Another 180-degree experience from yours--I thought this was a cream puff compared to the mind-bendin', whip-snappin', head-scratchin' ordeals the man we love to hate usually turns out for a late-week NYT. I got CONCENTRATION right off the bat, and most of the other long entries fell as quickly.

BIWA was my last entry, too...I had WHIRLY for SWIRLY, until I hit on SPYWARE. (Is "spyware" really a computer security threat or is it something that tries to prevent one? I'll have to go reserach that...)
Evad | 08.26.06 - 6:53 am | #

BIWA was in a NYT puzzle a few months ago, wasn't it? And if I recall it was a Saturday.

Do any casual poker fans know about the blinds? Myself, watching and playing for awhile, I was able to nail that clue, thinking "Great! Henry put an X in the bottom row...he'd do that".
Bob | Homepage | 08.26.06 - 7:27 am | #

I was very satisfied with my 15:51, and actually thought that this was a pretty easy Saturday. I didn't need to contact Mr. Google, and the crossings handily solved the obscurities. One day I'll remember that REQUIEM has no "U"; that would have saved me a few seconds. My lack of typing skills always costs me dearly, too.
harris | 08.26.06 - 7:40 am | #

I'm with Evad on this one. I was shocked at how easily it fell, given the name at the bottom of the puzzle. Should I be worried that I seem to be tuning into the Hook wavelength?

REQUIEM has no "U"? Spock, explain.

GK
GaryK | 08.26.06 - 8:30 am | #

The one that killed me on this Times was HOTELMAN...I had, at various times in the puzzle, HOSTELER, HOTELIER, and at least one other variation I completely made up. CONCENTRATION took me longer than I cared to admit too, since early on a wrong letter caused me to think it started with DANCE.

Always interesting to hear how we all solve these things. All the same puzzle, and yet so many different approaches. Kind of like eating Oreos.
Howard B | 08.26.06 - 8:39 am | #

Gary. vs. "requium" is my guess.
Orange | Homepage | 08.26.06 - 8:41 am | #

um, yeah.
harris | 08.26.06 - 9:13 am | #

Ditto, Rush. I mean Evad. And GK. I dreaded going into this one and found that I clicked with Hook the whole way through. Who'da thunk?
DO | Homepage | 08.26.06 - 9:28 am | #

CONCENTRATION was one of those I should have nailed right away, given Hook's fondness for that show (and similar) over the years.

I guess I sheepishly have to admit that I'm old enough to remember when Hugh Downs hosted "Concentration". Slightly younger folk may remember the Jack Narz version of the 70's (by then, the show was produced by Goodson-Todman) or the later Alex Trebek version.

A bit of trivia: Ralph Branca, the Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who coughed up Bobby Thompson's home run to win the 1951 National League championship for the New York Giants, won 17 straight games on "Concentration".
Dave | Homepage | 08.26.06 - 9:38 am | #

Mildly amusing coincidence: Kyle Mahowald's Friday puz from a while back also had eleven stacks, and not only had STRESS TESTS on the bottom row, but also had TEXAS HOLD 'EM as the 2nd entry in the top stack :)
Jangler | Homepage | 08.26.06 - 1:04 pm | #

Yeah, this one was hard. For a while I was convinced that "Activity during which the blinds are never lowered" had to start with SEX, because I had the E and the X and I have a dirty mind. Earlier on I had THEDATINGGAME for CONCENTRATION, too, and HOTELIER instead of HOTELMAN.
Isabel | 08.26.06 - 4:09 pm | #