Any chance yesterdays NYT crossword could've been a nod to the Metafilter "." obit tradition? December 30, 2010 11:29 AM Subscribe
Any chance yesterdays NYT crossword could've been a nod to the Metafilter "." obit tradition? [puzzle spoilers within]
Wednesday, Dec. 29th's NYT crossword puzzle by Allan E. Parrish had as its theme "[Space] Shuttles". The six shuttles were answers to clues. There was a dot in the center of the puzzle.
For those unfamiliar with crossword puzzles, it's exceedingly rare for a puzzle to have two divergent themes, and somewhat rare for a non-standard (non "blank" or "filled") placeholder. Meaning that the dot at the middle was part of the "shuttles" theme.
I suppose a very valid reading of it would be a play on "full stop"; alluding to the retirement of Shuttle program... but, perhaps conditioned by MeFi obit threads, I also saw this in a "memorializing" or some similar light.
Might be a long shot, but is there any chance that Mr. Parrish is a MeFite?
Wednesday, Dec. 29th's NYT crossword puzzle by Allan E. Parrish had as its theme "[Space] Shuttles". The six shuttles were answers to clues. There was a dot in the center of the puzzle.
For those unfamiliar with crossword puzzles, it's exceedingly rare for a puzzle to have two divergent themes, and somewhat rare for a non-standard (non "blank" or "filled") placeholder. Meaning that the dot at the middle was part of the "shuttles" theme.
I suppose a very valid reading of it would be a play on "full stop"; alluding to the retirement of Shuttle program... but, perhaps conditioned by MeFi obit threads, I also saw this in a "memorializing" or some similar light.
Might be a long shot, but is there any chance that Mr. Parrish is a MeFite?
A brave man takes it here, where hair grows (2,3,4)
posted by Jofus at 11:43 AM on December 30, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Jofus at 11:43 AM on December 30, 2010 [3 favorites]
The answer couldn't be more obvious:
Mr. Parrish is from Reddit, and the . is clearly a nod to its website address, which contains one. [via Reddit]
posted by Threeway Handshake at 11:43 AM on December 30, 2010 [3 favorites]
Mr. Parrish is from Reddit, and the . is clearly a nod to its website address, which contains one. [via Reddit]
posted by Threeway Handshake at 11:43 AM on December 30, 2010 [3 favorites]
Whatever beans you're eating, I don't want any.
posted by hermitosis at 11:44 AM on December 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by hermitosis at 11:44 AM on December 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
> Yesterday's puzzle was about Mexico, wasn't it?If it was, then I did a lot worse than I thought.
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 11:46 AM on December 30, 2010 [8 favorites]
I seriously doubt a mefi connection. But, I am fascinated by your flickr photostream, jjjjjjjijjjjjjj, and will take this opportunity to ask you about the status of the Pruitt-Igoe documentary.
posted by ericost at 11:47 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ericost at 11:47 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
(ericost, Website and trailer goes up on Monday. I'll post it to projects or something at some point.)
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 11:51 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 11:51 AM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Xbonesgt is right... yesterday's puzzle was about Mexico. You're doing the syndicated puzzle. The space shuttle puzzle is from November 24.
Here's a link to the completed grid. Where's the dot? I don't see one. Was the dot a clue rather than part of an entry?
posted by painquale at 12:03 PM on December 30, 2010
Here's a link to the completed grid. Where's the dot? I don't see one. Was the dot a clue rather than part of an entry?
posted by painquale at 12:03 PM on December 30, 2010
Ah, people in the comments thread of that post explain it. The printed version of the crossword had a black dot in the middle, which was to represent the earth that the letters of SHUTTLES were orbiting around. There's a bit of discussion about online silvers missing out on design elements too.
No Mefi reference here!
posted by painquale at 12:09 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
No Mefi reference here!
posted by painquale at 12:09 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
> yesterday's puzzle was about Mexico. You're doing the syndicated puzzle ... Here's a link to the completed grid. Where's the dot? I don't see one.First off: I had no idea that there was a syndicated version. Thanks so much for that fact. I'd been wondering for now going on 3 years why the puzzle was often maddeningly slightly-behind-the-curve with its themes. I'm really elated and edified by now knowing this. Thanks.
The dot is real. Here's some pictures. 01, 02.
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 12:18 PM on December 30, 2010
Ah! Earth with orbiting shuttles. A bit occluded, but clever. Much more satisfactory than "full stop", infinitely more plausible than couched MeFi reference (which, before I get court-martialed for beanplating, I feel like I must restate that I acknowledged as a very slim chance from the very beginning).
Thanks, all.
