Theme: "Extra Special" - Letters S, P, E, C, I, A & L are orderly added to the start of each common phrase.
23. Holiday-themed minifigures in LEGO Advent calendars?: SMALL SANTAS. Mall Santa.
40. Formal complaints about a sommelier's recommendations?: PAIRING GRIEVANCES. Airing grievances.
52. "You're not allowed to feel that way!," e.g.?: EMOTION DENIED. Motion denied.
70. Tale of the hora?: CHAIR-RAISING STORY. Hair-raising story.
90. Surfer's dream?: IDEAL BREAKERS. Deal-breakers.
98. Way to manage the study of Ceres and Vesta?: ASTEROID TREATMENT. Steroid treatment.
123. Pretty but ineffective dressing?: LACE BANDAGE. Ace bandage.
It's indeed extra special. Christina's first LAT Sunday! She's the assistant to Patti Varol, the new editor for L.A. Times Crossword.
Christina
is fond of letter addition themes. Her sets are always very tight and
her grids super clean. Today's puzzle is a clear example.
 |
| Christina Iverson with son Wally, Pic from this site. |
Across:
6. Remove one's name from, as on Facebook: UNTAG.
11. __ one's time: BIDE.
15. Ooze: SEEP.
19. Steered: DROVE.
20. Ma Rainey player Davis: VIOLA. Also an author.
21. Ones in wool coats: EWES.
22. Muscle car rod: AXLE.
25. __ bean: FAVA. One of the key ingredients in this popular chili bean sauce.
26. Muscle car roof: T-TOP.
27. Like Zippo lighters and Maglite flashlights: US-MADE. Zippo
used to be a big client of my old company. Zippo, Chanel, Dior and YKK.
Look at the zipper on your jeans. What's the logo? YKK?
28. Not for keeps: ON LOAN.
30. Major reversals: U-TURNS.
32. Whole Foods section: BULK.
34. Leaves off: OMITS.
36. Pulitzer-winning Glass: IRA.
37. Club kin: BLT.
47. "I'm all __!": EARS.
49. "Kiss Me Deadly" singer Ford: LITA. Glam rocker.
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50. __ Vogue: TEEN.
51. TV pioneer: RCA.
58. "__ Eleven": Emily St. John Mandel novel: STATION. Have any of you read the book?
60. Furniture wood: RED ELM.
61. Bite: MORSEL.
63. Tierra en el mar: ISLA. Land in the sea.
64. Post, as on a bulletin board: PIN UP.
67. Gold unit: KARAT.
69. Photo filter: SEPIA.
74. Wasn't well: AILED. The 7 day-period after chemo is bad, then
Boomer slowly recovers. He likes the 4-day steroid regimen. Somehow he
feels stronger and the pills elevate his mood.
76. Ball of the Bulls: LONZO.
77. Post-workout indulgence: SAUNA.
78. Subj. for Elinor Ostrom and Emily Oster: ECON. Both economists.
79. Walks loudly: STOMPS.
82. Five cents: NICKEL.
86. Mosaic piece: TESSERA. We had this a few times before.
93. Born: NEE.
94. Hershey candy in gold foil: ROLO.
96. Skiing aid: POLE.
97. Arcade name: SEGA.
105. __ de crème: POT. Not familiar with this dessert. Chocolaty.
106. Cheer for un gol: OLE.
107. Vowel-rich first guess in Wordle: ADIEU.
108. Growing concern: FARM.
110. Plant pests: APHIDS.
113. Did the tango: DANCED.
116. Wet floor?: SEA BED. Nice clue.
120. Print maker: FOOT.
121. "Spring forward" unit: HOUR.
126. Apple variety: ROME. I've moved on from Honeycrisp to SweeTango, which was developed here in MN also.
127. "Blackfish" killer whale: ORCA.
128. Soap that floats: IVORY.
129. Co-founder of A.A., familiarly: DR BOB. Not BILL W.
130. Metal bands?: ORES. 133. Naturally powered elevator?: YEAST. Fun clues.
131. Sturdy trees: OAKS.
132. Like flourless cake: DENSE. What's the point of having a cake without flour?
Down:
2. Vishnu's quartet: ARMS.
3. Wander: ROAM.
4. Meeting place for a H.S. film club: AV LAB.
5. Prevented from being on time: HELD UP.
6. Grape, in Spanish: UVA. I only know French for "grape" is RAISIN.
7. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.
