tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3074608125917841691..comments2024-03-28T17:36:31.347-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Octopussy setting / THU 6-10-10 / Title first used Simeon I of Bulgaria / Question asked in foggy state / Bill with picture of BenRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51166665608078336712010-07-15T12:47:13.355-04:002010-07-15T12:47:13.355-04:00Oops. How poor we are at proofing our own work.
I...Oops. How poor we are at proofing our own work.<br /><br />In the above comment, for "is" read "in."Old Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094583809189956841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47897589530241814202010-07-15T12:44:23.686-04:002010-07-15T12:44:23.686-04:00I have to take issue with Martin.
The "Coun...I have to take issue with Martin. <br /><br />The "Count" is Count Basie is a title, albeit a self proclaimed one. Wouldn't it look wrong to write, "I went to see count Basie last night"?Old Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094583809189956841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91265381490974380942010-06-11T15:57:43.349-04:002010-06-11T15:57:43.349-04:00I call shenanigans on NSEC.
The correct answer wo...I call shenanigans on NSEC.<br /><br />The correct answer would be NANO.<br /><br />And again, ask a Russian history professor what he thinks of CZAR. It's always TSAR.<br /><br />POINT BLANK--good movie.<br />Any movie that has Angie Dickenson getting discreetly getting naked in the background is a good movie.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17857747515877769718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-54377350169239803522010-06-11T06:31:51.597-04:002010-06-11T06:31:51.597-04:00Andrea, dear, Mr. Mandela may have taken inspirati...Andrea, dear, Mr. Mandela may have taken inspiration from the poem "Invictus", but I wrote it!William Ernest Henleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91820706280364493982010-06-11T01:18:38.543-04:002010-06-11T01:18:38.543-04:00@Edithb
INVICTUS...terrible title, even if it is f...@Edithb<br />INVICTUS...terrible title, even if it is from the Mandela poem.<br />Half political historical film, half sports/Rocky kind of movie, yes?andrea sugarspoon michaelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69296370373705403852010-06-10T23:56:32.096-04:002010-06-10T23:56:32.096-04:00Not even Oedipally the other answer was SEE your m...Not even Oedipally the other answer was SEE your mother.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66984659562679892492010-06-10T22:20:27.151-04:002010-06-10T22:20:27.151-04:00@Karl, good heavens no. Talk about a gimme!@Karl, good heavens no. Talk about a gimme!lit.dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729199575329286046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70921264474703024092010-06-10T22:14:04.625-04:002010-06-10T22:14:04.625-04:00Am I the only one whose mind was in the gutter for...Am I the only one whose mind was in the gutter for 46A: "Go ___ your mother!" Thankfully it was one letter too many.Karlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31412247941290634602010-06-10T22:09:26.907-04:002010-06-10T22:09:26.907-04:00This 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 7:08, 6:55, 1.03, 69%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 8:53, 8:49, 1.01, 59%, Medium<br />Wed 12:25, 11:48, 1.05, 72%, Medium-Challenging<br />Thu 14:17, 19:09, 0.75, 13%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 3:49, 3:41, 1.03, 69%, Medium-Challenging<br />Tue 4:39, 4:31, 1.03, 67%, Medium-Challenging<br />Wed 5:35, 5:47, 0.96, 44%, Medium<br />Thu 7:11, 9:10, 0.78, 25%, Easy-Medium<br /><br />By the numbers, this is one of the easier Thursdays in my database, although the Top 100 had a little more difficult time (relative to a typical Thursday) than the All Solvers group. There were 675 online solvers who posted times and that's the most of the 52 Thursday puzzles I've tracked. The 14:17 median solve time for the All Solvers group is the 7th fastest for a Thursday.