"Let's Move Beyond It" - August 7, 2020
- Bird Lives
- Posts: 2836
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:43 pm
- Location: NYC
- Contact:
Me: Alexa, give me a hint for the WSJ Crossword Contest.
Alexa: Sorry, I'm not sure about that.
(This small vacation house by a lake is my first contact with Alexa. She's been pretty good on music, though not foreign-language titles. I asked for "O Bem do Mar," a beautiful Brazilian song, and she played "Old Town Road." So I figured I'd ask her for a nudge since staring at the grid hasn't gotten me very far.)
Alexa: Sorry, I'm not sure about that.
(This small vacation house by a lake is my first contact with Alexa. She's been pretty good on music, though not foreign-language titles. I asked for "O Bem do Mar," a beautiful Brazilian song, and she played "Old Town Road." So I figured I'd ask her for a nudge since staring at the grid hasn't gotten me very far.)
Jay
- Janet
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:22 pm
I send virtual hugs your way! Alzheimers is awful.pddigi wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 3:16 pmA hug would be very much welcome. He had Down syndrome and was a rock star throughout the bulk of his life, with orders of magnitude more friends than any of his siblings could claim. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's is robbing him of most mental function (and he was highly functioning - held a job for 23 years in Material Services at a local hospital, where he became the unofficial "Mayor"). It was nice to see him and help him out a little bit - played music from his prime ("Grease") and watched "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" among other things. I am proud that two of my boys also visited.Joe Ross wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:33 amHow about a :::hug::: for your brother, instead?pddigi wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:29 am It’s rare (possibly a first) that Dom and I are completely stumped with no sense that we’ve at least found step 1. I got to see him this weekend, under less than desirable circumstances (my brother is ill). He is now en route home, as I will be later today. If anyone wants to give me a gentle nudge, I’ll take it.
- SusieG
- Posts: 431
- Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2020 9:20 pm
- Location: Arkansas
We have discovered many songs we may never have heard by asking Alexa for a song.Bird Lives wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 4:20 pm Me: Alexa, give me a hint for the WSJ Crossword Contest.
Alexa: Sorry, I'm not sure about that.
(This small vacation house by a lake is my first contact with Alexa. She's been pretty good on music, though not foreign-language titles. I asked for "O Bem do Mar," a beautiful Brazilian song, and she played "Old Town Road." So I figured I'd ask her for a nudge since staring at the grid hasn't gotten me very far.)
- Janet
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:22 pm
I'm gonna take my meta to the old love boat,Bird Lives wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 4:20 pm Me: Alexa, give me a hint for the WSJ Crossword Contest.
Alexa: Sorry, I'm not sure about that.
(This small vacation house by a lake is my first contact with Alexa. She's been pretty good on music, though not foreign-language titles. I asked for "O Bem do Mar," a beautiful Brazilian song, and she played "Old Town Road." So I figured I'd ask her for a nudge since staring at the grid hasn't gotten me very far.)
I'm gonna solve, til I can't no more
-
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:15 pm
I know I've been saying this a lot lately and getting lucky at the last minute/hour, but I truly believe this is the week my 50-week streak ends. If it does, it's at least a very nice number to remember so hey, every cloud.
I know that Mike Shenk puzzles usually have a subtle hint somewhere but I'm not seeing anything here. Not in the title, not in the clues, not in the grid. This is the lostest I've been for WSJCC in a long while.
I know that Mike Shenk puzzles usually have a subtle hint somewhere but I'm not seeing anything here. Not in the title, not in the clues, not in the grid. This is the lostest I've been for WSJCC in a long while.
-
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:27 pm
New here. I like your style!
I still struggle with crosswords, and the meta is quite beyond me, at this point. I submitted a guess, but not something I worked out. I'll study the answers for a while and see if I can build some capability.
I still struggle with crosswords, and the meta is quite beyond me, at this point. I submitted a guess, but not something I worked out. I'll study the answers for a while and see if I can build some capability.
- FrankieHeck
- Posts: 839
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 8:57 pm
- Location: West Virginia
I honestly thought my 70-week streak would end with this one, too! I saw NOTHING until Saturday. And maybe it should have been comforting that others were finding it easily, but it wasn't. Don't lose hope.burak wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 5:04 pm I know I've been saying this a lot lately and getting lucky at the last minute/hour, but I truly believe this is the week my 50-week streak ends. If it does, it's at least a very nice number to remember so hey, every cloud.
