036764560582008-05-10T20:53:00.001-04:002008-05-10T20:53:00.001-04:00p.s. re the ERIE CANAL -- it didn't get officially...p.s. re the ERIE CANAL -- it didn't get officially opened until 1825, in case the date threw you off! The NY Governor whose "Folly" it was supposed to be was DeWitt Clinton. At completion, the Canal was nearly 400 miles long and turned out to be one of the era's engineering wonders of the world, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River, and facilitating greater settlement of the upper Midwest and beyond. <BR/><BR/>More of note in NY history: Dewitt Cinton was the nephew of George Clinton, the first (and longest-serving) Governor of New York: 1777-1795 and again 1801-1805, a total of 21 years. George was also the first US Vice President to serve in two different administrations -- with Jefferson and then with Madison -- and also the first Vice President to die in office. Neither George nor Dewitt Clinton was related to our 42nd US President Bill Clinton, who was born William Jefferson Blythe III and later took the name of his step-father.<BR/><BR/>@ mac -- if you are using a Mac, and Cruciverb.com, just hold the control key down and select "download" on the pop-up menu -- then your NYS can download to where the NYT shows up without this extra step....<BR/><BR/>∑;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-10894907775608431502008-05-10T20:53:00.000-04:002008-05-10T20:53:00.000-04:00I've been camping at the beautiful Big Sur over th...I've been camping at the beautiful Big Sur over the last few days, with no internet access but, remarkably, access to the NYTimes paper. Knowing you cannot search really changes the solving experience, at least for me. I managed to finish both yesterday and today in respectable times, and did it by being willing to throw away guesses that I thought were perfect. Like many of you, I blazed through the East, and stumbled through the West. Especially that I wrote Ecuador and never got the Q... <BR/><BR/>As to the Falafel clue, I assumed the sesames are the little decorations with sesame seeds that they sprinkle on a lot of falafels.. But I guess that's not seasoning? The clue probably meant the very liquid sesame-based tahini dip that is used with it... <BR/><BR/>Anyhow, while sad to leave Big Sur, it's great to be back and hear everyone's voices here ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31297394155174609622008-05-10T20:02:00.000-04:002008-05-10T20:02:00.000-04:00@mac - Are you using Firefox or Explorer? A while...@mac - Are you using Firefox or Explorer? A while back the NY Sun puzzles quit opening properly for me in Firefox, I tried the same address in Explorer and they open fine in that application. Just tried it again to make sure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15403176894375307852008-05-10T19:44:00.000-04:002008-05-10T19:44:00.000-04:00@chefbea1-Add me to the crowd of people who misrea...@chefbea1-<BR/><BR/>Add me to the crowd of people who misread the clue to 8D. I, too, thought it was my glasses. It's funny how things like this seem to happen all the time.Bill from NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103923612595508277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3322053665589936512008-05-10T19:27:00.000-04:002008-05-10T19:27:00.000-04:00@mac - try saving the file to disk and opening it ...@mac - try saving the file to disk and opening it from there.<BR/><BR/>Great, great lively puzzle.<BR/><BR/>One nit - dorys are not generally lake boats. They are typically ocean boats and also sometimes used in whitewater. <BR/><BR/>@margaret - I have the exact same reaction to "gull". Saw "1776" with the original cast on Broadway, and loved it. I listen to the soundtrack every July 4.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45042131958844738792008-05-10T19:17:00.000-04:002008-05-10T19:17:00.000-04:00Ulrich, it makes me sad that you've never played Y...Ulrich, it makes me sad that you've never played Yahtzee.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60008138841727616032008-05-10T18:58:00.000-04:002008-05-10T18:58:00.000-04:00Is there any way for me to get the NY Sun crosswor...Is there any way for me to get the NY Sun crossword puzzle on my screen and print it out? So far I haven't even been able to see it.<BR/>Another funny thing, last Monday I asked my NY Times guy in NY if he had a "Sun", but he said his customers only wanted it on Thursdays. Why???machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.com