8. "Africa" band: TOTO.
9. "Doom Patrol" actor Tudyk: ALAN.
10. Fixture in some patio firepits: GAS LOG.
11. "Hey now, that's unreasonable!": BE FAIR.
12. "Gimme!": I WANT IT.
13. Actor Patel: DEV. "Slumdog Millionaire" made him famous.
14. Genesis twin: ESAU.
15. Planet with 53 named moons: SATURN.
16. Bacon specification: EXTRA CRISPY. And its 11-letter partner: 70. Very relatable: CLOSE TO HOME. Great entries.
17. North Carolina college town: ELON. Not Musk. We do have a few other 4-letter names: 24. Ward with awards: SELA. 56. Morales of "Ozark": ESAI.
57. Oscar winner Laura: DERN.
18. Spices (up): PEPS.
29. "Egad," like, way updated: OMG.
31. Disney princess voiced by Anika Noni Rose: TIANA.
33. Pottery oven: KILN.
35. Understands: SEES.
37. Suds: BEER.
38. Gold fabric: LAME.
39. Stepped: TROD.
41. Clear (of): RID.
42. Thing: ITEM.
43. Second start?: NANO. Nanosecond.
44. One seeing Spots?: VET. Ha.
45. Gut bacteria: ECOL I.
46. Yemen metropolis: SANAA.
48. Dublin's St. __ Green: STEPHENS. Wikipedia says it's a park park in Dublin.
53. Epic featuring Paris: ILIAD.
54. Old Dodge: OMNI.
55. Trying: IRKSOME.
59. Closet organizers: TIE RACKS.
62. Gets behind: LAGS.
65. Short address: URL. Yeah, but not long says the full address.
66. All in favor: PROS.
68. PreCheck org.: TSA.
69. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA.
71. Not behind: ANTI.
72. Hilfiger rival: IZOD. Better without Tommy, right? So logo-y.
73. Ditty: TUNE.
74. Insurance giant: AETNA.
75. Fruity frozen drinks: ICEES.
80. "__ Loves Mambo": PAPA. Perry Como song.
81. Schedule opening: SLOT.
83. Stay fresh: KEEP.
84. Therefore: ERGO.
85. Test with logic games: LSAT.
87. Blundered: ERRED.
88. Kanga's kid: ROO.
92. Coral habitat: REEF.
95. Idiosyncratic sort: ODD DUCK.
99. Privileged few: ELITES.
100. Twinkly toppers: TIARAS.
101. Kylo of the "Star Wars" sequels: REN.
102. Geometry giant: EUCLID.
103. Org. that sent Juno to Jupiter: NASA.
104. Fashionable: TRENDY.
109. Sierra __: MADRE.
110. Natural hairstyle: AFRO.
111. Penniless: POOR.
112. "Amscray!": SHOO.
114. Roof trim: EAVE.
115. Mousetrap brand: D CON.
117. Dad, in Chinese: BABA. Hope you all nailed this, since I mentioned this on the blog a few times. Baba, Mama, Jiejie, Didi, all duplicative.
118. Challenges on the field: EGOS.
119. Burden for many students: DEBT.
122. British singer Rita: ORA.
124. Trauma ctrs.: ERS.
125. "Later, gator": BYE.
The
Spinal Cord Injury doctor could not pinpoint why Boomer's legs are so
weak. Might be from his surgery 4 months ago. Or chemo. Or just
diabetes. She'll order an EMG test.
Dr. Downs has retired. He did schedule Boomer for two more chemo infusions. If Boomer's blood draw result on May 1 is good, then he will have his 5th chemo on May 5th. If his white blood count is low again, then we'll wait.
C.C.
FIRight. Suprisedly. It's Sunday.
ReplyDeleteA lot of T/Os and educated WAGs. Too many proper names.
I did like the theme. I caught that it was add-a-letter early, but didn't see the SPECIAL pattern until I was nearly finished with the puzzle. And didn't notice the title until after I finished completely.
There once was a peripatetic from ROME,
Who wandered far and wide from his home.
He traveled by FOOT,
The routes he took,
Said it was his destiny to rove and ROAM!
