Wednesday, 4/22/09

NYT 1:57 ... LAT 1:36 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 2:01 ... BEQ 2:44

Hmm, the applet isn't loading. Hmm, the Across Lite version isn't working either. Hmm, doesn't NYT Digital have someone in charge of this? Oh, she was recently fired?

Glad I checked Wordplay (despite the risk of spoilers) and found Jim's Across Lite puzzle before printing Amy's PDF. Obviously, I haven't yet confirmed my solution is correct, but nothing was questionable. I quickly realized that there would be a picture of a boat, and the answers referencing it would be parts of said boat. Clever idea, but I didn't like it much - it's basically a 78-word, Tuesday-level themeless with six unclued entries. Actually, that sounds kinda fun...

6 comments:

Joon said...

did you overlook BLACK PEARL and SANTA MARIA as symmetrically-placed long answers? anyway, i liked it very much. very nifty idea and well-executed.

Dan said...

No, I thought they were a nice touch, but inelegant in that they don't fit with the rest of the theme (except by being in the same category). I'm not a boat/beach/water person...

Alex said...

Wait, you did that NYT on paper in 1:57? Or is that your applet/Across Lite time?

Alex said...

Oh, I think I get it now. You did it in Across Lite but can't check that your solution is correct because it was locked. I wrote a quick app to tell you if you've solved a locked puzzle correctly and put it here so this doesn't have to bother you in the future. For me, it's mostly useful for the MGWCC.

What's crazy is that Across Lite doesn't do this for you. If they ever release a version 2.1 that should *definitely* be in there.

Alex said...

... incidentally, here's how to use the app I just linked to: complete a locked puz file and save it. Then drag it onto the CheckPUZ.exe icon and it will tell you if it has been solved correctly or not. Unfortunately, it can't tell you where the error is, if one exists.

Dan said...

Thanks Alex! Right - I couldn't get the solution code from the usual website, because everything was effed at the NYT.