tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869983234842507044.post3002635960095299890..comments2024-03-29T07:26:22.640-04:00Comments on Horace and Frances discuss the New York Times Crossword Puzzle: Friday, August 16, 2013, Dana MotleyHorace Fawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676932991883111336noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869983234842507044.post-80737751675067705342013-08-18T10:25:29.941-04:002013-08-18T10:25:29.941-04:00Understood.
The only reason we are able to post ...Understood. <br /><br />The only reason we are able to post an accurate time every day is that we solve on the iPad, which times it for us. If I were doing them all on paper I would never be so organized as to solve with a stopwatch handy. <br /><br />I'm ambivalent about the whole timing thing anyway, as you may remember. My original intent was to give ordinary solvers (by that I mean those who typically take more than three to ten minutes for the weeklies) a more ordinary exemplar. Except for the occasional Monday, we are rarely solving "against the clock." We solve at a leisurely pace, often discussing clues, sometimes distracted by a passerby, or another conversation, and sometimes drifting off to sleep. But the iPad clock keeps ticking, and at the end, we record what it says.Horace Fawleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676932991883111336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869983234842507044.post-61630466873016116172013-08-17T14:33:00.286-04:002013-08-17T14:33:00.286-04:00Agreed (about the "wheelhouse" comment a...Agreed (about the "wheelhouse" comment and the fun). BTW, when I enter a time like that (i.e., "-- minutes") it indicates that I've timed via my phone or an analog clock. For example, on today's (Saturday's) puzzle I marked on the sheet my start time of 11:45 and my end time of 12:36 and subtracted to get 51 minutes. When I put exact times, I time myself using a stopwatch, which I don't always have with me. Finally, sometimes I start timing but if the puzzle takes a ridiculously long time over several days I give up the timing and just am happy to finish the damned thing. In that case I don't enter a time and mention something to the effect of how difficult the puzzle was and how it took me a very long time to finish it.Huygenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14539030936919012404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869983234842507044.post-4173614992958689152013-08-17T13:30:17.761-04:002013-08-17T13:30:17.761-04:00Nice time! Sometimes a puzzle just isn't in on...Nice time! Sometimes a puzzle just isn't in one's wheelhouse and sometimes it is, I guess. Even though it took us a while, it was still a fun one!Horace Fawleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04676932991883111336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869983234842507044.post-38837235506147964132013-08-17T12:54:21.839-04:002013-08-17T12:54:21.839-04:0045 minutes
Tough, but not devilish, IMO. Things se...45 minutes<br />Tough, but not devilish, IMO. Things seemed to click in this puzzle for me, though I agree with Horace about the EIGHTIES and PLUSSIGN clues. The words ending in vowels other than an "e" were a bit tricky in the middle east (SAFARIS, RODEOS and BIO), but it seemed fine and easier for me than most Fridays.Huygenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14539030936919012404noreply@blogger.com