tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post6291682529583179444..comments2024-03-28T13:46:36.605-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Deadhead icon — WEDNESDAY, Jun. 3 2009 — Restaurateur Toots / Banned apple spray / Retired Mach 1 breakerRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25570372829614612742009-07-08T17:42:51.442-04:002009-07-08T17:42:51.442-04:00Put me down in the, "Wow, that's neat&quo...Put me down in the, "Wow, that's neat" camp. Who ever realized that Gandhi's name or the name of the SST was made up of state abbreviations.<br /><br />Well done, Mr. Donaldson!Old Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094583809189956841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76338598368305872262009-06-05T20:09:25.003-04:002009-06-05T20:09:25.003-04:00Is this author the ABC newsman?Is this author the ABC newsman?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52418718161830896742009-06-04T02:21:19.885-04:002009-06-04T02:21:19.885-04:00Seen this concept before. I love Rex 'cause, f...Seen this concept before. I love Rex 'cause, for some reason, I can't spell Ghandi either. Gandi. Gandhi.<br />Always good to see Ulee, the name that will exist in the <br />crosswordese Hall of Forever, like eft and inre.<br />Oh! It's after midnight, my birthday just sneaked in.<br />Cheers, all!Southern Ma'amnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73157334422108099192009-06-03T23:56:07.983-04:002009-06-03T23:56:07.983-04:00@Fergus: Sir, You have no finer sensibilities! It ...@Fergus: Sir, You have no finer sensibilities! It wou;d appear you prefer Pop-Tarts to pancakes.slypetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537129206516720012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18272931775911333102009-06-03T23:53:15.135-04:002009-06-03T23:53:15.135-04:00lol @ foodie ... that's precisely why I report...lol @ foodie ... that's precisely why I report the median instead of the mean solve time. (That, and the fact that calculating the mean would require totaling all of the 700 or so solve times in the list.) The median is less influenced by extreme values. I can't comprehend how it's physically possible to solve a 15 x 15 crossword in 3 minutes or less. I track my solve times on the daily Yahoo, Boston.com and USA Today puzzles and the fastest I've ever solved any of them is 3:58.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4189125597814473932009-06-03T23:49:00.078-04:002009-06-03T23:49:00.078-04:00I think someone should take up the name "Acro...I think someone should take up the name "Acromonious." And soon.slypetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537129206516720012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-26461055818876602162009-06-03T23:43:45.898-04:002009-06-03T23:43:45.898-04:00"Strawberry Fields forever!""Strawberry Fields forever!"slypetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537129206516720012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44961005487518902122009-06-03T23:19:57.348-04:002009-06-03T23:19:57.348-04:00I enjoyed the puzzle and chuckled at the construct...I enjoyed the puzzle and chuckled at the constructor's skill when the "Aha" moment came. Maybe Rex had rotten eggs for breakfast today.<br /><br />Any world capitol seems like fair game to me, and 34D ASMARA has certainly been prominent in the news. In the late 60's the USA had an Army base there, at which time Eritrea was a province of Ethiopia.Victor in Rochesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52415593311352270012009-06-03T23:19:12.274-04:002009-06-03T23:19:12.274-04:00Liked the comments today on crosswords as 'art...Liked the comments today on crosswords as 'art form' -- Don't know what that means, but the form does seem to be flourishing right now...<br /><br />--Stan (on a different account)Arundelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15171078182761035785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39160814267895479972009-06-03T23:17:50.607-04:002009-06-03T23:17:50.607-04:00John: It was Patrick Stewart, who also pulls off t...John: It was Patrick Stewart, who also pulls off the bald look pretty well, who played Jean-Luc PICARD. I saw him about 15 years ago in <i>The Tempest</i> on Broadway. (Stand down, Greene! It's the one show I've ever seen on B'way, and not a musical.)Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-84020926836732550452009-06-03T23:07:31.181-04:002009-06-03T23:07:31.181-04:00Ithought ASMARA crossing JAGR was a n unfair Nati...Ithought ASMARA crossing JAGR was a n unfair Natick for a midweek puzzle. I dont know the world capitals or hockey outside of bobby Orr and the Stanley cup so those answers are totaly obscure to me. I also put PICARD for the Ben kingsley role before doing the down clues. Nobody knows everything and they dshouldnt be told they NEED to!Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-79461895518395794252009-06-03T23:03:11.503-04:002009-06-03T23:03:11.503-04:00@Fergus,
Thanks for the shout-out to Tommy James....@Fergus,<br /><br />Thanks for the shout-out to Tommy James. I meant to include that in my post--I hate when the crappy remake gets the nod over the original. As legend has it, Tommy James came up with the MONY name from a Mutual Of New York sign.HudsonHawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16119485923243014649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28112481028416954622009-06-03T22:22:06.648-04:002009-06-03T22:22:06.648-04:00It's a form of art, this cross-word puzzling, ...It's a form of art, this cross-word puzzling, and I decry my earlier denunciations regarding theme and symmetry.<br /><br />With regret,<br /><br />Fergusfergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5478850320349223272009-06-03T22:20:34.669-04:002009-06-03T22:20:34.669-04:00@R_C and mac: And "gnarly" is "knor...