tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post8132878268084576193..comments2024-03-28T11:09:59.073-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Classic 1955 Jules Dassin heist film / MON 8-5-13 / Understood to radioer / Band with 1983 hit Owner of Lonely Heart / Song syllables in title of 1964 hit / Apt pig latin for trashRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77449417284106644252013-09-09T19:29:49.128-04:002013-09-09T19:29:49.128-04:00I enjoyed this puzzle right up until I realised it...I enjoyed this puzzle right up until I realised it had tricked me into thinking this was Wednesday.straylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13536180563789923012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77398739335236478162013-09-09T15:20:05.281-04:002013-09-09T15:20:05.281-04:00Didn't know RIFIFI or KEITH MOON, (who I wish ...Didn't know RIFIFI or KEITH MOON, (who I wish could have been QB Warren) yet the crosses were fair, and the puz was fun. Much more fun than the usual Mon.<br /><br />OCTet, before OCTAD, and YEaS at first too. Slight objection to YEPS, should be YuPS, but these are just minor <br />nits. <br /><br />@SIS and @Waxy GO HAWKSGingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82587758815566146272013-09-09T15:02:53.068-04:002013-09-09T15:02:53.068-04:00I must say I enjoyed this one quite a bit as a dep...I must say I enjoyed this one quite a bit as a departure from your average Monday. The theme: simple but solid. The cluing: appropriate where it had to be, especially in the crosses for RIFIFI. It had a lively feel to it right from 1A, where I was going to enter ANGST, but saw that GOOGOLS was 2D and so went from there. I was going to say how my AGITA kicks up when certain people like to say "here's what *I* would do...", or other self-referential puzzle-conastructing comments; or those who say "can you imagine crossing UPTIME and OPENUP at the U?!", but I won't do that.<br /><br />I've been getting into foreign films (Netflix, Zip, obscure video stores, avid film buff friend), and so I phoned this friend who is an expert, and asked him about RIFIFI. "Great, classic film", was his reply, and he has a copy! So I will see it soon.<br /><br />capcha: kersyn adjunct to kerplop and kerplunkrain forestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-86873724378620355762013-09-09T14:54:28.491-04:002013-09-09T14:54:28.491-04:00@Waxy, Lou Iofoca was the savior of Kreislur, not ...@Waxy, Lou Iofoca was the savior of Kreislur, not Ford.<br /><br />Isn't Pig's girlfriend in "Pearls" named Agita? Pig gave his mom an electric chair today.<br /><br />ASCRIBE(ing) Alan A with giving me AGITA before ANGST. Got to go see my ANALYST, ANNETTE, or is it ART(S), who sees me ATCOST. Sorry, I'll stop.<br /><br />capcha: bodapte. When you've become accustomed to bodacious?Solving in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04249420848844874936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56525358953189207992013-09-09T14:24:16.770-04:002013-09-09T14:24:16.770-04:00Thanks Primetime @Bob. Hope my demonic mnemonics d...Thanks Primetime @Bob. Hope my demonic mnemonics didn't cause you any agita. Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6526725769348821702013-09-09T14:04:34.991-04:002013-09-09T14:04:34.991-04:00@Waxy in Montreal - Cute visual rhymes of agita wi...@Waxy in Montreal - Cute visual rhymes of agita with fajita and margarita, but you might want to <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=agita01v&word=agita&text=%5C%3Cspan%20class%3D%22unicode%22%3E%CB%88%3C%2Fspan%3Ea-j%C9%99-t%C9%99%5C" rel="nofollow">check the pronunciation.</a>Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82782585737093295232013-09-09T13:53:21.874-04:002013-09-09T13:53:21.874-04:00Learnt AGITA today and, heeding the words of my Gr...Learnt AGITA today and, heeding the words of my Grade 4 teacher who said the best way to remember a new word is to use it three times, here goes: fajita agita (uneasy feeling about the quality of my Tex-Mex supper), margarita agita (same thing about my Tequila cocktail) and cogito ergo agita (I think therefore I'm stressed). Now I won't forget it!<br /><br />Proving I'm not a robot today involves entering iofoca, who may have been the company CEO when the FORD GALAXY and/or Galaxie were introduced... Waxy in Montrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04395751487137805245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-60863520358026899882013-09-09T11:04:40.642-04:002013-09-09T11:04:40.642-04:00Well, any grid that starts out with AGITA at 1a is...Well, any grid that starts out with AGITA at 1a is not gonna be rated easy. It's a perfectly OK word--just one that nobody ever actually speaks. I've met it before, but only in other crosswords.