He TROD up North, and down South.
From tiny spring to river's mouth.
East POLE to West Pole,
Even wild Idaho,
You knew he was coming, he STOMPED his route!
{B, B-.}
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteGot 'er done, but struggled. Didn't recognize most of the proper names, except the 4-letter ones. (Apparently d-o has a knack for 4-letter words. Exception: LITA) Went astray at 1d with UTEP -- correctly read "Mexican border," but failed to read "California." D'oh. Figured out that the circled letters spelled "SPECIAL" -- but not until I'd already finished the puzzle. This was a good challenge for a Sunday. Pushed me close to the time limit. Thanx, Christina and C.C. (Here's hoping the tests are definitive, and the docs can get Boomer's legs back under him.)
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI liked the theme and the “extra” Special letter sequence and several clever clues, but the solve was not enjoyable because of the Sunday nemesis of too many proper names and too many of them being completely foreign: Uva, Toto, Lita, Dr Bob, Baba, Tiana, and, as clued, Alan, Station, Econ, and Alia. As I have mentioned before, most Sunday grids are just not my cup of tea.
Thanks, Christina and congrats on your new position and thanks, CC, for your insider’s viewpoint. Sorry, your Baba references didn’t stick with me. Thanks for the update on Boomer. I hope he’s not in too much distress.
FLN
Wilbur, you can’t believe everything those Jesuits tell you! One of my nieces is a BC graduate who apparently thrived under the Jesuits, as she went on to Loyola University Chicago for her MS and PhD.
Have a great day.
As just about everyone else has said, I had a problem with there being so many proper names.
ReplyDeleteBesides that, it was quite a slog anyway. And I didn't get the gimmick at first, but I did eventually. In the end, FIR, so I'm happy.
ReplyDeleteFIW. Had tvlab and didn't catch the misspell of Sarah. Silly mistake.
ReplyDeleteSo, it is not only me who struggled so many proper names.
ReplyDeleteThe theme is not that hard, though. The only character that I know of from Disney that ends with "-ana" is "Moana" and she is not a princess!
CC, I read the book "Station Eleven" It is a post-apocalyptic story that happens in Canada. The virus that started to spread in there wiped out almost the entire world. I first thought it was too nerve-wracking to read at that time, but it was a very satisfying read. There is always a hope in the end, and I like that.
FIW x 2: FAsA x DEs and TESSERn x nILA.
ReplyDeleteWIMS, except I knew TOTO and LITA.
Wanna see a PINUP? I'll show you a PINUP! Just come back to my garage.
I WANT IT evoked "Magic Bus" from The Who: "I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT ... (You can't have it!)"
PAPA Loves Mambo evoked Lou Bega's Mambo #5 (AKA The Bill Clinton Theme Song):
"A little bit of Monica in my life
A little bit of Erica by my side
A little bit of Rita is all I need
A little bit of Tina is what I see
A little bit of Sandra in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
A little bit of Jessica here I am
A little bit of you makes me your man
Mambo No. 5!"
Thanks to Christina for the clever puzzle. If not for all those show biz / literary names I would have enjoyed it. And thanks to CC for the fun tour, and especially for the Boomer update.
An unusual FIR today. And on a long Sunday puzzle with some names I didn't know. But perps were helpful and a quick proofreading before looking at the review did the trick. Speaking of trick, I saw what was going on with the theme about halfway through and it helped a lot. SMALL SANTAS was slow to come because of having ucsd/SDSU and IDEAL BREAKERS was complicated by trying to put mLk/BLM. Also hadn't thought about IZOD in years. But in the end, no big problem.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christina, for a Sunday puzzle I could manage and thanks, C.C., for reviewing it so well. Best wishes for your ongoing care of Boomer's treatment. I hope the next week goes smoothly and his legs get stronger.
Hope everyone has an extra SPECIAL Sunday!
Hello MitziMouse!
ReplyDeleteMoana not a princess?
Doesn't being the daughter of the Chief make her a Princess?
Either way, she was very SPECIAL...
ReplyDeleteGood morning. Thank you, Christina and C.C.
I read the title, "Extra Special" and then noticed 7 circles. I entered SPECIAL in those circles as my first fill.
