ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
A lot of non-puzzle people are surprised to hear that crosswords today aren’t made by computers. It stands to reason that a clean enough database with words and another with clues should be able to provide enough puzzles to entertain for life.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I don’t use a computer. It’s just not the way it’s done nowadays. When I started off I made them exclusively with graph paper, pencils and word lists. That system was a pain in the ass. However, it reinforced a vital constructing rule that sometimes gets lost today: If you don’t know a word, don’t put it in the grid.
Today, just about everybody employs computer-assisted construction. Any subscriber to Cruciverb can get lists of words/clues that we know are “acceptable,” and therefore should be a-okay to put into a puzzle. I mean, all we have to do is just decide on a black and white pattern and press “Fill” and bam, 2 seconds later we have a grid. Simple as that, right? All these words were in the Times once so that means they have to kosher right?
Yes and no. Like I said in the previous paragraph, quality puzzles today are still computer-assisted. And unless the constructor knows what he’s doing and knows what makes a quality puzzle (instead of just blindly pushing “Fill” on these programs) the puzzles aren’t going to be there.
Let’s make a comparison. Take my father for example. He’s not in the puzzle world. Far from it: he’s an accountant. Way back when he learned how to balance books and project futures with a slide rule and massive FORTRAN punch card computers. Nowadays, like everybody else in his business, he’s on spreadsheets. And let’s face it, he’s a veritable Jackson Pollock on those programs. But you’d never say Excel was doing all the work. It’s just another tool for him. He knows how to use the program to the fullest. You can make the same correlation with people who learned how to airbrush and later used Photoshop and engineers who ran reel to reel tapes who later moved to ProTools.
A computer is only as good as the database that it’s pulling from. If there’s no human interaction with it, how can we ever make a modern-day, entertaining, never before seen puzzle? A computer is never going to have up-to-date names/phrases in the news. A computer is not going to understand wordplay on it’s own. A computer certainly isn’t going to be able to come up with a theme. AI just isn’t there yet. I mean, HAL 9000 might have been able to make one, but last we checked, we’re nowhere close to that kind of programming.
Share the puzzle. New one on Wednesday.
At first I didn’t understand the essence, however on re-reading I enjoy your analysis.
This is entertaining advice and information.
Sorry, that was me echoing the spam I get in my blog comments, usually from .ru folks.
I didn’t know there were puzzle-creating programs. I guess I’d have guessed that, but there you go.
I feel better about my puzzle-skills today. This went pretty steadily–didn’t make me feel smart or stupid, just competent, which is what I am shooting for lately in all my endeavors.
Thanks for the “for some” qualifier in 4D. Usually I’m made to feel guilty for not liking traveling.
Dang, I was hoping 1-Across would be FAILBLOG.
Was sure the chant was USA USA.
Your father is an accountant? So if I have a son, he’ll be like you? Interesting prospect.
Aren’t there some publications that DO use computer programs to spit out crossword product? I’ve seen some puzzles out there that look like they came directly from Crossword Compiler. These markets appear to use a generic database filled with crossword dictionary clues and don’t worry about being fresh or interesting.
I think it’s safe to say, though, that a computer is incapable of creating a GREAT crossword, or even a GOOD one, on its own.
In the right hands, computer constructing tools have helped to raise the quality of puzzles published over the last 15-20 years – in the markets that care about the quality of the puzzles they publish. (Sadly, as I mention in the opening paragraph, there’s still too much dreck out there – and too many people who don’t recognize it as such).
The one HUGE advantage that a human constructor has over a computer is the ability to create new and fresh clues. There’s no way that a computer is going to be able to create a decent clue on its own. Sure, you could load up the liner notes to every ELO album into a program and have it come up with “Michael DeAlbuquerque’s grp.”, or “‘Oh No Not Susan’ band, for short”. But it could only do so based on a template set up by a human. And those, admittedly, would be pretty crappy clues for ELO.
Nice puzzle; the fill was so clean you could eat off it. The central entry was a bit of a gimme for a hard puzzle though.
Two evocations of “the frozen tundra”. RIP John Facenda.
One of my fastest BEQ’s ever…didn’t seem “hard” at all. So of course next time I’ll probably get my ass whipped but good.