<br /><br />What I have NOT met before is the classic (???) RIFIFI. Hard to call a film a classic when I, a film buff, have never heard of it. Nor (you won't believe this) have I ever heard of GITANO; I needed every cross. Me, I'm a Lee man.<br /><br />So, easy? Not. But the theme subject is right up my alley--they don't call me spacecraft for nothing--and so it was a most enjoyable solve. The fill, with a few noted exceptions, contributed a lot to the enjoyment. Well done, Mr. Arbesfeld; you have added yourself to my stable of favorite Alan A's, along with Messrs. Alda, Arkin, and A-Dale.spacecraftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-61122154047322735102013-08-12T05:40:00.428-04:002013-08-12T05:40:00.428-04:00Not to my knowledge. Unless maybe in Europe. Not i...Not to my knowledge. Unless maybe in Europe. Not in the US. It was Freestar and Windstar. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25338442065546583552013-08-05T22:07:50.915-04:002013-08-05T22:07:50.915-04:00This 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 6:50, 6:09, 1.11, 87%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:15, 3:47, 1.13, 89%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83184436404057742302013-08-05T22:07:34.584-04:002013-08-05T22:07:34.584-04:00per wikipedia
per wikipedia<br />Texas Mommahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07601124453265527124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78442798125724781572013-08-05T22:06:17.242-04:002013-08-05T22:06:17.242-04:00In September, 1997, so the story goes, some Stanfo...In September, 1997, so the story goes, some Stanford grad students were helping Larry Page choose a name for his search engine. "Googolplex," said Sean Anderson. (They'd already sensed how big this could become.) "Googol," Page replied. Anderson, checking to see if the name was taken, typed g-o-o-g-l-e into his browser and made the most famous spelling mistake since p-o-t-a-t-o-e. Page registered the name within hours, and today, Google isn't a typo, it's a verb, one with a market cap of about $160 billion.Texas Mommahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07601124453265527124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24969645123288997562013-08-05T17:15:42.635-04:002013-08-05T17:15:42.635-04:00Midday 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 (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 6:49, 6:09, 1.11, 87%, Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:21, 3:47, 1.15, 94%, Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-30336400129182329282013-08-05T16:44:54.430-04:002013-08-05T16:44:54.430-04:00But then we have two "SSS" entries, so n...But then we have two "SSS" entries, so never mind.Namelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-77317560756567709032013-08-05T16:43:34.787-04:002013-08-05T16:43:34.787-04:00Would have been impressive if 41D, 42D, 43D, 48D a...Would have been impressive if 41D, 42D, 43D, 48D and 55D all started with S to mirror the first 5 downs.Namelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37788975331629530372013-08-05T15:33:32.307-04:002013-08-05T15:33:32.307-04:00I started with DREAD in 1A which did not help that...I started with DREAD in 1A which did not help that corner. I continued on though and got through the rest then back to the NW where I sorted the things out. Got RIFIFI with the crosses. In fact I never got back to the clue and didn't realize that it was done until I read the blog. I do think this is a mixed Monday Tuesday puzzle. I liked the suggestiont that you might measure a Monday puzzle by whether a beginner would be able to do it. Certainly don't think that was true of this one. An enjoyable puzzle, but perhaps because it was more complex than a usual Monday so gave me pause for thought.Nigelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16763277774556370182013-08-05T14:34:41.139-04:002013-08-05T14:34:41.139-04:00@Melodious - that article is starting to sound lik...@Melodious - that article is starting to sound like my brother-in-law who taught theoretical physics at MIT. Think Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory (except without Sheldon's sparkling personality)<br /><br />@Anoa - the ironic thing is that SSS is not itself a plural, unless it was clued as the sound of two tires deflating. or would that need an E?Rob Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67626455213748114962013-08-05T13:44:28.809-04:002013-08-05T13:44:28.809-04:00YEPS Rob C, I don't think I've ever seen ...YEPS Rob C, I don't think I've ever seen a puzzle start with such a <a href="http://anoabob.blogspot.com/2013/05/poc-doc.html" rel="nofollow">POC</a> fest. All the first five Downs are Plurals of Convenience, with three of them ending in the sore thumb at 30A <b>SSS</b>. <br /><br />As someone once remarked, a googol here, a googol there, and pretty soon you're talking about some serious GOOGOLS!