@R_C and mac: And "gnarly" is "knorrig" in German--it can apply to a tree or a person like me:-)Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45964103185344206452009-06-03T22:06:00.295-04:002009-06-03T22:06:00.295-04:00@sanfranman59 I agree with Ulrich that it would be...@sanfranman59 I agree with Ulrich that it would be interesting to see this data. Also, can you please do it with and without Orange and tell us how much that changes the mean : ) <br /><br />@hazel et al, interesting discussion about "the point of a puzzle". Beyond the enjoyment of the solving and the admiration of the construction feat, what I think about is how we are all probing various aspects of language-- synonyms, homonyms, puns, additions that tranform a meaning, etc. Both the clues and the answers provide opportunties to explore the nooks and crannies. So, I really enjoyed reading the constructor's description of his search for a collection of words that incorporate the pairs signifying states, without interruption and without repetition. There are quite a few constraints! To me, this exemplifies yet another way that someone can become fascinated with some feature of the language.. <br /><br />And this is all art, it's subject to taste (no?) <br /><br />Cheers (to use another e-mail closing)...foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-66862512421806567092009-06-03T21:44:16.327-04:002009-06-03T21:44:16.327-04:00@ mac - thanks!@ mac - thanks!retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91303610195394799602009-06-03T21:42:55.542-04:002009-06-03T21:42:55.542-04:00@retired_chemist: I bet you are right. In Dutch it...@retired_chemist: I bet you are right. In Dutch it would be "knorren". We and the Germans have lots of wonderful words for all sorts of sounds.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39518656493461494352009-06-03T21:36:07.331-04:002009-06-03T21:36:07.331-04:00@ Ulrich if he is still around:
GNAR presumably i...@ Ulrich if he is still around:<br /><br />GNAR presumably is related etymologically to the German knurren, right? One of my favorites from Die Winterreise:<br /><br />Der Leiermann: <br />"...<br />Keiner mag ihn hören,<br />Keiner sieht ihn an,<br />Und die Hunde knurren<br />Um den alten Mann.<br />...."retired_chemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181126754941899228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34908269296315061442009-06-03T21:22:10.481-04:002009-06-03T21:22:10.481-04:00Excellent critique Rex.
Zero payoff for the solver...Excellent critique Rex.<br />Zero payoff for the solvers.<br /><br />Finally was able to get on and read<br />these comments. Your link seems to have returned.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-74611860858467720482009-06-03T21:10:01.771-04:002009-06-03T21:10:01.771-04:00I am done reading and totally agree with @Orange a...I am done reading and totally agree with @Orange and @hazel ... today's comments were way above average. <br /><br />@mac ... thanks for the Westport date ... I hope it's not too close to my date in San Diego. Will check it out further.<br /><br />@imsdave & Bill from NJ ... thank you! Getting another year older is much easier with such good wishes.<br /><br />@ACME ... you should be blushing!<br /><br />@rex ... my dog, Riley, has respectfully requested you work COCKAPOO into your puzzle.johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-42534774537068409632009-06-03T20:27:32.668-04:002009-06-03T20:27:32.668-04:00Wow ... I'm back on the blog! Thanks to everyb...Wow ... I'm back on the blog! Thanks to everybody for all the help. Now I have nearly 100 comments to go through ... can't wait! This morning when I was going to post my feelings were that I liked the puzzle a lot ... I'm not mechanical so arranging the perimeter with 26 states amazed me. Good job, Sam Donaldson!johohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708487230515532492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6986423378511128142009-06-03T20:21:58.751-04:002009-06-03T20:21:58.751-04:00@sanfranman59: Please do this for the rest of the ...@sanfranman59: Please do this for the rest of the week. I'm interested in seeing confirmation for my intuitive impression that the level of difficulty over a week does not increase linearly--the curve is more like a hockey stick: From Mo through Th, I hardly ever encounter real difficulties and can't really tell if there are differences b/c I do not time myself, and then all hell breaks loose on Friday, which I'm happy to solve w/o googling no matter how long it takes, and Saturday is in a league all by itself.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59344563367021062732009-06-03T19:45:36.243-04:002009-06-03T19:45:36.243-04:00In case anyone's interested, I'm beginning...In case anyone's interested, I'm beginning to track my solve times on NYT puzzles and comparing my times to those in the Top Ten Puzzlers list. Of 734 puzzlers who solved today's puzzle in under an hour, the median solve time is 9:51. Yesterday's was 8:20 (among 807 solvers) and Monday's was 7:10 (among 800 solvers). I arbitrarily excluded solve times of more than an hour to try and eliminate folks who weren't able to solve the puzzle in one sitting.sanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11221169711877184102009-06-03T19:35:07.859-04:002009-06-03T19:35:07.859-04:00Tommy James and the Shondelles deserve some credit...Tommy James and the Shondelles deserve some credit, I wanted to say earlier when I was not quite so picky about attribution.<br /><br />Back in 1969fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9503590639388003682009-06-03T19:17:10.057-04:002009-06-03T19:17:10.057-04:00Great puzzle Mr. Donaldson.
Put me in the I thoug...Great puzzle Mr. Donaldson.<br /><br />Put me in the I thought it was great camp. <br /><br />The drums of Mony Mony won't leave my head. Help !Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07466240197659721721noreply@blogger.com