tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8555757822840048371..comments2024-03-28T10:59:47.227-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Half of Stevenson's Strange Case / TUE 8-20-13 / Auto safety feature redundantly / Variable spring period / Holocaust hero Schindler / Source of Indian black tea / Helen Keller's portrayer in Miracle Worker / Alternatives to SlurpeesRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43163110143832709462013-09-24T20:32:48.732-04:002013-09-24T20:32:48.732-04:00@strayling: I think the line was from "Blazin...@strayling: I think the line was from "Blazing Asps," or possibly "Nileballs."<br /><br />@Diri et al: Of course you knew I was talking Rachel; I never suspected that ARNEL had the remotest connection with The Great Carsoni.<br /><br />My favorite bit from the latter is "The Big Cigarette." [Ed opens the letter and reads] "What came after the Big Bang?"spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69100469040584039502013-09-24T20:08:02.111-04:002013-09-24T20:08:02.111-04:00@SiS and @Strayling - this site really needs a &qu...@SiS and @Strayling - this site really needs a "Like" button.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65160252493869458632013-09-24T20:03:36.144-04:002013-09-24T20:03:36.144-04:00I had no chance at this due to the sheer amount of...I had no chance at this due to the sheer amount of Americana. Or that's the way it felt but now I look back at the puzzle I really can't complain too much because there was always a cross to help out on the name clues.<br /><br />I enjoyed solving this one even as parts of it seemed to have it INFAMY.<br /><br />"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" <br />[Antony and Cleopatra. Or possibly just Carry On Cleo]straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27010356179774110642013-09-24T19:15:44.222-04:002013-09-24T19:15:44.222-04:00@Diri, great stuff. I don't think either Johnn...@Diri, great stuff. I don't think either Johnny or Ed McMahon ever wore a natural fiber. Sansabelt time.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80139606807097047882013-09-24T17:19:52.060-04:002013-09-24T17:19:52.060-04:00@SiS - He probably did as a product placement for ...@SiS - He probably did as a product placement for a sponsor - this is from the NYT Business Page 11/13/72: "Not everyone thinks that Celanese's idea of promoting its Fortrel and Arnel fibers with almost nightly spots on the Johnny Carson Show next year is a super idea." (I can't tell you any more about the article because NYT wants me to pay to read it and that ain't gonna happen.)Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-403765922903158822013-09-24T15:25:38.807-04:002013-09-24T15:25:38.807-04:00Didn't Johnny Carson wear ARNEL sports coats?Didn't Johnny Carson wear ARNEL sports coats?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60263163006436709022013-09-24T15:20:32.820-04:002013-09-24T15:20:32.820-04:00My solving experience mirrored @Ginger's, alth...My solving experience mirrored @Ginger's, although I have heard of the Vulcan mind meld and so was able to work things out in that corner (where an EVIL RAT lurks - UGH!). And then it was DONE. <br /><br />"NORI" and "METOO" - well make up your mind.<br /><br />@spacecraft - why are you blaming Johnny Carson for the demise of DDT?Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64342205998997951002013-09-24T15:14:04.584-04:002013-09-24T15:14:04.584-04:00Gotta say, tough Tuesday.