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 12:23 PM on December 30, 2010
Thanks, all.
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 12:23 PM on December 30, 2010
That's no moon.
posted by longsleeves at 12:25 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by longsleeves at 12:25 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
The dot is real. Here's some pictures. 01, 02.
It looks like a planet.
I can't do crosswords. I bean plate all over the place and wind up in completely the wrong planet. It obviously displays a bad ponderousness of mind a certain lack of mental fleetfootedness. Like the darkness of that planet would make me think it had something to do with soem famous event that happened when there was no moon in the sky, or an eclipse or something. Ay ya ya ya...(sounds of mental pain that...)
How does one get into them anyway without being completely flummoxed and frustrated and forgetting about how it could ever be fun?
posted by Skygazer at 1:11 PM on December 30, 2010
It looks like a planet.
I can't do crosswords. I bean plate all over the place and wind up in completely the wrong planet. It obviously displays a bad ponderousness of mind a certain lack of mental fleetfootedness. Like the darkness of that planet would make me think it had something to do with soem famous event that happened when there was no moon in the sky, or an eclipse or something. Ay ya ya ya...(sounds of mental pain that...)
How does one get into them anyway without being completely flummoxed and frustrated and forgetting about how it could ever be fun?
posted by Skygazer at 1:11 PM on December 30, 2010
Skygazer, You'll be pleased to know that a few Sundays ago* NYT did a great kind of "symbol/word square replacement gimmick" puzzle that depicted an umbra and penumbra from a lunar eclipse.
I remember it being a bit forced, but still fun. I'm not finding it online, but then again, before today it never even occurred to me to search for crossword puzzles online, so I'm not doing all that great a job at searching for them.
*(or, is Sunday syndicated, too? It was after the big lunar eclipse I remember -- a great example of my "just behind the curve" complaint/observation from earlier.)
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 1:22 PM on December 30, 2010
I remember it being a bit forced, but still fun. I'm not finding it online, but then again, before today it never even occurred to me to search for crossword puzzles online, so I'm not doing all that great a job at searching for them.
*(or, is Sunday syndicated, too? It was after the big lunar eclipse I remember -- a great example of my "just behind the curve" complaint/observation from earlier.)
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 1:22 PM on December 30, 2010
Skygazer: I found it. here's the puzzle, and here's a discussion of it (I can't make much sense out of the shorthand he's using).
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 1:25 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 1:25 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I got about halfway done with yesterday's puzzle here before wondering how someone could conflate 'ñ' with '.'
The one that really impressed me recently was the Sunday NYT where you colored in all the 'o's within the bolded lines, then folded it into a die.
posted by carsonb at 2:01 PM on December 30, 2010
The one that really impressed me recently was the Sunday NYT where you colored in all the 'o's within the bolded lines, then folded it into a die.
posted by carsonb at 2:01 PM on December 30, 2010
The "color in the Os and fold into a die" one was pretty cool to me, too. I liked it so much I looked up the author's name; and the sources I found said that he is 14 years old. If he dreamed up and executed that entire thing, the kid's a prodigy.
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 2:09 PM on December 30, 2010
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 2:09 PM on December 30, 2010
The one that really impressed me recently was the Sunday NYT where you colored in all the 'o's within the bolded lines, then folded it into a die.
That is really going to be excellent on my iPhone!
posted by theredpen at 2:22 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
That is really going to be excellent on my iPhone!
posted by theredpen at 2:22 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
The syndicated Sunday crosswords are up-to-date, I believe. But I might be wrong... I remember the lunar eclipse one being just before the actual eclipse. (That was a good Sunday, as was the die.) Maybe they're a week behind. Weekday and Saturday crosswords are six weeks behind or so.
It's worth reading that blog I linked to (Rex Parker) after completing each crossword for a bit of commentary on the puzzle. It helps you remember crossword esoterica too. Skygazer, I made an FPP a while back with lots of advice for getting better at crosswords. See also this AskMe thread.
posted by painquale at 2:31 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's worth reading that blog I linked to (Rex Parker) after completing each crossword for a bit of commentary on the puzzle. It helps you remember crossword esoterica too. Skygazer, I made an FPP a while back with lots of advice for getting better at crosswords. See also this AskMe thread.
posted by painquale at 2:31 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Skygazer: How does one get into them anyway without being completely flummoxed and frustrated and forgetting about how it could ever be fun?
I literally worked my way through the 'Crossword Puzzles for Dummies' book years ago, which was an excellent introduction to all of the so-called esoterica associated with crosswords. After the initial familiarization it's simply a matter of practice, practice, practice! Do them regularly, and if you get stuck on one puzzle set it aside and start another one. Go back to the stuck puzzle occasionally; fresh eyes and a clean beanplater go a long way towards solving.
