Derek Crozier was an idiosyncratic crossword setter who, under the pseudonym Crosaire, ran the Irish Times cryptic crossword singlehandedly for almost 70 years.
He died in April 2010 at the age of 92, having compiled over 14000 daily crosswords. The last puzzle completed before his death, number 14605, runs in today's
Irish Times.
[more inside]
posted by rollick
on Oct 21, 2011 -
6 comments
"Looking at the world through via Google Earth offers striking images of the diversity of our planet and the impact that humans have had on it. Today's entry is a puzzle. We're challenging you to figure out where in the world each of the images below is taken. (You'll find answers and links at the bottom of the entry.) North is not always up in these pictures, and, apart from a bit of contrast, they are unaltered images provided by Google and its mapping partners. So I invite you to open up Google Earth (or Google Maps),
have a look at the images below, and dive in. Good luck!"
posted by vidur
on Aug 3, 2011 -
22 comments
Since 1980,
Nikoli^ has been in the business of creating
many different variations of logic puzzles (such as the very popular Sudoku and Kakuro). Unfortunately, as they're stationed in Tokyo, their magazine is unavailable to most Americans.
Luckily, over the decades they've inspired quite a few people to make their own puzzles and variants, including:
posted by flatluigi
on Feb 17, 2010 -
12 comments
Painting +puzzle +compulsory 'Da Vinci' ref. Glasgow artist Frank McNab
Previously has an interesting series of paintings on display in an exhibition at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow.
Running until the end of October the paintings have the common theme of 'Libraries in the Community" and are a celebration of both the buildings themselves and their patrons.
Check out the link not just for the obvious quality of the works on display but also to see if YOU can be the one to solve the riddle hidden within the paintings themselves.
posted by Wrick
on Aug 28, 2009 -
2 comments
Created by flash artist and graphic novelist
Mateusz Skutnik, Submachine is one of the class acts of the point-and-click Web-game genre. Mesmerizing, layered and absorbing, the latest chapter in the series has just been released.
[more inside]
posted by jbickers
on Feb 1, 2008 -
11 comments
Puzzability is a puzzle writing company created by three former editors of
Games Magazine. Start with their
puzzle sampler and come back for a set of
regularly updated games. Puzzability is also responsible for creating the New York Times' intricately crafted Op-Ed Puzzles. Unlike the Times' daily crosswords, these wonderfully elaborate puzzles are available in a
free archive.
posted by lalex
on Jun 26, 2007 -
8 comments
Since
Wordplay has come out, crossword puzzles have been on the rise. If you want to join in on the fun, read
this primer by Will Shortz to get started, then download
Across Lite, head to
Cruciverb, and do free puzzles in the right-hand sidebar.
Will Johnston's page contains a huge repository of Across Lite puzzles. If you get stuck, can't figure out why an entry is correct, or just want to chat about a grid's brilliant construction, try reading the crossword blogs. The best two are
Diary of a Crossword Fiend and
Rex Parker Does the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. (Caution! Spoilers abound!) And, if you want to try your hand at constructing some crosswords of your own (submission guidelines for various papers
here),
Crossword Compiler is an outstanding piece of software.
[Via this AskMetafilter question]
posted by painquale
on Jan 22, 2007 -
26 comments
AcceleRacers: Track Mod is a fun little Pipe-Dream-esque Flash game in which your object is to manipulate sections of track in order to get each of your six racecars to the finish line inside the time limit. Gets a lot harder as you go up in levels and more obstacles are added.
Yes, it is a HotWheels game.
posted by Gator
on Jul 19, 2006 -
7 comments
"King Anfortas currently owns this magic stone, schmooze him, take him surprise, how ever you will get it, but bring me this stone! As award I promise you my daughter and a place on the crown!" --
The Mystery of Castle Wildenburg, a slightly goofily-translated game that combines point-&-click with classic text adventure gameplay, and photos of the lovely German countryside.
Read the "Prehistory," mouseover everything, save often (though you lose your accumulated points on loading a saved game), and be careful not to die of thirst.
posted by Gator
on Jul 17, 2006 -
6 comments
Dumb: The Game is an extremely addictive puzzle game, with the added addictiveness of a "world rankings" scoreboard to prove to the world just how smart you are. If you get stuck, the
forums contain a LOT of hints. [More inside]
posted by antifuse
on Mar 23, 2006 -
23 comments
