Comments on: The Next Best Thing Officially Goes Interactive. Have At It. http://www.deanolsher.com/blog/2005/11/next-best-thing-officially-goes-interactive-have-at-it.html To Being There Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:07:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Erin http://www.deanolsher.com/blog/2005/11/next-best-thing-officially-goes-interactive-have-at-it.html/comment-page-1#comment-179 Erin Mon, 14 Nov 2005 14:36:09 +0000 http://www.deanolsher.com/blog/wp/2005/11/the-next-best-thing-officially-goes-interactive-have-at-it.html#comment-179 Now, you know that I only like to do the puzzle with someone else, but FWIW, I think the biggest thing is that a fun puzzle has an underlying sense of humor, a certain winking prankishness. Which is why Sudoko leaves me cold. How can there be humor in that?<br /><br />I only know what I enjoy, which is the mental origami that happens when you have to fold the clue to make the answer work. Or fold the answer to make the clue work? I'm not sure which is the chicken and which the egg.<br /><br />I also like unusual words (natch), I like multiword/phrasal answers, I like funny names, and I especially like being able to fill in the ones you don't know (that would be the hard part). That's pretty much all I got. Now, you know that I only like to do the puzzle with someone else, but FWIW, I think the biggest thing is that a fun puzzle has an underlying sense of humor, a certain winking prankishness. Which is why Sudoko leaves me cold. How can there be humor in that?

I only know what I enjoy, which is the mental origami that happens when you have to fold the clue to make the answer work. Or fold the answer to make the clue work? I'm not sure which is the chicken and which the egg.

I also like unusual words (natch), I like multiword/phrasal answers, I like funny names, and I especially like being able to fill in the ones you don't know (that would be the hard part). That's pretty much all I got.

]]> By: Ellen http://www.deanolsher.com/blog/2005/11/next-best-thing-officially-goes-interactive-have-at-it.html/comment-page-1#comment-180 Ellen Mon, 14 Nov 2005 14:20:09 +0000 http://www.deanolsher.com/blog/wp/2005/11/the-next-best-thing-officially-goes-interactive-have-at-it.html#comment-180 The Times receives many, many more puzzles than it can print, and the top constructors normally submit to the Times first. With so many good puzzles to choose from, Will can pick the very best for the Times, with the most interesting themes, lively fills, etc. Finding these puzzles among the slush is partially a gut reaction of which puzzles excite him and which are ho-hum. Once accepted, the editing can also liven up an otherwise ordinary puzzle.<br /><br />I guess this still doesn't explain WHAT in these selectively chosen puzzles is better than other puzzles. The Times receives many, many more puzzles than it can print, and the top constructors normally submit to the Times first. With so many good puzzles to choose from, Will can pick the very best for the Times, with the most interesting themes, lively fills, etc. Finding these puzzles among the slush is partially a gut reaction of which puzzles excite him and which are ho-hum. Once accepted, the editing can also liven up an otherwise ordinary puzzle.

I guess this still doesn't explain WHAT in these selectively chosen puzzles is better than other puzzles.

]]>