Tried staged for car chases. SAYYES with the two Ys slowed me down also. I also guessed LAN (Language for the US/UK divider). The biggest slow down though was the May-Walsh Gold Medal win.
I'll post my sad time, but celebrate the Olympics.
PhillySolver | 08.20.08 - 10:54 pm | #

that slate article annoyed me, too. who goes out of his way to write a lengthy philippic against something he obviously doesn't comprehend in the slightest? it's roughly equivalent to me composing a few thousand words on the evils of, oh, mountain climbing. if only those god-damned lazy, selfish mountaineers would use their powers for good, we'd have cancer cured by now.

NYT puzzle kicked my butt. i kept expecting the answer to 1A to be something i knew, and then... it wasn't. i memorized all the world capitals in 10th grade, so it was really surprising that this didn't even look familiar. i guess 10th grade was a long time ago.

3:29 is an absurd time for this puzzle.
joon | 08.20.08 - 11:16 pm | #

Joon, that's three and a half minutes I could have spent curing cancer. I should be thrashed for my self-centeredness.
Orange | Homepage | 08.20.08 - 11:33 pm | #

P.S. My favorite take on the Slate piece comes from Wade, who guest-blogged for Rex recently: "Does he assume that people who occasionally do crosswords never read? Does he ever watch TV? If so, why isn’t he reading instead? Does he ever scratch his balls? If so, why isn’t he reading instead?"
Orange | Homepage | 08.20.08 - 11:39 pm | #

That Sun kicked my butt. Tony forgot what day it is. A fun ride, nevertheless. Well done!

If someone were to say that people in general would be smart to read more and use their time wisely, I'd be mildly inclined to agree. The problem, however, is hardly "Wait, Wait! Don't Tell Me" (simply the best hour of radio anywhere, in my opinion) or the New York Times crossword puzzle (you'd be better off with it than the op-eds most days). There is plenty in our culture to deplore, if that's your thing, but picking on puzzle people is a very puzzling choice to aim one's enmity. In my experience, people who do puzzles are better read, funnier, and much less likely to tell other people what they should do with their time. But for Mr. Rosenbaum, it's worth making an exception: get a life, bud.

- john
JJF | 08.21.08 - 12:38 am | #

I thought that Rosenbaum had one interesting observation about crossword people wanting control and finding it in the completeness of the grid.

As for Rosenbaum himself, I suspect that he is one of those people who eschew any kind of measurable or competitive test of intellect solely because he does not want to be reminded that there are a lot of people who are smarter than he is.

I see this all the time when I tutor for the SAT and especially for the ultimate test, the LSAT. Boys often self-sabotage rather than put themselves on the line and risk failure.

Steve
Steve Manion | 08.21.08 - 3:05 am | #

Wow. I'm astounded by that article. More so because I read (yes, I can read) and loved his book, The Shakespeare Wars. I don't understand the point of the article. It seems like he put a lot of effort and thought into attempting to make people feel bad for pursuing a hobby they enjoy.

Maybe he felt his article was a charming bit of satire but he just comes across as a bully.
ryan | Homepage | 08.21.08 - 4:34 am | #

The strong impression I got from Rosenbaum's essay (particularly the last part) is that puzzle-solving offers a kind of pleasure that he just doesn't experience. He's got a cerebral numb spot where most other people have sensation. Too bad for Ron.
Matt | 08.21.08 - 5:56 am | #

Thanks for the pointer to the article.

I lost him when he divided people into two classes that are not mutually exclusive and then went on to flog one class. Appreciating the silliness of this founding promise led me to a calmer read of the rest of the hyperbole.

He did unknowingly give us two insider jokes though: 1) Using non-theme-entries to deride one of the funnier puzzles, and 2) His choice of "Mauna __" (which always bugs me since I always put the wrong answer in).

Enough said - I am clearly spending time on a blog related to crosswords when I could be solving world hunger. Wonder what he thinks of this waste of time!