Love that quote at 12D…that’s one I hadn’t heard before. Likewise at 37D…never heard it before, but didn’t need any crosses to get it.
Favorite clue: 62A
Yeah, I mean, how could you NOT use computers today for crosswords or just about anything. But your right..unless they get phenomenally more capable with natural language than I think is possible, they will never replicate the subtlety, nuance, and timing of a creative human constructor.
“A computer is never going to have up-to-date names/phrases in the news. A computer is not going to understand wordplay on its own. A computer certainly isn’t going to be able to come up with a theme.”
I agree with point #2, but not necessarily with #1 and #3. A computer can definitely scan news articles and notice the phrase “Cash for clunkers” coming up a lot, then add it to its database. A computer can scan the Billboard Hot 100 and notice that “You Belong With Me” has 15 letters. A computer can look at the lead actors in recent movies and add ZAC EFRON, RACHEL MCADAMS and others to its database. Then it can rank entries based on how often they come up in a Google search, how big their Wikipedia pages are, etc.
As for point #3, I’m not sure a computer can do a good wordplay theme quite yet, but a theme like today’s LAT (http://is.gd/2aFJ4) is probably within reach.
A know a bunch of people who can’t stand travel. Go figure.
That would be a great seed entry.
Caveat emptor.
Nice post. Thanks for sharing.
Cool dude. Clean is what I’m (trying to) aim for.
Again, rating difficulty is a tricky thing. I’m sure some people will find it harder than others. Thanks for sharing.
Good points.
I’ll agree on the clean fill… except “DO HOMAGE” seems a bit archaic for a BEQ puzzle…
You humans are ever so adorable as you wax poetic about your superiority.
Count me in on the “this doesn’t warrant a hard rating” crew, but it may be that I’m getting used to the themes and there were some that I had a head start on. Nice quotes for 12 and 37, and it took me forever to cotton on to 46 down, even when I had all the letters.
Dunno if it qualifies, or if its wierd, but I did several puzzles in excel before buying ccw. Tore my hair out with symmetry and numbering, the software at least does that.
Crappy puzzles are everywhere – some sooo crappy that I can’t imagine what person or machine would have created them. Our local rag regularly has unchecked crosses and 2-letter words, never mind the 25% blocks.
Add me to those who found this one more on the easy-medium side. The gimmie in the middle helped. Tight puzzle, fun solve! Enjoyed the computer discussion. I’ve often wondered how much of a role they play.
I really did find this hard — in the top half. The bottom half flew by, but in the top I finally had to resort to asking Across Lite the names of actors and TV shows (I had __INY) and sports-related items. I’m still sadly deficient in modern media, I see. :}
Puzzle was easy, as BEQ puzzles go.
NFLFILMS was about the hardest answer for me to come up with.
Gotta travel tomorrow. Do not find it FUN. At all. I’d rather LEG IT.
Please don’t ever use Alex’s example answer, YOU BELONG WITH ME. That song is on heavy rotation out here in CO (and possibly everywhere) and I am having serious trouble shaking it from my head.
rp
Sometimes, you gotta mix the modern with the archaic.
No, but I’d bet you’d whip my ass in chess.
Maybe you’re getting better?
Do you have any samples of your Excel-made puzzles?
Thanks, jae.
Thanks, Ellen. This is why it’s tough to decide how to rate difficulty. Some people will fly through it, and others might be tripped up.
I can guarantee you I won’t use that entry.
Liz went to school out in Boulder and we popped over when we were out in Denver. Cool place.
You’ve given me greater fits with boss-talk and new bands, but this one had its challenges. Loved the clue for CARET and never would have thought that TENONER was a word until I confirmed it this morning.
Nice puzzle. Tip to the jar.
I sometimes believe that, then I’ll dig up a NYT Saturday puzzle from five years ago and feel dumb again.
I wouldn’t call this hard. I wonder if sometimes puzzles that are hard for your testers aren’t as hard for a LAYMAN like me. Like maybe the pros have it in their heads to look for certain things or think in certain ways, where my ignorance allows me to make freer associations that get me to some answers faster.
Very solid.
FYI, I’m still not done with the FIGHTING WORDS puzzle. That one I’d rate at hard for sure.
Yes – would you like one?