Let's Party!
This marks the 12th appearance on the Corner for constructor
Hoang-Kim Vu. For a bio-bit on Vu I refer you to Husker's
March 18th 2023 review. His collaborator Jasper Davidoff is making his LAT debut but
he has had at least one other puzzle published in
Universal Crosswords
on June 25, 2021.
Today they invite us to
three different types of celebrations and they've eavesdropped on the
types of conversations we're likely to hear at each, as revealed by
...
59A. Political platforms, and an apt title for this puzzle?:
PARTY LINES.
... the clue"political platforms" has nothing to do with politics, --
rather it's a metaphor for the theme clues, each of which describe 2
snippets of conversation, which are then filled by a type of PARTY and typical LINES that you might hear at each:
17A. "Pour the tea!" and "Let's pick a new topic of conversation!"?:
SOCIAL CUES. An informal gathering, with the first snippet being slang
for "let's gossip!" and a second snippet perhaps resulting from getting
"too much information" in response to the first!
27A. "Would you pin on my corsage?" and "May I have this dance?":
FORMAL REQUESTS. Two requests made nervously at a prom or a high school
dance. Satisfying the first requires a steady hand!
46A. "They're going to make such good parents!" and "What a cute onesie!"?:
SHOWER THOUGHTS. Comments one is likely to hear at a wedding or baby shower.
This
topic also suggests the celebrations that we Cornerites participate in
immediately following each puzzle review, beginning early in the morning and
often lasting until late at night. We call these comment fests the
AFTER PARTY and we hear strange snippets like
"FIR", "FIW", "DNF" and "GRR ...!" -- kudos to
the constructor, kudos to the reviewer, (grumbles about the editor!), how we
did, what went wrong, what we liked, and what we didn't like.
On a personal note: I've been involved with social media, both as a
participant and as
an implementer, since the early 1980's, and I find the fact that
this celebration of words has been going on
for over 15 years to be truly remarkable! In my experience most social media experiments come and go, lasting at
most a few years. I attribute the longevity of this particular celebration to
the good will of all our word lovers: the solvers, the constructors, (the
editor!), the reviewers, but most especially to our kind and fearless leader
C.C. Burnikel!
Here's the grid ...
Here's the rest ...
Across:
1. Emails discreetly: BCCS.
5. __ Villa: Premier League team: ASTON. Aston Villa Football Club, commonly referred to as Villa, is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Here's their website.
Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American comic science fiction film directed by Tim Burton. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Jack Nicholson (in a dual role), Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, and lots and lots of little green men.
Arrival OTOH, is a more serious 2016 American science fiction drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve (of Dune fame). The film stars Amy Adams as Louise Banks, a linguist enlisted by the United States Army to discover how to communicate with the very different kinds of extra-terrestrials who have arrived on Earth before tensions lead to war.
14. MLB family name: ALOU. The Rojas family, more commonly known in English-speaking America by their matronym, ALOU, is a prominent Major League Baseball family from the Dominican Republic.
15. __ firma: TERRA. This term has a lot of meanings.
16. Brand with a swoosh: NIKE.
19. Gadget news site: CNET. If you have a problem, they've got a solution.
21. Dresses up for a fan convention, say: COSPLAYS. COSPLAY, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character.
|
| Cosplayers at Yukicon 2014, a fan convention in Finland |
23. Risotto need: STOCK. There are at least 21 ways to make this dish. If you've only got time for one ...
|
|
Baked Shrimp Risotto |
26. Asia's vanishing __ Sea: ARAL. It's still vanishing. I wonder if constructors will still clue it after it's completely gone?
27. [Theme clue]
32. Willie who broke the NHL's color barrier: OREE. Willie O’Ree (William O’Ree), (born October 15, 1935, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada), the first Black hockey player to play in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. He debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on January 18, 1958.
|
|
Willie O'Ree |
33. Spiritual mentor: GURU. Guru is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. Or in the IT field, what the sales rep calls all the techies he's trying to place in consulting gigs (they're GURUS in anything and everything!).
34. Parking places: SPOTS.
36. 2010 health law, for short: ACA. Affordable Care Act.
37. Groovetastic: RAD. Last week it was "Cool, man". Now which is it!?
38. "__ a trap!": ITS.
40. Country where Etihad Airways is HQ'd: UAE. Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and one of the country's two major airlines (the other being Emirates). Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Abu Dhabi International Airport. Etihad commenced operations in November 2003. It is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates. The name Etihad is Arabic for 'Union'.
41. Quick way to Excel?: MACRO. Here's a quick start to creating macros in Excel. Begin Rant: Excel is a very powerful tool. It can be used to create very complex information systems, upon which organizations can become very dependent. Professional developers document the requirements, designs, and detailed specifications for the systems they write, order to make them maintainable by others when they leave. In my experience Excel developers rarely do this (their systems are "one man shows"). When they leave the organization, the system leaves with them. Here's a link suggesting some ways to document spreadsheets. :End Rant.
43. A pop: EACH.
45. Farmer's unit: ACRE.
46. [Theme clue]
49. Citation abbr.: ET AL.
50. Slower than adagio, on scores: LENTO. How do musicians know how fast to play a piece? The tempo LARGO would have fit this clue as well as it is also slower than ADAGIO. Here's the beginning of the slow 2nd movement from Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony in E Minor, No. 9, Opus 95, with variations on the beautiful gospel hymn "Goin' Home" ...
51. Andrew Miller novel about an Italian adventurer: CASANOVA. Casanova the novel is based on the memoir Histoire de Ma Vie (History of My Life) written by the Italian adventurer Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798). As the manuscript of the latter was about 3700 pages long, it's likely that the novel leaves out quite a few of the juicy bits.
 |
| Giacomo Casanova by his brother Francesco Casanova circa 1750–1755 |
54. App for pix: INSTA. INSTAGRAM. Precisely tailored to the attention span of its users.
58. Oodles: A LOT. The opposite of 60D.
59. [Theme reveal]
62. Stuff to stick with?: GLUE.
63. "Enigma Variations" composer: ELGAR. The Enigma Variations put ELGAR on the map, establishing him as the greatest English composer of the 19th Century. It consists of 14 variations on an original theme (although there has been much speculation that the germ for it might be a well-hidden popular theme). Here is Variation IX, the most often played, entitled Nimrod ...
64. Many a fan mag: ZINE.
65. Grub: EATS.
66. Ingredients in garden "bombs": SEEDS. New to me. SEED bombs, also known as earth balls or seed balls, have roots in classical Egyptian agricultural practices. The method may have been widespread in the ancient world as an efficient way to sow large amounts of seed quickly, with minimal tools, especially after floods and other disruptions.
67. Jazz great James: ETTA. Here she is with Something's Got a Hold on Me ...
Down:
1. Hit hard: BASH.
2. Be overly sweet: CLOY.
3. __-Cola: COCA.
4. "That works!": SUITS ME.
5. Ga. airport: ATL. A CSO to ATLGranny! I'm writing this just after I read your 6/22 announcement of your successful cataract surgery. Congratulations!
7. Cab driver?: TRUCKER. The TRUCKER sits in the CAB of the TRACTOR that pulls the TRAILER (aka the SEMI) ...
8. Nabisco cookie: OREO. A constructor's delight, with three delicious vowels and a letter to end a comparative adjective!
9. Long Island county: NASSAU. NASSAU County is an affluent inner suburban county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, Nassau County's population was 1,395,774, making it the sixth-most populous county in New York State.
 |
| Nassau County |
10. Open, as a necklace: UNCLASP.
11. Last bit of decoration: FINAL TOUCH.
12. "__-dokey!": OKEY.
13. Tennis units: SETS.
18. Naan flour: ATTA. You can buy ATTA flour at your local Indian grocery or from Amazon and make your own Naan:
 |
| Naan |
24. Merediz of "In the Heights": OLGA. In the Heights is a 2008 Broadway musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, New York City. OLGA Merediz originated the role "Abuela" Claudia (“abuela" means "grandmother" in Spanish), the loving matriarch of the barrio who is like a grandmother to all. Here she sings "Paciencia y Fe" ("Patience and Faith") ...
25. More rough: CRUDER.
27. Latte topper: FOAM.
28. Marine predators: ORCAS. The OREOS of the oceans.
29. Sends a message (to): REACHES OUT.
30. Coronation __: 2023 celebratory dish: QUICHE. A dish fit for a King and Queen ...
 |
| Coronation Quiche |
35. Dates: SEES.
37. Mr. Bean player Atkinson: ROWAN. Here Mr. Bean takes himself out to dinner on his Birthday!
39. Fundraising suffix: THON.
42. Makes like a dreidel: ROTATES. Here's a Hanukkah Children's Song called Dreidel ...
44. On the lam: AT LARGE.
45. Struggle (over): AGONIZE. Hold on folks. Your struggle is almost over!
47. Chooses a running mate?: ELOPES.
48. Gas or elec.: UTIL.
51. Nicolas of "Ghost Rider": CAGE. Faust on a flaming motor cycle ...
52. Mozart's "Rondo __ Turca": ALLA. The third movement Allegretto from the Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331, is played here by Manuela Giardina on a fortepiano equipped with a "Turkish sounding" janissary stop ...
53. Land between hills: VALE.
55. Peevish mood: SNIT.
56. Canvas structure: TENT.
57. On the briny: A SEA.
60. Skosh: TAD. From the Japanese word Sukoshi, meaning "a little" ...
Cheers,
Bill
And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.
waseeley
Notes from C.C.:
Happy
57th birthday to Barry G, a regular on our blog in the earlier days.
Barry, we miss you and your comments. Here's a picture of Barry, his son Joshua and his wife, who's from Tianjin, China. I clearly need an updated picture, Barry!
For some reason, I was unable to access the L.A. Times crossword site this morning. But I thought of an alternative. I went to the Washington Post crossword site and was able to complain the puzzle with no problem. If anyone else is having this problem, that is what I recommend you do, too.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the puzzle itself - it was quite tough, as befits a Thursday puzzle. And while two of the themed fills were fairly well-known expressions, I have never heard the phrase, “shower thoughts.” In spite of this, and a number of obscurities (including the soccer team) and some misdirection, I managed to complete the puzzle in good time. FIR, so I’m happy.
I noticed a typo in the above. Not “complain “ but “complete.” Stupid autocorrect strikes again!
ReplyDeleteOwenKLJune 29, 2023 at 4:50 AM
ReplyDeleteThe sticks at the parlor were in the news.
They'd formed a union and were collecting dues!
"Chalk dust makes us sneeze,
And our racks are a squeeze!
Sticks stick together, because we're SOCIAL CUES!
A wild librarian was CASANOVA!
Female patrons he gave the once-ova'
What went on in the stacks
Made novels look slack!
And the check-out desk was a sofa!
{B, B-.}
Willy O'REE came up with the (Boston) Bruins in early 60s(1958 I see). A gimme for me but as obscure as it gets. OREOesque in its vowel-lity
ReplyDeleteI dropped CASANOVA when the V got me VALE. It seemed like pop-cul was like in-coming.
Then all of a sudden MACRO filled and as I look at it now I get it and fini(for an FIR)
Speaking of O'REE… I came upon an article discussing racism in Peanuts. Here Franklin wants to play in the NHL(1974) A decade (16 years) after O'Ree came along
Is the UAE a "Country"?
I agree that combination of obscure and Thursday level clueing was tough. But plethora of LHF (COCA,TERRA..) made it perp friendly
Thx waseeley for an informative write-up. I won't bother with Martians nor Mephistopheles. Maybe Mr Bean
WC
Ps, upgrade both to at least A- Owen
DeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteThere was plenty that d-o didn't know in this one, but the perps ultimately came to the rescue. I agree with Subgenius on the obscurity of "shower thoughts." Thanx for the diversion HKV, Jasper, Waseeley, and Teri.
RONDO ALLA TURCA: In '59 Dave Brubeck recorded Blue Rondo À La Turk.
Thank you! This is beautiful jazz. I saw the trio in Chicago about 1955. Loved their music
DeleteFIR, but erased costumes for COSPLAYS and dell for VALE. I knew Dan ROWAN but not Atkinson. Actually I'm from ROWAN county, but in those sticks it's pronounced "round" sans the "d."
ReplyDeleteI slept in until 6:00, or 5:00 Corner time. The LAT site was up and working fine by then.
Thanks to Vu and Jasper for the challenging fun. My favorite was "chooses a running mate" for ELOPES. And thanks to Bill 'n' Teri for the fine review. I always thought that Job One for a consultant was to find a reason that the contract must be extended.
Creative theme today- I had heard of SHOWER THOUGHTS-those random thoughts that pop into your head when you're showering or they can be any time you're doing a mindless task- my husband always has those when cutting the grass
ReplyDeleteOne of my sons was a Star Wars geek and he still has a full Jedi cloak for COSPLAY. I think he still pulls it out when he teaches on Halloween.
OREE was a learning moment - but I like learning moments! WC- UAE is definitely a country- there are other emirates and kingdoms that aren't part of the UAE that are countries on their own like Bahrain,Qatar, and Kuwait.
THanks Bill & Teri for the interesting blog and Hoang-Kim and Jasper for the puzzle!
Mark & I are celebrating anniversary #38 today- but will likely not celebrate until tomorrow with long day at work today- Probably go to the final Indiana Jones movie as the first came out around the time we were becoming friends!
FIR. Had costumes before cosplays, and struggled in the SW, but eventually saw Casanova and I was home free.
ReplyDeleteTook 6:46 today for me to step across the aisle.
ReplyDeleteSeemed like quite a few obscure and/or foreign names or words: Olga, Casanova, Elgar, Oree (somehow I knew that), alla, lento, et al. Those made this puzzle "cruder."
I agree, as usual, with SubG about "shower thoughts."
I agree, as usual, with Jinx about "chooses a running mate."
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI thought the theme/reveal was fine but the random Shower Thoughts lessened the tightness a little. There were several stumbling blocks for me at Macro, Aston, Oree, Casanova, Olga, and Alla. I was as proud as a peacock for entering Trucker for Cab Driver without a moment’s hesitation w/o any helper letters. As a seasoned solver, I saw right though the misdirection, but I also think it’s one of the best clues in the puzzle. Extra props for the scant number (8) of three letter words.
Thanks, HK and Jasper, for a Thursday treat and thanks, Bill, for providing the usual enlightenment and entertainment. Your musical choices this morning, especially the Dvorak and Elgar pieces offered some momentary respite from the noise and distractions of the small army of men installing a new roof on my building. I chuckled at your comical observation that “Orcas are the Oreos of the Ocean”. Funny and alliterative, to boot, not to mention that aside from being ubiquitous in crosswords, they are both black and white! 🤣 Thanks, also, to Teri for keeping aiding and abetting! BTW, my New York State county, Rensselaer, ranks 22nd out of 62 in population.
Happy Birthday, Barry, have a wonderful day. 🎂🎈🎊🎉
Have a great day.
Please ignore Keeping.
ReplyDeleteInanehiker @ 7:49 ~ Happy 38 th Anniversary to you and Mark. Enjoy your celebration tomorrow!
Man, I had trouble getting a START to the PARTY today. The unknowns were in the wrong places for me but I managed to FIR due to some WAGS.- CASANOVA. ELGAR. CAGE, ALLA.
ReplyDeleteOREE, ASTON Villa, Mr. Bean ROWAN, ATTA, SEEDS, STOCK, QUICHE Celebratory dish, OLGA Merediz - those were other unknowns filled by perps. ZINE- I got it but it's such a lazy word.
SEEDS- I'm glad it was filled by perps because I've never heard of seed bombs.
COSPLAY- to each his own
NASSAU- KINGS too short, HAMPTONS too long, and QUEENS wouldn't work.
ACA-anybody's price go down in 13 years?
UFOS- never heard of either of those movies but it was an easy guess. And why is it always Martians instead of Venusions or Jupiterites? Saturnalian was already taken by the Romans.
MACRO- been using EXCEL for 25 years but haven't bother to create one. Mine sheets are simple for my own use and I use Google sheets more.
PARTY LINES was almost filled by perps and that allowed me to see the theme and go back and fill the others because I had no idea. 'MY PLACE OR YOURS'- that didn't make the constructors' list.
I’m STILL unable to access the L.A. Times crossword puzzle site. I can click on it, but all I get is a “blank” screen! Can anyone help me figure out what’s going on? TTP ? Anybody?
ReplyDeleteSubgenius,try clearing the cache in your browser.
ReplyDeleteLucina (when you arrive at the PARTY). Teri and I would like to thank you for the recommendation some weeks back for the movie Tea with Mussolini. It wasn't available on any streaming sites, but the all star cast sounded so intriguing we decided to buy the DVD. This is a wonderful film. The trailer creates the impression that this is a comedy, but it has many dramatic elements, and also provides a history lesson on the run up to, and course of, WWII in Italy. The fact that it is a based on the autobiography of Franco Zeffirelli, the great Italian director (and the director of this film (not to mention a lot of OPERAS! 😃)) put the icing on the cake. Thanx again!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Bill
Hola!
ReplyDeleteSince I cancelled my newspaper until Tuesday, I printed the puzzle from the Washinton Post and finished in good time. I never time myself but I was done along with a cup of coffee.
ALOU used to be a regular fill but haven't seen it much lately.
ATTA has a different clue than usual. I've usually seen it as preceding boy or girl.
ELOPES has the best clue! IMO
I made a QUICHE once and thought it was a lot of work for such a bland dish. A lot of salsa helped to spice it up.
Garden 'BOMBS" is a new term for me.
I wish you all a relaxing and restful weekend!
waeeley
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed Tea for Mussolini! I love that movie. Among other things, it shows a different side of Cher and of Maggie Smith!
party lines?
ReplyDeleteshower thoughts?
more shower thoughts.
even more shower thoughts?...
Musings
ReplyDelete-SHOWER THOUGHTS: My newspaper was soaked this morning, 3’ from the porch
-RISOTTO needs STOCK not STEAM it turns out
-Our TERRA FIRMA is ARIDA FIRMA (dry earth) around here
-A rookie teacher had better not park in a veteran’s SPOT
-I certainly did not know CASANOVA’s author but loved how I could “backdoor” the familiar title
-Pols get back to the PARTY LINE as fast as they can to duck a tough question
-I remember also learning 4-letter TWEE for annoyingly sweet in this venue
-Is Korbut a more familiar OLGA to you too?
-Headline, after a fortune telling little person escapes prison: Small Medium AT LARGE
-I am AGONIZING over golf with buddies at noon on this hot day! Waddaya think?
FIR. Yes a little crunchy to befit a Thursday. Quite a few unknowns but perps to the rescue.
ReplyDeleteNoticed ATTA, ALLA, ETTA, ACA.
I appreciated Waseely’s thoughts on the longevity and qualities of this blog.
I think it’s in Nova Scotia i saw Oreo cows.
Good Morning! Nice puzzle, just what I like to see on a Thursday! Thanks Vu and Jasper.
ReplyDeleteThe SW was the last to fill.
ESP: total unknowns: ASTON, OREE, OLGA, and from the deep recesses of my memory, ROWAN.
WO: (spelling) where to put the “U” in NASSAU?
Best diversion: TRUCKER. The “K” was the last to fill because I wanted 23A to be broth but I already had the ST _ _ _. Not a fan of risotto. I don’t have the patience to coddle a dish that ultimately tastes & feels like wallpaper paste…..
Thanks, Bill & Teri, for the fun and (always) musical recap.
OKEY-dokey for today!
Gary, load up on electrolytes and go for it
ReplyDeleteOff to a quick start today but then got badly bogged down with the theme fills. No idea what was going on until the CW was 1/2 complete, then it was time for a V-8. Then things filled okay, but overall a long time to get to FIR. Thanx for the challenge, H-KV&JD. Thanx for the entertaining write-up, Bill.
ReplyDeleteNot so bad for an end of the week challenge. FIR
ReplyDeleteInkovers: gyrates/ROTATES, sauce,spice/STOCK,
Unusually simple clue for our frequent flyer OREO. (But otoh didn't know OREE). ATTA (perped) and ETTA..... I guess it wasn't quails but QUICHE that Good King Charlie lunched on at his "coronation"
Perpwaited on dale or VALE. Finally understand what COSPLAY means. Liked "running" mate ELOPE clue. (When a patient up and leaves the hospital without warning it is referred to as an ELOPEMENT .)
WOS...Is SHOWERTHOUGHTS a thing? (Mine is "Did I remember to floss?" 😄)
We have had to accept ezine like so many other E-(noun)s ...but ZINE?
"Garden bombs"?... sounds like an adorbs name for land mines.
What my tailor does.....SUITESME
Shared telephones.....PARTYLINES
I'm full: _____, _____ of ____...ETTA ALOT EATS
Necessity for an ocean fisherman: CNET.
Back from a fun 5 Day Vacay at Cape May on the "Joisey Shoa" 🏖.
Had to walk away from this one for a while. Wasn't getting any traction. Came back after a bit, and things came together for the FIR. Must have been the coffee kicking in. I liked the "running partner" too.
ReplyDeleteLearning moment about SHOWER THOUGHTS. As noted by inanehiker a term for epiphanies while taking a SHOWER or other routine task. Resisting it added to the challenge today. That was the last to fill, along with crosses of ROWAN and CASANOVA. FIR.
ReplyDeleteHow about this Punch and Judy COSPLAY from Solstice last Saturday?
The very British artist Emma-Jean has revived the creativity of the Mask Shop. She is inside the green dragon. Her husband Richard is one of the early Solstice creators. He is under the largest puppet.
We will be off on another international adventure for three weeks, starting on Saturday. Mostly off the grid.
From Yesterday:
AnonT and Lucina Thank you for the kind words about our Brazilian DANCE performance and my video of them. Lucina: Are you able to play videos like that one?
Big E @ 8:49 AM
ReplyDeleteWhy Martians and not Venusians etc ....
Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli (1835-1910), director of the Brera Observatory in Milan, began mapping and naming areas on Mars. He named the Martian "seas" and "continents" (dark and light areas) with names from historic and mythological sources. He saw channels on Mars and called them "canali." In Italian, canali means both canals (made-made) and channels (natural occurances). He meant "channels" but it was mistranslated into "canals" implying intelligent life on Mars.
The Venusians, Uranians, Jupiterians, Neptunians and Plutonians as you said were too busy celebrating with the wild and crazy Saturnalians and were always too drunk to build anything. The Mercurians too mercurial and thus unpredictable
🪐
At first, I was discouraged to see several names, but I knew a few of them (Elgar, Etta, ) and the perps gave me the unknowns. Several clever misdirections too - TRUCKER, ELOPE.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a doable challenge Huang-Vu and Jasper and gor a lovely tour, Bill and Teri.
My garden club actually made garden bombs - form balls of soil and embed wildflower seeds in them. You fling them onto slopes or open garden areas, and in the spring the flowers pop up. Very fun.
Fun Thursday puzzle, many thanks, Hoang-Kim and Jasper. And your commentaries are always a pleasure, Bill and Teri, thanks for them too.
ReplyDeleteWell, this was definitely new TERRA for me, and not necessarily very firma, what with all those UFOS coming down over the ARAL sea. Wonder if they're spreading piles of SEEDS over each ACRE? Bet there will be a write-up about this in all the ZINEs.
But let's get down to earth with some SOCIAL CUES, like some EATS. This morning we're getting a choice between latte with FOAM on top, or some COCA cola to drink. Then some QUICHE for lunch, along with some OREOs for dessert. Not a bad way to spend a morning.
Have a great day, everybody.
ReplyDeleteSubG, I just tried to load the LAT puzzle site and it worked fine. I'll be away, so hopefully one of these two will correct your issue. Are you solving on your phone ? An Apple IIRC. If Desper-Otto's suggestion to clear your cache didn't fix it, then
1) Try turning your phone completely off, and then restarting it. If it still doesn't work, then,
2) Delete the cookie for the LA Times website and then bring up the site again. The cookie you want to delete is latimes.com
You'll find the cookie within your browser. Usually somewhere in settings. For instance, in Firefox, you would start with Settings, ==> Privacy and Security, ==> Manage Data. Search for latimes.com in the dialog box, and then select it. Then press Delete Selected and then Save Changes.
Similar steps would be taken on your Safari browser or whatever you use. You can Google for the exact steps.
Deleting the cookie(s) for a website removes all records of your visits to the site from your pc, mac, tablet or phone. When you link to the site again, it will be like you've never been there, so any configuration choices you have made will be gone. You will have to re-select your favorite options. As well, your history of previously completed puzzles will be gone. A small price to pay to get the site working again.
TTP, thank you for your very thorough and considerate response but D-Otto’s suggestion worked! I bought a $1.99 “cache cleaner “ app from the App Store , tried it, and now the site is working again! Many thanks to both you and D-Otto! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteD-O, the International Help Desk Union will be filing a grievance against you as soon as they finish up their paperwork. I haven't seen the filing, but understand that it is a serious violation of the standards and norms of the Union for anyone, Union member or not, to offer advice that will actually work before telling the user to turn off the device, wait 15 seconds, and turn it back on again. If the grievance goes to a hearing, I would be honored to be a character witness. I'll testify that you are, indeed, a character.
ReplyDeleteSHOWER THOUGHTS are verbal comments at a Baby Shower, as the gifts are opened.
ReplyDeleteJinx, funny, but believe it or not, there are legitimate reasons that help desks tell users to power off a device. In most implementations, cache is stored in volatile memory. A power recycle will clear volatile memory. It's often easier to tell a user to power off/on than it is to explain the steps necessary to clear cache. As well, a complete power off/on will reset hardware latches that may not get reset in a soft boot or "restart."
ReplyDeleteI don't usually call help desks, but I do scoff when they suggest to a user that they should clear cache and delete "ALL cookies." It's a shotgun approach to potential cookie issues, but it works for help desks because they don't have to explain the specific steps to delete individual cookies - which will vary from browser to browser.
TTP - I really should be on the side of the help desk folks. When I was the project manager for GTE's rollout of ISDN, we went around the country listening to the problems of employees who actually provide the service instead of just massaging paper. One of the things we heard in several regions was that some support tech there had encountered at least one customer who didn't have the terminal adapter power cord plugged in.
ReplyDeleteBut as a user, it can be aggravating to tell the tech what I've tried, going through the trouble tree again at the insistence of the help desk person, getting transferred to a 2nd level support rep, providing all the information again, then finally trying something that might actually work.
Then again, I have trouble deciding not to pick the LHF. Easy yucks.
Anonymous @4:04 PM Yes, a baby SHOWER. Or at a bridal SHOWER.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteSHOWER thoughts had the double meaning
ReplyDeleteJinx, does Rolm ring a bell ? At one point fairly early in my career, I was tasked to implement the problem management system and call management system for remote support specialists that were the help desk for Rolm PBX customers. In that marketplace, Rolm had overtaken ATT to be the 2nd largest behind Nortel, but then succumbed to ISDN. My scope was lasted only about two or three months, but it was my introduction into telecom.
ReplyDeleteSome years later, I was tasked to be the implementation AND service delivery PM on a 5 year, $300M dollar deal with one of the Baby Bells. I was "on loan" from my normal role. They couldn't (or wouldn't) pay me enough to keep working for the excessively demanding and demeaning PE who was under tremendous pressure to deliver on the Ts and Cs. Twelve hours a day, every single day for just over six months to get it all up and running was too much. I got the deliverables running to contracted terms, and then some due to scope creep as she bowed to the customer in hopes of a "bigger deal." The PE wanted me to become permanent because I was making her shine, but I had no desire to live that kind of life. She escalated to keep me. Some muckety-muck from HQ flew in and asked me how much it would take for me to stay on the project. I gave him my figure. He balked. I didn't.
ReplyDeleteWC
Picard, loved the P&J COSPLAY. I don't need to remind you to take pictures on your trip
WC
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteI had fun filling in Hoang-Kim & Jasper's grid until I hit a wall in the SW... then it became determination ;-)
Thanks guys for the grid to help pass the morning meetings.
Thanks for kicking off the after-PARTY with an expo chock-full of fun, waseeley.
WO: ELECTS -> ELOPES
ESPs: ASTON, OREE, LENTO, 7/8th of CASANOVA, ELGAR, 5/6th of NASSAU, ATTA, OLGA, ALLA
Fav: ROWAN
Runner-up: Clue for ELOPES
{A, B}
Happy Birthday BarryG! Happy Anniversary inanehiker!
Waseeley - if that's a bridal SHOWER, the baby was ordered early... the clue specifies "...cute onesie." :-)
I am loathe to call tech-support. I have Google and usually figure it out before a human answers ;-)
Enjoyed reading y'all.
Cheers, -T
-T @6:57 A bridal shower would apply to the comment . "They're going to make such good parents!" (after they're married of course 👰🎩)
DeleteTTP, GTE sold (and used internally) a ton of Rolm systems, but I don't have any direct experience with them. One thing I'll never forget is that we replaced a call center's Rolm system with ISDN-based Automatic Call Distribution. It worked fine, except that the lost call report was far greater with the ISDN based system. After much hate and discontent, we figured out that the Rolm center had an algorithm that guessed at how many calls were being lost when all trunks were busy, while the ISDN system counted the actual number. The call center chief pretty much refused to believe that the actual count was more accurate than the calculated guess.
ReplyDeleteI didn't burn any midnight oil on the ISDN rollout, but did on our Y2K project. We found out in the middle of our project that our approach wasn't going to work. We had to back out of the systems we had converted, enhance the old system to be y2K compliant, then implement it across the country. I was one of a half-dozen project managers working for the program manager, and we all dotted-line to the CIO. The CIO had climbed the ladder from an entry level programmer, so she knew where all the bodies could be hidden. Maybe the best boss I ever worked for. Unfortunately she got screwed in the Verizon Wireless old boys network, not too long after I retired.