Ashish
AV | 08.21.08 - 8:40 am | #

So often there are people in restaurants, outdoor cafes, subways and other public places quietly doing crossword puzzles. I wonder if Rosenbaum sits on his stool or hangs on his strap glaring at them. Does he fix them with a beady judgmental stare? Does he try to appear superior back? Does he dislike the ones who use pens more than the pencil people? Are the ones who scratch their heads and look befuddled allowed to exist in his tortured little mind? I used to give an elderly Hungarian woman an occasional ride to visit her husband's grave. As we approached Swan Point Cemetery along Blackstone Boulevard she'd glare at the people of all sizes and ages running along the path and mutter "Oh! I hate those jogging peoples". She was sincerely upset by them. I never bothered to ask why.

Well Rosenbaum has given many many reasons to explain why he dislikes us but early on he mentioned the one I think has spawned all the others. He imagines that we think that we are smarter than he is. I always take the high moral ground when threatened but not for long. It's not any fun up there.

Penny
Penny | 08.21.08 - 10:36 am | #

Got ahead of myself today.

I'm so attuned to Thursday puzzles often having a trick in them that I was convinced (CONVINCED!!) that 11-D was TANDOORI (the dish, which isn't even spicy) instead of TANDOOR (which is hot...as an oven tends to be).

Then I lost a good minute or so trying to work out whether the AND went in a single box (nope...one letter too short). All right, maybe the two O's go in a single box. Or maybe the OR, or possibly the RI.

Argh.

FInally:
Rob Morrow is a TV STAR? Really? I guess he has starred in two series, but this seems to be stretching the definition of "star" a bit.

Unless there's another Morrow I don't know about...I've proven to be having trouble figuring things out today!
John B. | 08.21.08 - 12:48 pm | #

I listen to NPR programs on my computer because they have lots of contributors who fancy themselves as very clever who opine on "quirky or strange" behavior. When these segments come up I promptly skip to the next segment. I save a lot of time that way, which I add to the cache of time I save by not reading self-congratulatory morons like Rosenbaum. My motto is: Chacun a son gout!

Didn't know "Lala means I love you". Gotta try that line.
larry | 08.21.08 - 1:31 pm | #

John,


My first thought was Vic Morrow, who starred in the TV show Combat in the 60s.

Steve
Steve manion | 08.21.08 - 4:13 pm | #

FYI, here's the link I use to get the CrosSynergy puzzle. It's available earlier than the chron.com link, has a longer archive window, and seems to be more reliable:

http://crosswords.washingtonpost...& f=cs080821.puz

It's an ugly URL, but once my browser has it in history, I just type "crosswords" in the URL field, use the down arrow key to select the appropriate URL, and then go twiddle the date to get the puzzle I want.
Al Sanders | 08.21.08 - 5:19 pm | #

Orange, I wasted almost four minutes not curing cancer solving the Times last night. So I helped humanity even less.

Two-word summary of the article - sour grapes. It's that whole junior-high mentality of snarkily mocking things you know that you don't fully understand. Wouldn't have minded a bit lighter humor and a whole lot less condescension. But then it would have been an entirely different article.

Incidentally, I messed up the BOI/FIXER crossing in the Sun. Hadn't heard of either one, but I should have figured it out. I had BOO/FOXER for some still-unknown reason. Sounded good (OK, mediocre) at the time.
Howard B | 08.21.08 - 6:34 pm | #

I don't think that Ron Rosenbaum's piece was intended as a satire. It is clear that he is one of those mean-spirited pathetic bullies who disparage the accomplishments of others who are capable of excelling at activities that he knows nothing about or which he may have tried at one time and failed. He tries to hide his profound ignorance with ridicule, and in an unsuccessful attempt at humor he only underscores his own gross inadequacy. In addition, he rambles on aimlessly from topic to topic without ever making a real point. He may be a Yale Phi Beta Kappa, but he suffered a maturation arrest somewhere near the schoolyard where he probably picked on other kids, or where other kids may have justifiably picked on him for his obnoxious attitude.
bfomberstein | 08.21.08 - 8:18 pm | #

Tongue-in-cheek done poorly is an embarassing train wreck. Ron R is obviously out of ideas and decided to ERUCT that bit of weirdness.

Anyway, great themes from everyone today. Loved the LA Times.
Scott Atkinson | 08.21.08 - 8:40 pm | #