ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ 25 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ 25 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
Why is the list so appealing? I used to contribute to “Blender” magazine, and they rode that whole list thing to the bank (“Top 500 Song You Need To Hear Before You Die” and not one by David Bowie? Puhlease). It’s a cheap way to run end of the year content (“Best books of the year!” “Worst dresses!”). They’re also fairly easy to put together. I came up with a couple reasons why, I think, I like them:
- Completeness! Nothing says “this is all there is to it! No more, no less” than a definitively numbered set. Makes the compilers of these lists feel authoritative. Which segues nicely to …
- … Debates! People love arguing. And nothing causes a debate like a numbered list. The readers of these lists invariably disagree with just about every entry on them. (“You mean to tell me ‘Rachel Getting Married’ was a better movie than ‘Milk?’ You’re outta your mind!”) Which segues nicely to …
- … Unaccountability! Name a better format to constantly change your opinion, and it’s totally all right to not justify why you changed your mind. “I know I said the Jets were #1 in my NFL Power Poll last week, but I really mean it this week when I say the Giants aren’t losing again in 2008,” e.g.
- Numbers! The numbered list is visually appealing. It breaks up a whole page of that boring old alphabet stuff. How else do you explain the sudoku phenomenon (other than people might like logic)?
- Group-think! Lists tend to be the work of a committee. And who doesn’t like team-building exercises like that? (By the way, kudos to all of you who answered my tweet last night as to how to beat writer’s block. That’s practically a crossword theme waiting to happen. Actually, check that. It most definitely is a crossword theme. So watch for that one to come up on the site soon. Anyway, y’all need to lay off the psychedelics and hard spirits. I’m worried for all y’all’s health. Besides, I’ve drank enough absinthe in my life already, and let me tell you there’s nothing creative happening during that buzz.)
- Drama! I think since we grew up with Casey Kasem and David Letterman we like the build-up. Also, there’s the tight-rope-walking element of can we sustain this over the course of the whole list?
- Giving friends shout-outs! People who compile lists tend to use them as an opportunity to showcase their friends’ work. I know, I’ve been the beneficiary of that countless times. While I’m here, let me say, “what up, Mike F., Amy and Rex?”
- Rule-bending creativity! Let’s just say you can really only come up with say six legitimate entries in a category where there’s only eight possibilities. “Best members of The Ramones,” say. Why not throw caution into the wind and try getting away with saying Paul McCartney since he inspired the band name?
- Irony! Lists are the perfect format to say, “I didn’t really mean it!”
- Memes!
This was interesting and fun! It helps that the puzzle uses the meme the way it was meant to be used, giving a colorful account of yourself with lots of specific data. NE was rough for me since most of the clues were hard to guess (he polished off bottles of… ROT? His wife’s name is… KIT?) But I’d never heard of the battery brand referenced and I’m not too up on my liquor. So maybe it’s me.
(I really should know your wife’s name already.)
However, there is one typo: one of the clues has “series” when it means “season.” I stared at that for a minute, trying to figure out how many TV entities HAD five series (there’s “Star Trek,” and… I don’t know, do they count it as a reboot whenever there’s a new Doctor Who actor?)
I knew “series” sounded wrong, but couldn’t figure out why.
Thanks for the comments, T.
Unlocking a bunch of stuff about someone I don’t know makes for an interesting solve. It also gives the constructor a star quality. Me likey. I am hoping that as a puzzle theme, this is equally viral. Does PB watch Gossip Girl? Does Merl sneak SnoBalls when he’s depressed?
Randis: I could spill the beans if the “PB” you’re referring to is “Berry” or “Blindauer.”
PBR and Dom. Hmmm. No one can say you don’t have a range of tastes!
Five Reactions:
[1] 1-Across: I’m with you all the way on this one.
[2] 40-Down: As a Steelers fan, let’s just say I’m… not exactly with you all the way on this one.
[3] 25-Across: I don’t find it so hard to believe, since I did it myself for 10 years.
