tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post270850016289367282..comments2024-03-29T09:24:38.958-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Co-anchor Hill of Early Show / WED 2-8-12 / Crafty Norse god / Precursor to memorable Boston party / Foes of Jedi / Alphabetic trio for fliers / Its logo includes its name in blue letters in yellow ovalRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-22341626367524085302012-03-15T16:47:28.215-04:002012-03-15T16:47:28.215-04:00Don't have anything to say, except bring back ...Don't have anything to say, except bring back the email alert!<br /><br />@Tita--can't imagine the captchas on a phone... urk.Red Valerianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04638265039015470938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-75782658929860997812012-03-15T09:50:37.361-04:002012-03-15T09:50:37.361-04:00SiS...Dirigonzo is right...with the email alert fe...SiS...Dirigonzo is right...with the email alert feature gone, we real-timers have no reminder to come check in...but it looks like blogger is working on it, so hopefully it will be back soon. <br /><br />I think there are more who come by and read,, but don't always respond...do the room may not be as empty as it seems!<br /><br />For me, I usually get these alerts on my phone...I really hate typing on a phone, so I rarely respond...<br />Btw...I'm a sailor too, though my vessel is a mere 14.5', and I usually sail on a lake. Sometimes on Cape Cod Bay , but only if I work up the energy to trailer the 350 miles to do so. And, only if I'm in the mood to provide entertainment to the old trailer salts who love to laugh at those of us incapable of backing up a trailer.<br />(omg...these new capchas on a phone!)Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80436119809339640562012-03-14T21:13:27.357-04:002012-03-14T21:13:27.357-04:00@dirgonzo, enjoyed your blog musings. The Maine cu...@dirgonzo, enjoyed your blog musings. The Maine culture is interesting to me having sailed there in college and spent a month or so in Northeast Harbor. Got to know some locals and ate a ton of lobster. Beautiful place.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57845831472164859842012-03-14T21:09:25.287-04:002012-03-14T21:09:25.287-04:00@Connie in Seattle, don't know of contests aro...@Connie in Seattle, don't know of contests around here. I just enjoy the NYT daily puzzle and observing what, if anything about it was clever, then logging on to Rex's blog to compare notes. As a second class syndicate citizen our comments are often like speaking to an empty room, but I still enjoy it.Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14941608607501145212012-03-14T19:19:57.323-04:002012-03-14T19:19:57.323-04:00@all the syndicated solvers who would like to have...@all the syndicated solvers who would like to have a "real time" conversation here. More than one half of Rex's audience are folks like us who solve the puzzle 5 weeks later, yet comments back here have always been sparse. I've commented on this frequently here had have put up a couple of posts on my own blog (click on my avatar, look for "Syndication Synchronicity" (6/2011) and "My Occupy Movement" (10/2011)), but still comments from syndicationland are few. And now, with email notification of comment updates gone, there is even less incentive to leave a comment after everybody else has left the room. <br /><br />But if you really want to have a "syndicated comments" section in real time, then come back every day and leave a comment every day (or however often you do the puzzle) - maybe you'll get a reply or maybe you won't, but at least you will have added your two cents to the conversation. And just maybe you will encourage someone else to chime in, too.<br /><br />We can have a "community" of our own. but we have to build it ourselves.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91978183921127604742012-03-14T18:20:16.349-04:002012-03-14T18:20:16.349-04:00Shout out to other Seattlites - I too would like t...Shout out to other Seattlites - I too would like to have a real time chat; I drop in once in awhile but assume no one will read my post. Nice to know you're out there. Does anyone know of any Xword tournaments around here? <br /><br />PS. This was one fun puzzle.Connie in Seattlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30731787162110865242012-03-14T16:58:30.074-04:002012-03-14T16:58:30.074-04:00Dear @Spacecraft, Thank you for kindly explaining...Dear @Spacecraft, Thank you for kindly explaining what I should have known! Hard to believe my degree was in math. <br />Agree with Seattle solver it would be lovely to have a "real time" syndicated chat. I know there are others who have occasionally dropped by, but they seem to disappear after a couple of posts,probably assuming no one reads them.DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2910224766735677842012-03-14T16:03:42.838-04:002012-03-14T16:03:42.838-04:00I was not going to comment today, but when I saw m...I was not going to comment today, but when I saw my captcha was assomen rmatela, how could I not? Do with it what you will.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45922706057695456772012-03-14T15:39:44.906-04:002012-03-14T15:39:44.906-04:00@DMGrandma & @Spacecraft, I also had six as my...