It was fun working out the theme answers. (I)DEAL BREAKERS and (L)ACE BANDAGE were especially amusing.
The solve went very well, and I didn't particularly notice the names. Yes, there were names that were totally out of my wheelhouse (like LITA), but the perps were fair. I knew I was solving a Sunday in near record time for me, but then, with just a few blanks in the SW corner, I hit a wall. A rebar-reinforced concrete-filled block wall. With a brick facade. Impassable.
Thought that A.A. was most likely a reference to Alcoholics Anonymous, but had no idea who the founder(s) was (were). I thought YEAST had a great clue, and I got that one. I heard crickets at "Challenges on the field" (in retrospect, another great clue) and I totally whiffed at "Burden for many students"
The worst part though was when I read "Dad, in Chinese" and not being able to recall it. I had -A-A and still couldn't suss it. I knew C.C. had mentioned it and other family names many times, but I was adrift at sea.
So there you have it. Enroute to a near record breaking time, but all for naught at the finishing line. Kinda like running the high hurdles, then tripping and falling a few yards before breaking the tape.
Still, a lot of fun. Christina, that little Wally looks all warm and snugly in his colorful outfit, but also a little perplexed at what is happening in front of him. I bet he's a bundle of joy.
C.C., I hope things are getting better for Boomer, and that the doctors can help him get his leg strength back. Also, your chili bean sauce image reminded me to tell you that I ordered Cantonese a week or so ago. I also ordered three of the sweet bean curd Bao, and they were absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recommendations.
Good morning all. When I first noticed the circles I thought they might be the same letter but E-MOTION DENIED changed that idea after S-MALL SANTAS and P-AIRING GRIEVANCES. When C & I were in place if figure it would be SPECIAL in the circles.
ReplyDeleteAn unusual amount of unknowns and proper names today. It was a slow start with the unknown SARAH Paulson (and Holland Taylor) to add to DR. BOB, BABA, LONZO, ORA, LITA Ford, VIOLA, UVA (rays?), ALAN Tudyk, STATION Eleven, POT de creme, DEV Patel, St. STEPHENS Green,. My last fill was the cross of two unknowns- TESSARA & ALIA
It was either UCSD or SDSU and not knowing SARAH HELP UP the NW fill for a while.
GAS LOG- I didn't want a stinky wood burning fire place in the house when we had it built but DW insisted. After one winter the wood was replaced by a GAS burning fake LOG. And who did it? DW, not me.
BLM- Burning, Looting, Mayhem. That's all I saw.
ROME or Honeycrisp apples- expensive because they are hard to grow. I once got a bag of which half were bad and called the grower. He told me about half his Honeycrisp apples would always be not salable for people.
B Easy - I thought it was Big Lovely Mansions
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-Vowel roulette at TESSER_/_LIA failed me for one bad cell.
-Into each puzzle, obscure proper names must fall. I knew LONZO because of his braggart BABA.
-U TURNS – Major reversals when the political winds shift
-“And like a mighty OAK tree, he just stood there alone, Big John”
-I’ve subbed four days in a row in the AV LAB. They’re seniors and so not much is getting done this time of year. :-)
-Kids still eating bkfst who HELD UP our Disney bus knew my wrath!
-College FB powers like filling up SLOTS with small schools, ERGO they schedule ELON
-I tell the server, “I want my bacon hard as a brick”
We FIR but deffintiely echo the comments above re: the surfeit of proper nouns.
ReplyDeleteSomehow memories of the Grateful Dead song clicked in and St. Stephen came quickly to mind. They say that if you remember the 60's then you weren't there. They are wrong.
The theme was grasped after a couple of themed answers were completed thanks to the direction provided by the Extra Special title. That helped a bit with the later themed answers.
I was surprised to see Rich's name as a co-editor. Apparently, my understanding of the details of the current editorial arrangement is incomplete.
It appears the LA Times didn't update their template for Sunday puzzles, so the print version (or at least one print version) has Rich credited. The online version correctly lists Patti as Editor.
DeleteHola!
ReplyDeleteSunday puzzles are always a slog just because of their size but I enjoy the solve. I got the circled letters as being "extra" and that amused me.
Our newspaper, the Arizona Republic, has recently enlarged the Sunday puzzle so that makes it easier to fill and to read!