[4] 43-Across: I presume you mean Superbowl-MVP Santonio Holmes? No?
[5] 47-Across: The penultimate episode from Season 4 was the one that got me.
Great stuff.
Hi Martin, Re:
1-Across, damn right.
40-Down, ha ha ha.
25-Across, I would do it again if 19-Across would let me
43-Across, are we talking about the MVP of Super Bowl that shall have an asterisk? (Asterisk saying: season was a fluke as 40-Down was out for the whole thing)
47-Across, Season 4 started off great, got a little preachy. But that N/A meeting in Season5, goddamn…
Since you’re a Pavement fan, perhaps you already know that Stephen Malkmus is a big trivia guy. He’s rocked more than a few trivia nights at one of my favorite dive bars in Portland. Some members of Sleater-Kinney have been know to throw down as well.
Hey me.yahoo: next time you see him, tell him about this site.
I always heard some rumor that Stephen Malkmus challenged Courtney Love to a NYT Sunday solve-off and, predictably, beat her by a whole ton. I don’t know if this is true or not but it’s been floating around in my head for the past week or so and this seemed like the best place to get it out of my bean.
Not enough people are raving about how genius this theme was. Seriously, dude, 25 theme answers is no small accomplishment. Over the last month I’ve gotten tagged in every one of my friends 25 random things notes on Facebook. To a point where I’m starting to with I knew less about a lot of them. Way to make use of the Zeitgeist in a puzzle that will always be fun to solve, but is super fun at this exact moment.
I think the season/series confusion came from the fact that it was not only the second to last ep of SEASON 5, but of the entire SERIES as well.
12:02, but it feels like cheating.
Can you explain how the band members are “typers”? Does that mean they all drive a specific Honda model? (got that from Google)
So much in this puzzle comes from your particular subculture …
It’s so amazing that you could cram in so many theme entries that I won’t even bitch about GEMMY. Very impressive. And a whole hell of a lot more fun than most of the “25 Things…” lists I’ve read on Facebook.
This puzzle must have leapt straight into my subconscious, because I dreamt that the members of your band weren’t TYPERS, but MORMONS. Too many 1A’s last night, I suppose.
I saw TOxxxxxx and immediately filled in TORY HOLT. Go Steelers!
Oh, and this was I think the awesomest thing I’ve ever seen.
@Anna: I heard that story too. Spin magazine ran Courtney Love’s Lollapalooza 95 tour diaries way back when and recounted the crossword ass whipping.
@Andy: Sorry to take over your dreams.
@MikeF: You’ve lived through most of this puzzle.
@SethG: Thanks! (Jesus, how many memebers of Steelers Nation are up in this piece?)
@All: Feel free to share this one!
God I loved this puzzle. How original. I was hacking through it yesterday and this morning and then I read your tweets and got a few more answers! (LIZ and DOM because you were kvetching about champagne) Talk about intersecting social media! I’ve gotten tagged with this a lot too and not done it and now I’m thinking I should. Keep up the great work – I look forward to every puzzle.
Thanks, Wendy. See, kids? It pays to pay attention!
I really tried to fit “Potter” into “Holmes,” but I think that was only one year.
Did your’s, and Matt’s puzzles today with my fiancee (a Tuesday solver at best, but great at pop culture). She just woke up tonight talking about fills and themes. Nothing like dreaming puzzles… Pavement was a gimmie, and I thank you for fitting it in. It does not seem like almost 15 years ago sitting around in Missouri singing Debris Slide drinking Bud and 1492 (yeah, 1492 out of the huge plastic jugs, brilliant). Always enjoy the puzzles. Thanks!
Heh, I thought your bandmates were all TOPERS at first.
This was an excellent theme idea, very well executed. One of my favorite puzzles in some time.
Hilarious! And ditto on 1A, 5D (minus buddy Stephen), and 39D…
Purely by chance I did your “Death Panel” puzzle while waiting for a memorial service to start. I can’t remember a time when a crossword puzzle was more connected to the environment that I did it in.