Also, agree with @Spac...Gotta say, tough Tuesday. <br /><br />Also, agree with @Spacecraft that UNAPT is "Not suitable."<br /><br />NOtI before NORI. AmA before ADA. UNfiT before UNAPT. My guy was LUCKY before my DOG.<br /><br />Good puz, Zhouqin and Don.<br /><br />Capcha: iteswil. Bad booze?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50725968070022376122013-09-24T12:04:57.188-04:002013-09-24T12:04:57.188-04:00Sailed through, with nary a bump, until I hit the ...Sailed through, with nary a bump, until I hit the SE..Natiked at the E?I/?ELD cross. Never heard of a Vulcan mind meld. Google says it's from Star Trek. So I learned something today. Now to use it in conversation.<br /><br /> Gingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66541724347297343482013-09-24T11:47:17.607-04:002013-09-24T11:47:17.607-04:00Pret-ty sneaky, guys, cluing PBA via "balls a...Pret-ty sneaky, guys, cluing PBA via "balls and strikes" after setting us up with Mr. DOUBLEDAY. And on a Tuesday! But no matter; the get was easy. I liked the cleverness of the theme, marveling at how many two-word sets of which each can take DAY merge to become familiar phrases in their own right.<br /><br />The pump scene of "Miracle Worker" still tears me up (both homonyms of "tears" work here). <br /><br />Re ABSSYSTEMS: like "ATM machines" this is a popular, though wrong, expression. But I suppose if I'm going to rail at words like UNAPT, which, though bona fide words, are never actually spoken by real people, then I'd have to admit the mistakes that lots of real people speak. Hey, we're human. So, no flag there.<br /><br />The flag is for ARNEL. This never made it into the mainstream--and is not even like DDT, which WAS popular for a while, pre-Carson. This stuff barely made it out of the LAB. Using it in any puzzle deserves a penalty; on a Tuesday it ought to carry, say, loss of down.<br /><br />Despite the foregoing EVIL DONE, I liked it overall. I must go all DiNozzo again for the clue for 2d:<br /><br />SESSUE HAYAKAWA: Do you know what they will do to me if the bridge is not finished in time?<br />ALEC GUINNESS: I haven't the foggiest.<br /><br />One of my favorite moments of the classic David Lean film.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18587397712152716842013-08-21T02:42:24.741-04:002013-08-21T02:42:24.741-04:00Thanks for share this post I also share with you ...Thanks for share this post I also share with you something hope you like my post. The people who get in trouble buying a used car aren't the ones who spend too much money, it's typically the people who don't spend enough money. Someone parting with a nice, newer BMW for a cheap price isn't doing so out of charity. This goes back to the old saying: there's nothing more expensive than a cheap used luxury car. Thanks<a href="http://usedcarsgoldcoast.burleighcars.com.au/never-buy-the-wrong-used-cars-in-gold-coast-again.aspx" rel="nofollow">used cars in Gold Coastbest</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08950158913509450940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73210800968023372262013-08-20T22:37:44.411-04:002013-08-20T22:37:44.411-04:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. 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 6:23, 6:12, 1.03, 68%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 8:01, 8:16, 0.97, 40%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:02, 3:49, 1.06, 79%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 5:09, 5:03, 1.02, 56%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75451750205256175762013-08-20T21:09:46.433-04:002013-08-20T21:09:46.433-04:00@M.F. and @ret_chem. Oh my gosh, I'm still lau...@M.F. and @ret_chem. Oh my gosh, I'm still laughing. Naughty bits? I wonder if I might have met him.....<br />Don't forget to look out your window tonight. For those that care, we will be having a "Blue Moon." :-)GILL I.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05605766053820226324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24477242254834828792013-08-20T20:49:25.095-04:002013-08-20T20:49:25.095-04:00@r_c
Bwahahahaha! Sorry to laugh at this but the ...@r_c<br /><br />Bwahahahaha! Sorry to laugh at this but the scene you describe is totally Marxian. Or Stoogian. Yeah that's it, Curly would do that and Mo and Larry would pour hot coffee on it. Melodious Funknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-15449185208234219722013-08-20T20:38:06.042-04:002013-08-20T20:38:06.042-04:00@ M-F
HF is certainly about the nastiest stuff yo...@ M-F<br /><br />HF is certainly about the nastiest stuff you can get on yourself.<br /><br />My worst, and yet most amusing, such experience (with direct involvement; several friends had rather nasty explosions) came when I taught an Org. Qual. section in Organic II lab. Student has an open test tube with about 5 mL of unknown in his right hand and was told to put his safety glasses on. Picking them up with the fingertips of his right hand, he puts the glasses on. The TT of unknown is still there and goes right down the back of his neck. Now if it were something like benzaldehyde or an ester, no real problem. However, it was p-chlorophenol. We got him to the campus infirmary asap - no permanent damage but a nasty skin wound that I suppose lasted a while. Lost track of him about two weeks after the incident, since classes ended and summer break started.<br />retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-36922091440318016762013-08-20T20:33:22.125-04:002013-08-20T20:33:22.125-04:00@Z ... nope, it looks like @acme was talking to @A...@Z ... nope, it looks like @acme was talking to @August West from what I can tell. I still think neigh-sayer is funny and it definitely helped me get over that horrible, negative rant.<br /><br />Our familiar MRED was often a neigh-sayer. johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79808424779741608012013-08-20T20:22:27.304-04:002013-08-20T20:22:27.304-04:00Is M&A Canadian? inquiring minds want to know....Is M&A <a href="http://www.gocomics.com/getfuzzy/2013/08/20" rel="nofollow">Canadian?</a> inquiring minds want to know.<br /><br />I hate when that happens.Z-42 againnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-90725448007129323942013-08-20T20:18:05.465-04:002013-08-20T20:18:05.465-04:00Is M&A <a href="http://www.gocomics.co...Is M&A <a href="http://www.gocomics.com/getfuzzy/2013/08/20>Canadian?</a> inquiring minds want to know. Z-42noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29012930266556797932013-08-20T20:17:57.830-04:002013-08-20T20:17:57.830-04:00@retired_chemist.