<br /><br />Kinda takes the edge off the at-first-glance wide-openness of the grid.<br /><br />RIFIFI sounds like some sort of complicated reworking of a home mortgage, although it is fun to say, what with the I FAT crossing.Anoa Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16185183023273883700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-80529975813277357862013-08-05T13:32:23.656-04:002013-08-05T13:32:23.656-04:00Fun and easy today with only one correction (WATCH...Fun and easy today with only one correction (WATCH before CLOCK as I neglected to check a cross before making my entry). No idea on 18D, but I never saw it as the Acrosses filled it in for me.<br /><br />@Evan - Didn’t notice the 2 UPS or PLANs in the grid, but I did notice the plural GOOGOL. My fist is shaking, but perhaps not as much as yours.Birdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67712922738849953122013-08-05T13:18:11.359-04:002013-08-05T13:18:11.359-04:00@Melodius Funk - thanks for the article. Was doin...@Melodius Funk - thanks for the article. Was doing okay until the Orders of Magnitude section, then got totally lost in trying to comprehend what 3^^^^^3 was trying to notate. Fun, fun, fun.<br /><br />Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16181544219511150272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19123201112617238692013-08-05T13:17:25.339-04:002013-08-05T13:17:25.339-04:00@joho from yesterday...cool about your work on NBC...@joho from yesterday...cool about your work on NBC (as the 10th Ave building says)...<br />They started with one building at 14th/9th, then added I think 4 buildings over the years - when they reached and crossed 10th Ave, and filled that building, they abandoned this site and moved to Jersey.<br /><br />Aren't I the font of knowledge...!<br /><br />@Anon from yesterday too - I had not been around for a long time - but have been personally reaching out to @Sparky.<br />Haven't heard back. She usually at Lollapuzzolah...<br /><br />Like you, I miss her!Titahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368251255494687496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12020324630010440612013-08-05T13:13:19.995-04:002013-08-05T13:13:19.995-04:00Agree that this was relatively tough for a Monday ...Agree that this was relatively tough for a Monday with stuff like SSS, TIESIN [it could have ben to or on], OCAT, OCTADS, TES, YEPS, SHALALA [put down SHANANA first] and AGITA. Never heard of KEITHMOON either. Finished fairly fast [for me] with a couple of writeovers. It would have been difficult to take a DNF on a Monday. Whew!LaneBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-5380208952979406872013-08-05T13:03:01.625-04:002013-08-05T13:03:01.625-04:00LOVED the clue for ASHTRAY. Don't need a movi...LOVED the clue for ASHTRAY. Don't need a movie in the clue for Annette Bening. Minimual grid gruel, though I'd add IRR to the list of those already mentioned. I guess you don't need much for a theme on Monday.<br /><br />It did have more heft than the typical Monday. I liked it. It had the feel of being done by a pro.<br /><br />@rex -- prophylactically?<br /><br />m&a -- good one on OCAT!<br /><br />I like SETTLES crossing RELAXES, and I take some satisfaction seeing ROCHE cross LOSER.<br /><br /><br /><br />Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70937249023721852822013-08-05T12:23:16.806-04:002013-08-05T12:23:16.806-04:00As an aside, I've been told by those who seem ...As an aside, I've been told by those who seem to know that the largest real number that physicists can get a handle on is 1x10 to the 64th. Give or take. <br /><br />The number is arrived at by measuring the size (diameter?) of the universe using the smallest known particle diameter. This could be the Fermi or Planck unit, not sure about that.<br /><br />Number theory is quite weird. Anyone interested in how the googol and googleplex got their names can go to this site which is almost written in English. I find it fascinating just to read the stuff, never mind understand it. <br /><br />http://io9.com/5807256/whats-the-biggest-number-in-the-universe<br />Melodious Funknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-27975157118519148972013-08-05T10:57:41.201-04:002013-08-05T10:57:41.201-04:00@Ellie54
A googol is the large number 10 to the 10...@Ellie54<br />A googol is the large number 10 to the 100th power; that is, the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes:<br />10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.<br />And if that's not big enough,<br />A googolplex is the number 10googol, i.e. 10 to the 10to the 100th.DBGeezerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10986114855503403614noreply@blogger.com