@DMGrandma & @Spacecraft, I also had six as my initial answer to the clue "Sum of the first three prime numbers." Finally got TEN from the crosses and scratched my head.<br /><br />BTW, it almost appears that we are three of the few people who read Rex's blog weeks after it's posted. Maybe we should form a syndicate syndicate?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31456260822901008392012-03-14T15:26:50.583-04:002012-03-14T15:26:50.583-04:00Ah, @DMGrandma, you forget about 2, the only even ...Ah, @DMGrandma, you forget about 2, the only even prime in the deck. My take? In the film "Contact," the aliens make first contact with a series of radio pulses: 1, 2, 3, 5...etc. I'm not going against my namesake Carl on that one; he's my hero. I was puzzled at TEN; thought the correct answer should be 6. This is one of the sticking points that made today a SOLID medium for me (and that was another).<br /><br />SINGLESS doesn't bother me as much as some (AFEW); someone (I now can't find it again!) said that no English prof would approve, I agree. This is crosswords, guys; E.P. approval would not extend to one hundredth of these puzzles.<br /><br />Had a mis(s)step early when I started at the bottom right with LIPSTICKET; I thought the theme was a run-on overlap type of thing. The north was harder; SWATHE is archaic IMHO, and probably ought to be clued as such. Nobody SWATHEs any more. Also took a while to get FAB, which delayed FRAUD. One final annoyance is cluing USSR as a one-time red state. Ukraine, or Georgia maybe--but USSR was all those "states" together. JDLR.Spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60383857293816768812012-03-14T14:20:45.658-04:002012-03-14T14:20:45.658-04:00Back I the Dark Ages, when I studied math, 1 was c...Back I the Dark Ages, when I studied math, 1 was considered a prime. Then the first three primes would be 1, 3, and 5, and their sum would be 9. If you throw out 1, the first three primes would be 3. 5, and 7, and their sum would be 15. So, I still don't understand how "The sum of the first three prime numbers" can be "ten" ????DMGrandmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45239076222324744282012-03-14T13:19:48.750-04:002012-03-14T13:19:48.750-04:00Great puzzle, Lynn!
When I realized that MIDASST...Great puzzle, Lynn! <br /><br />When I realized that MIDASSTOUCH was actually the answer, I couldn't wait to check out Rex's blog for his comments - and got my second great laugh of the morning. Fun to read him as he GOESBANANAS over morning tv shows. What, don't you want to learn more recipes from recently divorced film actors who just finished rehab??? <br /><br />BTW, I also forgive the stretch on SINGLESSBARSolving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46665086780814134002012-02-09T08:38:01.565-05:002012-02-09T08:38:01.565-05:001. Agree with @Evan and others that MID-ASS TOUCH ...1. Agree with @Evan and others that MID-ASS TOUCH is the Answer of the Year. Very, um, cheeky!<br /><br />2. I read 49A as "SING-LESS BAR", as if it were the name of an establishment in Koreatown, where most of our Karaoke bars in NYC are in "Koreatown". That makes it a bit stereotypical and insensitive, but, sorry, witty none the less.<br /><br />3. I have lived in Amman for 8 years and I know every quarter of that city and I have never, ever, heard of "Middle East University". That clue should be challenged.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38802190382641483422012-02-08T23:02:41.183-05:002012-02-08T23:02:41.183-05:00Anonymous @8:55 - From Wikipedia: Primality of one...Anonymous @8:55 - From Wikipedia: Primality of one<br /><br />Most early Greeks did not even consider 1 to be a number, so did not consider it a prime. In the 19th century however, many mathematicians did consider the number 1 a prime. For example, Derrick Norman Lehmer's list of primes up to 10,006,721, reprinted as late as 1956, started with 1 as its first prime. Henri Lebesgue is said to be the last professional mathematician to call 1 prime. Although a large body of mathematical work is also valid when calling 1 a prime, the above fundamental theorem of arithmetic does not hold as stated. For example, the number 15 can be factored as 3 · 5 or 1 · 3 · 5. If 1 were admitted as a prime, these two presentations would be considered different factorizations of 15 into prime numbers, so the statement of that theorem would have to be modified. Furthermore, the prime numbers have several properties that the number 1 lacks, such as the relationship of the number to its corresponding value of Euler's totient function or the sum of divisors function.<br /><br />I'm thinking this isn't covered in most primary schools, and may not be known by the "average NYT crossword solver."Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89237881936632829562012-02-08T22:03:53.523-05:002012-02-08T22:03:53.523-05:00This week's relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post 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 6:49, 6:49, 1.00, 53%, Medium<br />Tue 10:54, 8:52, 1.23, 93%, Challenging (10th highest median solve time of 138 Tuesdays)<br />Wed 11:44, 11:50, 0.99, 53%, Medium<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:36, 3:40, 0.98, 46%, Medium<br />Tue 5:58, 4:35, 1.30, 99%, Challenging (2nd highest median solve time of 138 Tuesdays)<br />Wed 5:52, 5:52, 1.00, 53%, Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71622065372708460812012-02-08T21:34:22.542-05:002012-02-08T21:34:22.542-05:00@Fergus, yesterday you said to me: "I usually...