Fav clue was "print maker" FOOT. Ha ha.
Congratulations, Christina! I look forward to your future contributions.
Have a SPECIAL Sunday, everyone! Continued good wishes and prayers for Boomer as well as for you, C.C.
Christina—I love, love, love this puzzle. Good theme that actually helps solve clues. Some themes so obtuse as to be worthless (I know that partly on purpose to make puzzle harder). Love the clues; your puzzle was fun to solve. Brought to mind Merl Reagle’s puzzles that are always fun to solve. Look forward to your next.
ReplyDeletePleasant puzzle again. Clever and fun. I read Station Eleven and Glass Hotel. Liked them both. I’m now watching the first season of Resident Alien with Alan Tudyk. I had never heard of this actor before, and now there he is in the Sunday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteOur week long conference has ended so I have more time to post now. As I mentioned a few days ago, one of the stars of the conference is Sir Roger Penrose who recently won the Nobel Prize for his work on black holes.
ReplyDeleteI usually attend in person, but I did it this year via Zoom which was just fine as Sir Roger was also attending via Zoom. Which led to a tragicomedy of errors. He eventually had to record his talk off line and then came back the next day to take questions. One of his many contributions was the mathematics of what is now called a Penrose Tiling. An infinite array of MOSAIC PIECEs that never repeat!
Here is my screen shot of Sir Roger Penrose speaking to us about his unique MOSAIC PIECEs also known as TESSERA.
Hand up way too many proper names that I found utterly obscure and of no lasting importance. I hope this is not going to be an ongoing issue with our new editor. Was it really necessary to offer such an obscure proper name clue for STATION? The theme was amusing and figuring it out was crucial to helping me solve.
CC Sorry, had not seen your list including BABA, but now I have saved your list for future reference! Having BABA cross unknown DR BOB just seemed unfair. Final square WAG to FIR.
From Yesterday:
Chairman Moe Thank you for that very APT Drabble cartoon about Saturday puzzles!
Hand up ATRIP seemed impossible, but I suppose it was a learning moment. Reluctantly filled it to FIR.
Thanks, CrossEyedDave for Moana clarification. I have not watched Disney animation for a long time. The last animation movie I watched was "Toy Story" with my son.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Christina on your LA Times debut and thank you for this Extra Special punny puzzle. The construction and cluing on this was really ingenious. There were a lot of unknowns, but fair perps so I got a FIR and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you C.C. for the excellent review, especially the link to Christine's interview by her BABA.
Some favs:
27A US-MADE. Just checked and I've got a YKK zipper!
49A LITA. DNK LITA, but it only took me a NANOSecond to perp her.
37A BLT. BAT fit, but didn't perp. Clever clue.
105A POT Looks like Chocolate Mousse. Yummy!
107A ADIEU. Teri used this today and got the Wordle on the 3rd try.
133A YEAST. Favorite clue.
56D ESAI. Today's Spanish lesson. According to babynames.com Esai is Spanish for Isaiah.
117D BABA What my adopted Chinese grandson called my son before he learned English. Now he calls him Dad and me Granddad. Somewhere around here I've got a baseball cap titled "Call me YeYe".
Cheers,
Bill
Hi Y'all! Groan! Not on Christina's wave-length. Thanks, C.C., keep us informed about Boomer.
ReplyDeleteLast fill: Ball of the Bulls: I watch NBA and had heard of LONZO but didn't watch the Bulls play so didn't know he was on that team, just that he has brothers & a mouthy dad. I was thinking the clue referred to a dance in Spain after the running of the bulls.
Took me 13 seconds over an hour to do this puzzle. Heard someone saying some bad words aloud. Okay, I admit it was me.
Neat Sunday puzzle, many thanks Christina. And always enjoy your Sunday commentary, C.C., and many thanks for giving us the update on Boomer's situation. Hope he has a good week coming up.
ReplyDeleteI liked that this puzzle had a lot of really challenging items, but also plenty of manageable ones--a perfect combination for a Sunday.
So, I was happy to get VIOLA Davis, even if I didn't know LONZO or DR. BOB.
Always love seeing RCA in a puzzle--my Dad worked with the company for over forty years or so. He was happy with his job there.
Wish I knew how to do a TANGO. But at least I more or less managed a waltz many years ago.