I know that Mike Shenk puzzles usually have a subtle hint somewhere but I'm not seeing anything here. Not in the title, not in the clues, not in the grid. This is the lostest I've been for WSJCC in a long while.
- Janet
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:22 pm
This may not help the Love Boat passengers, but I was totally lost at sea Thursday evening when I finished the grid. I chased several rabbits and got nowhere. I was going to give up. Then I visited a relative this weekend and decided to redo the puzzle from scratch, since I didn't have my notes from home. Nor did I have the puzzle printout. Friday I was traveling. So I redid it on Saturday, and I solved the meta!
New place, new circumstances got my brain going.
New place, new circumstances got my brain going.
-
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon May 11, 2020 5:38 pm
Finally straggled ashore with a big push into the lifeboat. Thanks, muggles!
- FrankH
- Posts: 242
- Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:15 am
- spotter
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:48 pm
- Location: SLO, CA
I'm envious of all the solvers who looked at it after stepping away and saw what was needed. I'm so lost, I'm pretty sure my steak of 1 is coming to an end. It was nice while it lasted.
- Joe Ross
- Moderator
- Posts: 5199
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 4:46 am
- Location: Cincinnati
Unhappily ashore. This is a poorly constructed puzzle.
[Edit1: Corrected a poorly constructed sentence.]
[Edit1: Corrected a poorly constructed sentence.]
Last edited by Joe Ross on Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Whole blood, platelets, or plasma: Donate 4 in 2024
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
PLATELET 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 ENORMOUS 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰,
𝟯𝟬% 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰,
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 & 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮. 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘!
- haari
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:07 pm
just spent the last week at a cottage with family... did take a printed copy of last week's puzzle as we would have no internet or my trusty desktop... of course it poured rain straight for two of those days and i was able to solve the puzzle and meta... also wound up playing the unfamiliar to me card game of Waterworks! came home this weekend and managed to solve this week's, guess i'm on a roll...
an it harm none, do as thou wilt...
- DrTom
- Posts: 3957
- Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:46 pm
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
Sounds as if a hug for you might be in order as well. So, virtual hug sent, good thoughts thought, circumstances cursed, and wishes for an uncomplicated path forward made. I hope at least some of those help.pddigi wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 3:16 pmA hug would be very much welcome. He had Down syndrome and was a rock star throughout the bulk of his life, with orders of magnitude more friends than any of his siblings could claim. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's is robbing him of most mental function (and he was highly functioning - held a job for 23 years in Material Services at a local hospital, where he became the unofficial "Mayor"). It was nice to see him and help him out a little bit - played music from his prime ("Grease") and watched "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" among other things. I am proud that two of my boys also visited.Joe Ross wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:33 amHow about a :::hug::: for your brother, instead?pddigi wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:29 am It’s rare (possibly a first) that Dom and I are completely stumped with no sense that we’ve at least found step 1. I got to see him this weekend, under less than desirable circumstances (my brother is ill). He is now en route home, as I will be later today. If anyone wants to give me a gentle nudge, I’ll take it.
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
- ky-mike
- Posts: 2064
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:22 pm
- Location: Near Louisville Ky
Interested in hearing your thoughts after the deadline as to why you think that it is poorly constructed.
-
- Posts: 242
- Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 10:03 pm
After another look I can finally settle up with Isaac! Count me ashore and happy to have a change of scenery.
- Scott Lindholm
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2019 12:28 pm
On shore, first time in quite some time. I'm not 100 percent confident in my answer, but I can justify it without breaking a sweat. A delicious New Glarus Spotted Cow (available only in Wisconsin) does seem highly in order.
- TPS
- Posts: 721
- Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:19 pm
- Location: Florida
I felt it was better constructed than the RICHARD III puzzle but it’s definitely not as good as RUSSIAN DOLL or ADOBE.
But I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts as well because I used “The Basics” and had my fastest solve ever.
-
- Posts: 61
- Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:40 pm
Well, I'm still hanging with Isaac even though the grid was done early on Thursday. Anyone who feels like giving a hint, feel free. I'm out of the competition.
- Hector
- Posts: 1297
- Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:15 pm
- Location: San Francisco
- Contact: