(btw i'm finishing up a track that incorporates some of b3n taus1g's field recordings. gonna go after that coveted crossword nerd/dubstep crossover audience.)
― adult music person (Jordan), Monday, 14 March 2011 20:47 (thirteen years ago) link
Will that book have any puzzles in it by Alan Arbesfeld, jaymc?
― Eloi Wallach (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 17 March 2011 00:12 (thirteen years ago) link
No idea who else is in it. (Or rather, I think Ben told me last year but I forgot.)
― Joseph Beuys II Men (jaymc), Thursday, 17 March 2011 02:15 (thirteen years ago) link
L.A. Times on Saturday had interesting gimmick. Still didn't enjoy solving it though
― ELO ENO ONO (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 April 2011 15:00 (thirteen years ago) link
LA Times appears to have returned to some earlier level of difficulty. Today's puzzle was quite fun. NY Times was impossible.
― Cut Creator Has A Master Plan (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 4 June 2011 12:43 (twelve years ago) link
Loved this in the LA Times:1a Candy vehicle (4)
― Cut Creator Has A Master Plan (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 4 June 2011 13:23 (twelve years ago) link
Will Shortz (@Will_Shortz)7/27/11 9:47 PMAn innocent NYT crossword clue I wrote for ROCK CANDY: Something hard to suck on? Test-solver Frank caught it before it ran. [Whew!]
― jaymc, Thursday, 28 July 2011 13:47 (twelve years ago) link
Test-solver Frank should have warned him about the answer FULL SPEEDO AHEAD
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 29 July 2011 00:52 (twelve years ago) link
From I believe an LAT crossword a couple weeks ago, apropos of ILX:Name-dropper: S___
― La Petite Mordy (Leee), Tuesday, 2 August 2011 04:25 (twelve years ago) link
Thursday's puzzle was awesome, although there is a spoiler on this thread, but I had forgotten about it. Today's was tough but fun.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 5 August 2011 16:04 (twelve years ago) link
Btw, I think "Test-solver Frank" is LONGO.
― jaymc, Friday, 5 August 2011 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
Makes sense.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 5 August 2011 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
Crossed paths with Will yesterday but didn't get a chance to discuss this with him.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 7 August 2011 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
Just wondering what people's best times are for a weekday puzzle? I think I can average ~12 minutes for early-week puzzles. /strict amateur
― his loser, bum of a son, named Jesus Christ (Leee), Sunday, 7 August 2011 17:01 (twelve years ago) link
Online, I can usually do a Monday puzzle in about 4:00. Probably longer on paper, though.
― jaymc, Sunday, 7 August 2011 21:42 (twelve years ago) link
I can usually do the Monday in about 4 minutes too. The really top solvers can do it in 3 or even sometimes 2 minutes.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 7 August 2011 21:52 (twelve years ago) link
Just looked at the some of the champ's times for the past week- 1:36 for Tuesday! 4:34 for Sunday!
I used to be able to do an average Sunday puzzle in 18 minutes, if I didn't fall asleep whilst solving it. Now I've gotten it down to about 12, although that deepens on whether I have gotten enough sleep, have a sinus infection, etc.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 7 August 2011 22:00 (twelve years ago) link
But both jaymc and I have participated in tournaments so it is probably not fair to compare with our times.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 7 August 2011 22:01 (twelve years ago) link
Damn! I take the whole week to do Sunday puzzles.
― his loser, bum of a son, named Jesus Christ (Leee), Sunday, 7 August 2011 22:24 (twelve years ago) link
Been doing the Times puzzle on and off since 1978 and started doing it seriously two years ago so I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 7 August 2011 22:49 (twelve years ago) link
No worries, I'm just marveling at yall's real skillz.
― his loser, bum of a son, named Jesus Christ (Leee), Sunday, 7 August 2011 22:53 (twelve years ago) link
Aargh, I came in about 60th in this weekend's tournament, need to start practicing and stop posting to this thread.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 8 August 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
Lollapuzzoola?
― jaymc, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
Yup.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:11 (twelve years ago) link
You can still play at home, I think, for ten bucks.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:12 (twelve years ago) link
Knew I messed up puzzle three a little, have no idea how I got so many wrong on puzzle two, which I thought I had clean, maybe I shifted a theme answer by one letter. Didn't bother to check anything at all, though, before handing in.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:15 (twelve years ago) link
OK, I see what happened, ha.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 02:52 (twelve years ago) link
BEQ's 36A today: Hipster's lid
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 03:09 (twelve years ago) link
Wait that's not from today, it's older.
― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 03:19 (twelve years ago) link
Saturday Times puzzle was the Lollapuzzoola final.
Looks like the book with jaymc puzzle in it comes out in two weeks.
― Viriconium Island Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 20 August 2011 02:52 (twelve years ago) link
Just tried to win that Penguin book, but I read my email too late and was beaten by the usual suspects (:
― Viriconium Island Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:28 (twelve years ago) link
Who's offering it as a prize? I actually haven't seen it yet -- I think I was supposed to get an advance copy but never did.
― Aziz Ansari & III (jaymc), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:31 (twelve years ago) link
Ben T sent out a mini contest with the inkwell email. I can forward it to you if you want.
― Viriconium Island Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:33 (twelve years ago) link
Aargh. He just emailed me. I was fourth, just missing the cut.
― Viriconium Island Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:36 (twelve years ago) link
It took me almost twice as long to solve it as it did the champion. (18:05 vs. 9:00) I knew I was off on the wrong foot when I started off 1A with "tepee" and it turned out to be "hogan."
― Dave Zuul (Phil D.), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:37 (twelve years ago) link
I had seen it before and it still took me quite a while to solve.
― Viriconium Island Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:38 (twelve years ago) link
I can forward it to you if you want.
Thanks, but no need, I was just curious.
― Aziz Ansari & III (jaymc), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:38 (twelve years ago) link
Too late I just did. You can send him your answers when you ping him about your complimentary copy.
― Viriconium Island Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:39 (twelve years ago) link
Oh!
― Aziz Ansari & III (jaymc), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:40 (twelve years ago) link
do u see?
The Lollapuzzoola champ is pretty good- he's won that twice (maybe more I dunno), came in 26th at the ACPT and is apparently pretty fast at solving cryptics as well.
― Viriconium Island Baby (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 22 August 2011 15:44 (twelve years ago) link
Exactly three weeks after Lollapuzzoola 4, I point you in the direction of the puzzle Tyler Hinman wrote for Lollapuzzoola 3, which Tony Orbach recommended to me: http://bemoresmarter.squarespace.com/puzzles/lollapuzzoola-3-the-great-pickle-giveaway-2010/
― Don't ask for the steening, ask for the HOOS (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 27 August 2011 15:19 (twelve years ago) link
Today's puzzle was interesting.
jaymc, I see that your book is
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #32,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #14 in Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Crosswords
#14 in Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Crosswords
― Hipster Shake Boogie (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 1 September 2011 15:16 (twelve years ago) link
oh, jaymc has a puzzle in that penguin book? now i have to get it.
― hardcore oatmeal (Jordan), Thursday, 1 September 2011 15:29 (twelve years ago) link
Two puzzles, in fact! I just got my copy of the book the other day, and it was interesting to see (as someone who'd never before published a puzzle) how B.T. edited the clues. I think maybe a third were changed in some way: either easier, harder, or livelier. In retrospect, I think I probably had a few too many synonym clues -- which weren't necessarily easy (I tried to make it tough by using words with multiple definitions), but may not have been particularly fresh or interesting.
― jaymc, Thursday, 1 September 2011 15:37 (twelve years ago) link
cool!
― hardcore oatmeal (Jordan), Thursday, 1 September 2011 15:45 (twelve years ago) link
Heard ADIA just now for the first time ever maybe in the supermarket. Now I just have to go and listen to "ELLA in Berlin."
Yesterday's Times had a celebrity co-constructor, a one-time Jeopardy contestant.
Looking forward to receiving my copy of that Penguin book later this week.
― I heard her POLL my mayne (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 5 September 2011 15:42 (twelve years ago) link
Weirdly I had just seen Dana Delany's Battlestar Galactica episode last week.
― *ter jacket (jaymc), Monday, 5 September 2011 19:13 (twelve years ago) link
I'm trying to remember: was she the third contestant when Andy Richter beat Wolf Blitzer?
― I heard her POLL my mayne (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 5 September 2011 20:12 (twelve years ago) link
tyler hinman puzzles are always so fucking sporty
― hardcore oatmeal (Jordan), Tuesday, 6 September 2011 17:55 (twelve years ago) link
Has this been linked to before?http://www.slate.com/id/2145623/
― I heard her POLL my mayne (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 8 September 2011 18:12 (twelve years ago) link