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Written by Tyler Hinman
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
Yes, more sports, but to indulge Matt G, here's your Terrible Tim Parker Clue of the Day. I wish to stress that I have not altered the punctuation.
It eats, shoots and leaves? = PANDA
Yes, I know that's how the book title is punctuated. And you've thrown in the question mark to call attention to it. But stretching for this cuteness leaves you with a clue that makes no sense and, ultimately, commits the very error the book lambastes.
OK, yes, perhaps there was a typo in the applet. But I doubt it, and that's not fun to write about anyway.
Now! Back to sports! Because it's June, I of course will write about hockey. How about my Blackhawks? Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet will really shore up the power play and defense. I'm not sure what will become of the aging Khabibulin; staying and going are both fine with me. I really think this team will get back to the playoffs this year; I'm excited I became a fan when I did.
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Written by Tyler Hinman
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Tuesday, 01 July 2008 |
Last night, courtesy of US Puzzle Team captain Nick Baxter, I took in my first game at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The game just so happened to be against the Cubs, who play a mere ten-minute walk from my former home. The game would have no obvious affect on my Braves, and I was conflicted as to whom to root for. Do I get in with the home crowd, or do I cheer for the team that played practically in my backyard, and for which I developed a modicum of sympathy?
I decided that I'd get a gut reaction at the game. I decided to wear my Braves hat regardless; gotta represent. Despite the game's irrelevance to my favorite team, I think any baseball hat is excusable. (Unlike, say, the guy I saw on TV wearing a Philadelphia Flyers jersey at a Dodgers-Braves game in Atlanta.)
Well, as it happened, the Giants' status as the home team was tenuous, as Cubs fans travel extremely well and the Giants lose some fan enthusiasm by sucking. Nonetheless, I found myself pulling for the Giants. I can't figure out why; clearly the home crowd means something. So I have clarified my hierarchy for choosing a team in a sporting event. I go down the following list one by one and stop when I find a team that meets the criterion better than the other. Also, the further down the list I have to go, the less enthusiastically I will cheer.
- My favorite team
- The opponent of my favorite team's rival
- The opponent of a team I loathe for some other reason
- The favored team of the friends I'm with
- The home team (only applies if I'm attending in person)
- The team with the best story (e.g. an underdog)
- The team of which a friend is a rabid fan
I considered including "the team with players from my fantasy team," but I didn't because an individual performance often does not correlate with how well the team does.
Anyone disagree? Let's have a pointless debate!
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 July 2008 )
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The following is an advertisement |
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Written by Tyler Hinman
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Sunday, 29 June 2008 |
Hi, I'm Tyler Hinman, semi-sorta-kinda-somewhat-almost-famous geek. When I'm not engaging in geekitude, I enjoy pictures of pretty ladies. Now, if you're like me, you've often thought to yourself, "I like geeky stuff, and I like attractive women, but why can't I find anything that combines these two joys?"
Well, your worries are over. This theoretical Reese's Cup of awesomeness has at last been achieved in the form of Calendar Geeks! In addition to the aforementioned pleasant pairing, this item boasts all the traditional features of a calendar, including clearly labeled months, a small box for each day of the week, and marked holidays. In fact, not only are mainstream holidays printed, but memorable geeky occasions, such as Pi Day, are given their due as well.
Order today to get in on the first printing! Now, dammit!
[camera freezes on a smile, wink, and thumbs-up]
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 29 June 2008 )
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Written by Tyler Hinman
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Friday, 27 June 2008 |
Well, the USPC results are out, and I feel better about my miscues. I finished ninth, so I'm still in the top ten, and, as I suspected, those mistakes didn't cost me a spot on the team. In fact, giving me back my fifteen points from my Epic Battleships Fail doesn't even affect my placement.
Congratulations to the team members, as well as to Dan Katz, who finished fourth but won't be on the team due to exemption rules. He opens up that debate here.
Time to dream of what fun puzzle toy I'll be getting this year!
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Last Updated ( Friday, 27 June 2008 )
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Written by Tyler Hinman
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Monday, 23 June 2008 |
George Carlin has died at age 71.
While I'm perhaps a bit too young to have seen him in person (my first exposure to him was as Mr. Conductor), I have most of his CDs, and his observations about the freakishness of the English language was gold to a wordplay buff like me. Comedy has lost one of the greats.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 23 June 2008 )
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Written by Tyler Hinman
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Sunday, 22 June 2008 |
(Second time typing this entire thing, and third time typing this first part. My website likes to log me out before I submit, and then my Backspace key triggered Back in the browser mid-entry, so I lost it again. Now I'm typing this damn thing in Notepad and pasting it in. And yet I have chosen to work with computers every single day of my life. I must be insane.)
Yesterday saw an increasingly rare puzzle from me in the New York Times. This one was particularly exciting because it was my first Saturday and, just shy of eight years after my debut, I've now had a puzzle published on every day of the week. Spoilers after the jump.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 22 June 2008 )
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