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-50531195971373017142010-06-10T21:33:11.984-04:002010-06-10T21:33:11.984-04:00Certainly a quality puzzle, but pretty drab by Not...Certainly a quality puzzle, but pretty drab by Nothnagel standards. Not much puzzling or puzzlement. Except when I was another cautious skeptic about OGLED and guessing that cannoli (misread and misspelled) could be sliced into CUBES for easier consumption. Bodybuilders competing in a cannoli-eating contest, such as I saw in a recently repeated "Sopranos" episode?<br /><br />Concur about INSPECTION SPOT being a bit fabricated.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89759704206609040652010-06-10T20:27:12.481-04:002010-06-10T20:27:12.481-04:00@retired_chemist and @Glitch -
Thank you so much f...@retired_chemist and @Glitch -<br />Thank you so much for the explanation. I always wondered what those seemingly nonsense words were in order to get my comments posted.<br /> This blog is so much fun, and you all are the best.<br /><br />so I guess my captch is:<br /><br />entation - A paragraph written without an indent ?PurpleGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03831764248536980544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44321249083455222192010-06-10T20:15:04.663-04:002010-06-10T20:15:04.663-04:00@PurpleGuy
R_C gave you the theory via wiki(above...@PurpleGuy<br /><br />R_C gave you the theory via wiki(above), but if you're asking where the *words* come from, they are generated from aplets that can be added to blogs and websites.<br /><br />Without getting too technical, there are a number of sources of the applets, each generating different types of *captchas" --- words, pictograms, letter/number combos, and others.<br /><br />In short, the key to the system is generating a *challenge* of distorted characters, against a busy background, usually inserted as a graphic, that would be [ideally] impossible for a computer program to read.<br /><br />Note that the *content* is not critical, it can be *dictionary* words, but is distorted and camouflaged enough that hopefully only a human can respond correctly.<br /><br />r_c's reference includes how to get around it.<br /><br />.../GlitchGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-33940800368768900242010-06-10T20:00:01.018-04:002010-06-10T20:00:01.018-04:00@44: Thanx kindly for the response. You are a T-R...@44: Thanx kindly for the response. You are a T-Rex and a gentleman.Masked and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38768234775721922502010-06-10T19:42:12.459-04:002010-06-10T19:42:12.459-04:00@PurpleGuy CAPTCHA is the word (i.e. the verificat...@PurpleGuy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA" rel="nofollow">CAPTCHA</a> is the word (i.e. the verification characters) you need to type in to get your post onto the blog.<br /><br />pfrang - past tense of "phring."retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43949686265915434372010-06-10T19:01:05.831-04:002010-06-10T19:01:05.831-04:00Loved this puzzle, crisp, smart and contemporary.
...Loved this puzzle, crisp, smart and contemporary.<br /><br />With East Berlin and check point in it, of course I thought of Charlie. <br /><br />The "don't -" clue had me puzzled, with --int I thought "faint?".<br />My bodybuilders are toned, not necessarily oiled, ugh.<br /><br />@Rube: a new kitten.....!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43604845312018864532010-06-10T18:57:54.602-04:002010-06-10T18:57:54.602-04:00Back again for a bit.
I've seen this lately, a...Back again for a bit.<br />I've seen this lately, and must have missed the previous explanation.<br />Can someone explain what a "captcha" is ? I like the ones I've read so far , but how do arrive at them ?<br /><br />Please, before it ROILs and IRKs me. LOL :)PurpleGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03831764248536980544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70256784131218067442010-06-10T17:10:15.613-04:002010-06-10T17:10:15.613-04:00I saw a film on ESPN about the change of power in ...I saw a film on ESPN about the change of power in South Africa and Nelson Mandela used the Rugby final between South Africa and the heavily favored All-Blacks as a way of unifying the blacks and whites. It was a powerful film that used the Haka of the All-Blacks to powerful effect. I was happy to see it again and highly recommend the film (whose name escapes me.)edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5119878761384711342010-06-10T16:25:48.176-04:002010-06-10T16:25:48.176-04:00@Masked,
you asked:
"@44: Bit off the subje...@Masked,<br /><br />you asked:<br /><br />"@44: Bit off the subject, but... Saw a puz yesterday where the 80-D (four blanks) clue was "Lure from the bottom up". Answer seems to be ERUL. It that playin' fair?!?"<br /><br />The answer is No. No decent puzzle would Ever do that ... *Unless* said reversal is part of the THEME. You would never see a single word in a puzzle clued the way you say, with the resulting ERUL. Nuh uh. No. I mean, you might, but not in a high- (or even medium-) quality puzzle. Some crap puzzles, however, will do Anything.Rex Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81694703684585431232010-06-10T15:54:01.994-04:002010-06-10T15:54:01.994-04:00@Masked and Anon
The *directional* gimmick comes ...@Masked and Anon<br /><br />The *directional* gimmick comes up from time to time.<br /><br />For example:<br />1. Like ones starting over : ENOERAUQSOTKCAB<br /><br />Here's the complete puzzle;<br />[Spoiler alert, it's completed]<br /><a href="http://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=12/18/2003&g=1&d=D" rel="nofollow"><br />Dec 18, 2003 </a><br /><br />..../GlitchGlitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61397747169374057102010-06-10T15:50:15.816-04:002010-06-10T15:50:15.816-04:00Midday report of relative difficulty (see my 7/30/...Midday report of relative difficulty (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 of my method):<br /><br />All solvers (median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Thu 14:02, 19:08, 0.73, 12%, Easy<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Thu 7:31, 9:10, 0.82, 29%, Easy-Mediumsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52088369006466326802010-06-10T15:36:16.629-04:002010-06-10T15:36:16.629-04:00Any chance that "skinny" is transliterat...Any chance that "skinny" is transliterated and bastardized? I was working on "C'est quoi (n???) in French and ran out of possibilities due to my limited French vocabulary (and grammar).<br /><br />outem - I wil NOT touch that captcha....retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16023201655564659912010-06-10T15:10:18.928-04:002010-06-10T15:10:18.928-04:00@lit.doc Don't think so. Haven't figured...@lit.doc Don't think so. Haven't figured the whole (nasty nasty) puz out yet. Was emailed to me by a "friend" who makes these things. Especially puzzlin' other entry that might be tryin' to pull somethin':<br />Sound from a surly Saluki (4 letters...maybe ??A?)! I won't describe any more, since we should be workin' on the NYT puz here.<br />Anyhow, thanx for your interest.Masked and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86261156976887723192010-06-10T14:41:34.647-04:002010-06-10T14:41:34.647-04:00@Martin, thanks for explaining the lower-case coun...@Martin, thanks for explaining the lower-case count. I'm an English teacher, shoulda thought of that.<br /><br />@OldCarFudd, LOL at your captcha explanation. I will reboot my e-thics.<br /><br />@Masked and Anon, the clue/answer you describe sounds like something from a cryptic cw. Did any of the other clues also sound like mini-puzzles?lit.dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729199575329286046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-14266163961706428602010-06-10T14:26:53.020-04:002010-06-10T14:26:53.020-04:00@DBGeezer - Seems even the experts don't know ...@DBGeezer - Seems even the experts don't know <a href="http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?t=17988" rel="nofollow">why skinny = INFO.</a>Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-13000616346021985422010-06-10T14:21:49.302-04:002010-06-10T14:21:49.302-04:00Saw Nothnagel - said I LIKE. Saw the cross-referen...Saw Nothnagel - said I LIKE. Saw the cross-referencing - said NOT I. However, ultimately my like for Mike outweighed my crossness at cross-referencing. Wasn't even EXTREMELY CLOSE. <br /><br />Very nice puzzle IMO. Always like to see what Rex called "Did you know....?" type clues. Only A FEW writeovers; SOME for A FEW, RAJAH for RANEE (hey, it was a 50:50 shot), RDA for CAL.<br /><br />Thanks, Mr. N.retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.com