Rex Parker is great, as is An Englishman Solves American Crosswords.
posted by carsonb at 2:44 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
I literally worked my way through the 'Crossword Puzzles for Dummies' book years ago, which was an excellent introduction to all of the so-called esoterica associated with crosswords. After the initial familiarization it's simply a matter of practice, practice, practice! Do them regularly, and if you get stuck on one puzzle set it aside and start another one. Go back to the stuck puzzle occasionally; fresh eyes and a clean beanplater go a long way towards solving.
Rex Parker is great, as is An Englishman Solves American Crosswords.
posted by carsonb at 2:44 PM on December 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Boy, you had me there with the out of date puzzle. I quickly pulled it up and solved most of yesterday's puzzle growing more puzzled with your question as the Mexican theme became more evident. That space shuttle puzzle was a good one though, even if it had nothing to do with mefi.
posted by caddis at 2:59 PM on December 30, 2010
posted by caddis at 2:59 PM on December 30, 2010
>Boy, you had me there with the out of date puzzle.Yeah... apologies to anyone I sent on a wild-goose chase. I had no idea about the concept of delayed/syndicated puzzles.
But, for the record, does anyone think that yesterday's Mexican-themed puzzle (which I will be able to look at, turns out, a month from now) has any MetaFilter connection?
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 3:08 PM on December 30, 2010
The dot obit isn't limited to Metafilter, so I'd say it's a stretch.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:05 PM on December 30, 2010
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:05 PM on December 30, 2010
does anyone think that yesterday's Mexican-themed puzzle (which I will be able to look at, turns out, a month from now) has any MetaFilter connection?
There was no letter U in it, just like Metafilter.
posted by thusspakeparanoia at 6:23 PM on December 30, 2010
There was no letter U in it, just like Metafilter.
posted by thusspakeparanoia at 6:23 PM on December 30, 2010
I was sat on a park bench trying to solve a crossword, but I got stuck on a difficult clue. So I asked this Belgian fellow next to me, do you have any ideas? "Part of the female anatomy": six letters, starts with a V, ends in I-N-A.
He gave a ponderous look for a few seconds, then turned to me and proclaimed:
"Allez! But is it DOWN or ACROSS?"
[it's funnier if you're Dutch, and about twelve]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:17 PM on December 30, 2010
He gave a ponderous look for a few seconds, then turned to me and proclaimed:
"Allez! But is it DOWN or ACROSS?"
[it's funnier if you're Dutch, and about twelve]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:17 PM on December 30, 2010
A vagina will be "down" rather than "across" in terms of physical orientation. In Dutch you'd say "oh but is it horizontal or vertical" (when talking about crosswords) which would make the joke rather less opaque.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:33 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:33 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
please make the joke rather less opaque
i need to know why it's funny
i got stuck on a difficult clue
and i lost about all of my money
i'd say it's a stretch, but the dot is real
gotta know, sweet baby, just how i feel
twelve up, four down
skip ahead, turn around
sold my soul to the devil at the crossword
sold my soul to the devil at the crossword
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:28 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
i need to know why it's funny
i got stuck on a difficult clue
and i lost about all of my money
i'd say it's a stretch, but the dot is real
gotta know, sweet baby, just how i feel
twelve up, four down
skip ahead, turn around
sold my soul to the devil at the crossword
sold my soul to the devil at the crossword
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:28 AM on December 31, 2010 [1 favorite]
To anyone who hasn't done today's (31 December) puzzle yet: Don't click on that "Englishman Solves American Crosswords" link.
posted by clorox at 7:18 AM on December 31, 2010
posted by clorox at 7:18 AM on December 31, 2010
So, I was playing the new iPhone game "Cause of Death", and one of the two main characters is "Mal Fallon", who looks strikingly similar to Nathan Fillion, who played Malcom "Mal" Reynolds on Firefly. So I'm thinking "obvious reference", right? Turns out, he's portrayed as a descendant of Malachi Fallon, the *actual* first chief of police in San Francisco.
Which is just a roundabout way of saying that sometimes a resemblance is just a resemblance, and sometimes a dot is just a dot.
posted by The Confessor at 8:22 AM on December 31, 2010
Which is just a roundabout way of saying that sometimes a resemblance is just a resemblance, and sometimes a dot is just a dot.
posted by The Confessor at 8:22 AM on December 31, 2010
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posted by Cranberry at 11:32 AM on December 30, 2010 [4 favorites]