I was also a chemist in anothe...@retired_chemist. <br /><br />I was also a chemist in another life, too highly educated for my own good it turned out. Your comment about lab coats and washing before going to the bathroom (I used to say the same thing) brought up some interesting memories.<br /><br />We had a tech in our research lab who inadvertently spilled concentrated HF (hydrofluoric acid) on his lab coat. He began to yell, "help I spilled acid on my lab coat!" Unfortunately it was down the front and immediately soaked onto his naughty bits. He then began screaming. We (two of us) pushed him under the emergency shower, installed at the end of every bench, and pulled the chain. Water poured over the front of him. People began running around looking for the "antidote" I think it was some sort of Ca solution, I can't remember.<br /><br />But it was clear to us (we were mightily scared because of his screaming and our inexperience with this) that we had to take his clothes off. He was crying and incoherent, and we put on gloves and removed what we could. He was naked from the waist down. This was a pretty frightening situation for everyone.<br /><br />I believe he fainted, it's a but of a blur here. He was on the floor with two of us drenched under the shower trying to soak the area.<br /><br />The next I can recall, some fancy EMT-types were there - oh it was some sort of gluconate they had, I just remembered. They were fiddling with his naughty bits, I became quite nauseous after the initial adrenaline rush and had to hit the head. I don't remember anything much after that, but the poor tech was gone when I returned. He never came back and I always wondered what really happened to him. Some said he was suing the company for whatever, but we working stiffs never spoke about it again.<br /><br />Those of you with any chemical background may understand that HF is one of the worst acids to contact the skin. Almost impossible to wash off completely and really requires professionally trained help to deal with it.<br /><br />We weren't any of those things. Poor bastid.<br /><br />Melodious Funknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31320879067897306332013-08-20T16:43:54.202-04:002013-08-20T16:43:54.202-04:00I went to high school with a girl named Arnel. Se...I went to high school with a girl named Arnel. Second cruelest parents in the neighborhood. First cruelest named their daughter Bambi. Makes Blue Ivy seem benign.Airymomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32071579457382734772013-08-20T16:40:43.120-04:002013-08-20T16:40:43.120-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2...Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation of my method and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak to my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Tue 8:04, 8:16, 0.98, 42%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Tue 5:17, 5:03, 1.04, 61%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37623375065842071432013-08-20T16:13:27.728-04:002013-08-20T16:13:27.728-04:00Speaking of Patty Duke, check out this brilliant c...Speaking of Patty Duke, check out this brilliant clip showing what happened when the original Becky returned to the Roseanne show (after first showing the Patty Duke intro for context):<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGza-mNlM6o" rel="nofollow">click here</a><br /><br />Oh, and the puzzle was just fine for a Wednesday. Glad I'm not the only one who put in OLES as a first guess.<br />P.S. I have no problem with ARNEL.<br />P.P.S. Have I mentioned how I despise captcha?Doc Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12540112168511893896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18979356651679178792013-08-20T14:57:12.370-04:002013-08-20T14:57:12.370-04:00AnyMouse:
Oboe morphs into hautbois (highwood) in...AnyMouse:<br /><br />Oboe morphs into hautbois (highwood) in French, so the clue is valid.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />johnjohn towlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17961903203857550612013-08-20T14:33:06.629-04:002013-08-20T14:33:06.629-04:00All cameras, film or digital, should produce a sha...All cameras, film or digital, should produce a sharp image at the point/distance at which the lens is focused. FSTOPS will, among other things, determine the <i>depth of field</i>, i.e., the range in which other objects nearer and farther away will also be in focus; the lower the FSTOP, the narrower the depth of field and vice versa.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Anoa Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16185183023273883700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78703898238852906302013-08-20T13:34:37.074-04:002013-08-20T13:34:37.074-04:00Nice steady march to the finish, the only delay re...Nice steady march to the finish, the only delay resulting from the CASEM/ ABSSYSTEM cross. Had to guess the A ( correctly as it turned out.). The puzzle may have been a blah to some, but I was quite satisfied with it.LaneBnoreply@blogger.com