@Fergus, yesterday you said to me: "I usually find something provocative in your posts. Glad you keep writing, whether in defiance or confirmation."<br /><br />@Fergus - I'm more genteel on Wordplay. Thank you for your interest and kind (I think) remark. This blog is not for the faint-hearted, something for which I give Rex full credit....<br /><br />@ Loren Muse Smith at 8:11 PM – My short (npi) response is: the ones who do not post here. My smart-ass response is: the hillbillies. But my serious response is this: On Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 1:40 AM Will Shortz posted on this blog this comment in response to a comment by Rex: “Bear in mind that you, and most of the readers here, are not typical solvers. You remember old puzzles that most people don't (or never saw in the first place). You're also younger and much more skilled than average NY Times solvers.” <br /><br />I realize that you might interpret Will’s comment differently but I interpret it that he plays to a larger audience and is therefore not likely to give much weight to comments here or similar blogs....<br /><br />JFCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41724974236709676772012-02-08T20:55:41.289-05:002012-02-08T20:55:41.289-05:00Maybe this reflects my inferior primary education,...Maybe this reflects my inferior primary education, but I swear I was taught that 1 is a prime number because it is divisible only by itself and the number 1. By that standard, SIX would have been the only correct answer for 61d. I eventually made my way to TEN, but that doesn't make it right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77789360376429034722012-02-08T20:11:59.329-05:002012-02-08T20:11:59.329-05:00@anonymous - so if we don't represent the aver...@anonymous - so if we don't represent the average NYT solver, who does?Loren Muse Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05308030011870397977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9426157759063731972012-02-08T20:02:13.084-05:002012-02-08T20:02:13.084-05:00Deb said: "...but by now a large chunk of tha...Deb said: "...but by now a large chunk of that older crowd includes baby boomers whose sensitivities aren't all that delicate."<br /><br />No wonder when the Baby Boomer President is getting BJ's in the Oval Office. I mean a MID-ASS TOUCH by comparison is like a hillbilly going to Sunday School....<br /><br />PS. I suspect Will relies more on his own instincts and those of his staff rather than comments at blogs such as this one because he has already stated he does not believe the commenters here to represent the average NYT solver.<br /><br />JFCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9013421961651318452012-02-08T19:36:11.361-05:002012-02-08T19:36:11.361-05:00@Ulrich...they are tricky to make, but not terribl...@Ulrich...they are tricky to make, but not terribly hard. All you have to do is meet the prerequisite...a healthy dose of OCD, with a pinch of "I know I can make the recipe better if I..."Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63241847928089558902012-02-08T17:57:43.505-05:002012-02-08T17:57:43.505-05:00Because I believe Will uses this blog as one barom...Because I believe Will uses this blog as one barometer of what folks want from puzzles, I'm just popping in to add my appreciation for MID ASS TOUCH. I understand the NYT crossword solver demographic skews older, but by now a large chunk of that older crowd includes baby boomers whose sensitivities aren't all that delicate.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16675331024091722316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71696610654379951312012-02-08T17:55:10.997-05:002012-02-08T17:55:10.997-05:00@quilter1 - Please email me, I just read something...@quilter1 - Please email me, I just read something that I would love to share with you. I was going to email you but your address was not available.chefwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03999206352243329280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78125294261421507872012-02-08T17:02:26.475-05:002012-02-08T17:02:26.475-05:00Laughed out loud in the starbucks over you know wh...Laughed out loud in the starbucks over you know what. Best answer ever!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66893754907269402042012-02-08T16:56:52.799-05:002012-02-08T16:56:52.799-05:00@loren muse smith - You love her still, but do you...@loren muse smith - You love her still, but do you still love her?<br /><br />@Gill I.P. - reading glasses but no pipe.<br /><br />captcha - butio - WS's pushing the envelope is even impacting random word image generators it seemsZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6464288601733870932012-02-08T16:34:15.252-05:002012-02-08T16:34:15.252-05:00New guy here. Did anyone see dis cuss throwers for...New guy here. Did anyone see dis cuss throwers for 35AAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com