My favorite was seeing that it's a VET who might see Spots--if he has a flea problem or something.
Enjoyed your poems, Owen.
Have a good week coming up, everybody.
I enjoyed solving this puzzle today. Lots of proper names I didn't know (and likely will forget). So, --LK wasn't MILK. LIMA became FAVA. ROLO went in, then I thought KISS was better, but ROLO it was. Had no idea whatsoever what grape in Spanish was; VIOLA (whom I knew) gave the V but as far as I was concerned the 1st and 3rd letters were probably vowels but I didn't know which vowels. It turns out that OVO was wrong on both counts. Not ever having heard the term UNTAG didn't help. SPOT turned out to be SLOT. At least I got ADIEU! Nicely clued. In sum, this puzzle puzzled me and challenged me but to me it was fair and solvable ERGO satisfying.
ReplyDeleteHappy Orthodox Easter, all.
ReplyDeleteSuperb, Christina! Both theme and fill are wonderful. And as Ken mentioned, very Merlesque with that extra layer -- thank you!
And thank you, C.C., for the Boomer update along with your terrific write-up. Prayers, of course, continue.
ReplyDeleteSorry to double-post, but this puzzle is even more impressive since the circles weren't necessary. Beautifully consistent.
Sunday Lurk say...
ReplyDeleteC.C. & Boomer - I'm sad to read your legs are letting you down. Keep up the good fight. And, apparently, you can still go bowling [just watch 1m, you'll get the idea]
FLN - BigE: MIL went to HS w/ Bradshaw in West Monroe. I started at Tech when Teresa Weatherspoon was the star of the Lady Techsters; never met her though.
Jinx - you tease... I WANT IT [Magic Bus (Live at Leeds)].
{A+, B}
IM & WC - the Jesuits taught Pop HS. They were tough but he got a pretty good education sans college.
//he was so proud that I was 1st in the family to get a degree
Slightly politics but who else is relieved Macron won? He's still got a long row to hoe.
Jayce / Picard - guess what?!?
I got one of these to play with. (DW is so forgiving :-))
I'm getting better at surface-mount component soldering.
Now I just need a cool-idea(TM) for something to build. Blinky lights are fun but, um, stupid silly at the same time.
//Picard - you still didn't tell me how you got the Sir Penrose invite(?)
CED - FLN: you're too funny. And you provide the daily laugh I need when life gets me Under Pressure.
Thanks mate.
Misty - I don't know how you do it; you sparkle rainbows in just a few lines as you pass through The Corner. You have a great Sunday afternoon too.
Cheers, -T
Oops - this is new toy. -T
ReplyDeleteSPECIAL Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Christina and C.C. (Continued prayers for Boomer and you).
ReplyDeleteI required a couple of Google helps for DR BOB and BABA; that enabled me to say BYES in the SE corner.
Changing my student Loan to DEBT helped also. (I should have avoided because of ON LOAN.)
I saw the circled SPECIAL too late for it to be of help.
Thanks d’o for making this Canadian feel better about entering UTEP when I saw Mexican border. Fortunately, the California school perped.
I noted PAPA, BABA (and MADRE). Also RED ELM and OAKS.
We had EWES and an ODD DUCK on our FARM (and a VET if needed).
We also had EARS, FOOT, and ARMS (and DR BOB if we AILED)..
I smiled at PROS beside ANTI.
I commented yesterday in the other blog that I sometimes start my WORDLE guesses with the vowel-Rich ADIEU.
I have read STATION Eleven, but did not enjoy it. Even though it is set in Canada and the pandemic theme was eerily familiar, it seemed interesting at first, but then I tired of it. Just not my cup of tea perhaps.
Wishing you all a good day. We have beautiful weather here and I am enjoying my afternoon on the patio.
AnonT Thank you for sharing your surface mount toy. And thank you for asking about the Sir Roger invite. I actually no longer remember how I first heard about this conference back in 1996 when it first began and when I first attended. It may have been in Scientific American or Science News.
ReplyDeleteIt is called "The Science of Consciousness". It is sponsored by the University of Arizona and used to be at the big Tucson Convention Center but now fills the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. It features some of the top minds in medicine, biology, physics and philosophy. Along with some rather "woo" people from Eastern traditions and practices. Sir Roger was one of the original people at the 1996 meeting.
Here I just dug out one of my 1996 photos of TESSERA wizard Sir Roger Penrose from that first meeting.
The biggest draw at that meeting was probably Daniel Dennett. That would be another story! But Penrose collaborates with event founder Dr Stuart Hameroff who is an anesthesiologist. Anesthesiologists would love to know at the very least whether or not someone is conscious when surgery begins! And also how any of the several anesthetics work at all!
They have a very odd theory together that involves quantum computing in the microtubules of our neurons. Penrose thinks it involves quantum gravity, no less! I have heard his talks many times over the years and asked him questions and I still can't say I really get what he is saying.
As for who can attend... It is open to anyone who can pony up the registration fees!
Here is their web site at the University of Arizona and you are welcome to attend!
Here is a photo of me with some of our UC Santa Barbara group in Tucson in 2018. Hameroff is the bald guy in the middle. Next to my UCSB sponsor Jonathan Schooler.
Next year it will be in Sicily! If COVID cooperates I am hoping to be there. My DW has been there, but it would be my first time there.
Anonymous T, very cool soldering rework station. One of the most difficult (de)soldering tasks is to suck out a soldered pad, or 16 of them, to rectify a mistake. You are wise to have not scrimped on getting a good tool. By the way, I love Adafruit and have bought a lot of stuff from them.
ReplyDeleteHow incredibly kind you are, Anonymous T, offering such nice responses to your colleagues on the blog here. Thank you for your particularly nice words on me--I don't know how I deserve them, but they touch my heart and make my day. And it makes me wish you an especially wonderful day for your kindness.
ReplyDeleteMitziMouse@1:13pm
ReplyDeleteO my Gosh...
I envy you that you have yet to see the Pixar wonders available.
(You're gonna love it!)
here are some things you might have missed in what you have seen already...
Anon-T,
Oh my Gosh/Gosh...
I have been trying to learn "Under Pressure" on guitar,
And been amazed by the performance I cannot reproduce alone with one guitar (even with a looper...)
But, to see Foo Fighters actually "nail it" note for note, is really busting my chops...
(Aaargh, I wish I could, I wish i could...)
(The little copycat that couldn't...)
P.S. re: soldering
I just fixed my thermostat with one of these that is 40 years old, and needs its connections scraped clean to work properly. ( kinda like me...)
Another day another trivia puzzle. Been that way all week
ReplyDeletePicard - Thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it. I'll ANTE up for next year.
ReplyDelete//nice snap from '96! And - You'll love Italy.
Jayce - thanks for giving Adafruit a ++. I read through the tool's manual today and was a bit leery plugging it in given the broken translation ;-)
//It's fine, nothing burst into flame. I did burn my thumb a bit but I'll live.
CED - I specialized in machine vision & computer graphics for my CS masters [I was going to build robots!!!!] For the former, I wrote code to measure eye vein pictures to determine likelihood of cataracts.
For the latter, I spent weeks in the computer lab making realistic ray-trace'd glossy reflective balls & lights.
I felt on the cutting edge!
and then Toy Story came out.
Holy Mother of!!!!???
Just as good we did in the lab but for a 90min movie!?!
The movie was rendered on SGI boxes using Sun Sparcs for storage. [cite]
Now you know that I know your pain re: Under Pressure :-)
//I still need a Really Cool Idea(TM) for something to build w/ my new toy, er, tool.
Cheers, -T
So, did Boomer like How We Roll
ReplyDeleteI got a very late start and needed a nap in the middle. Missed SARtH/TV LAB and FAVA bean. AV LAB???
I almost FIR, never thought I'd come close. I've actually heard of DEV and FAVA
I thought St Crispins/STEPHENS. MLK/BLM
The Bulls really miss LONZO especially vs Sixers. Lonzo finally learned to shoot which upped the ANTE*. I just hope Ben Simmons hasn't learned during his sabbatical
Everyone seemed familiar with AV LAB. Also, I took LSAT but wouldn't refer to it as a "Logic" test. Then again it was 1976. I had two years to go before I adopted Dr BOB's philosophy. Speaking of…
Did Chet nor Lois fail to mention said Doctor , Misty?
WC
* OK, yesterday clue. Close enough