Solving a crossword puzzle is typically a silent, solitary event. In "Gridplay", I wanted to artistically explore and interpret the translation of the intense mental solving process into an audio experience.

Daniel Feyer is the five-time reigning champion of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, the largest and most prestigious crossword tournament in the world. Dan made a video of himself solving the April 19, 2014 Saturday Stumper puzzle from the New York Daily News (puzzle constructed by Doug Peterson, and edited by Stanley Newman). For reference, an average solver would not finish this puzzle — it is extremely difficult. An above average solver might finish it in an hour or two, spread out over several phases. Dan solved it in just over four minutes.

The voices you hear are members of the Syracuse University Drama Department faculty — Malcolm Ingram (representing down entries) and Celia Madeoy (representing across entries). I also used my own voice (for the clues).

I synchronized sound bytes with the video of Dan solving the puzzle. As he entered letters in the grid, I laid down the voices of Celia and Malcolm whispering those letters. As Dan finished a correct entry in the grid, either Malcolm or Celia would recite the entry, depending on if it was a down or across entry. The whispered letters were given an echo effect to generate something of a pulse for the piece.

I also created a layer of mumbled clues. I have a very low speaking voice, so I thought that would make a nice contrast to the other voices in the piece. I added a very wet reverb to that track to give the sense of all the clues floating around in Dan’s head as he solved the puzzle.

There are a massive number of individual sounds recorded for this project, not all of which are in the final version. Nevertheless, the complete pack of sounds is available here: www.freesound.org/people/bcimmet/packs/14504/ (NOTE: the sounds uploaded here are unedited, un-EQ’ed, un-everything — all of that was done in Logic.)

As this piece was composed to score a video, it would be best to experience the audio and video together: youtu.be/67M42DJejvE


Gridplay

With his expertise in enigmas and illusions, David Kwong delights and challenges audiences around the world with his intellectual brand of magic. He joins to discuss his one-man show, The Enigmatist, and his career as a magician, crossword puzzle constructor, and writer.

David Kwong

What’s a four-letter word for “anticipatory excitement?”

Buzz!

That is certainly the word on our minds as #BeeWeek and the Scripps National Spelling Bee draws ever closer. On this special series of podcasts, our host Paul Loeffler offers his unique perspective from both sides of the bright lights of the finals. A contestant himself at age 13, Loeffler is all grown up and now hosts the live television broadcast of the Bee.

People love the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the incredible intelligence on display, an endless appreciation for letters, and competitive drama you could cut with a knife. Our guest today is the grand champion of another event with these exact same qualities.

Dan Feyer is the most dominant competitive crossword puzzler of all time. He’s also a musician and a former Scripps National Spelling Bee contestant, and if that weren't enough to draw an invite, he and Paul have been friends since childhood. You’ll hear genuine moments of friendship in this episode, the most heartwarming yet of our young series.

Tune in next time to meet Sophia Hoffman, a young speller from Missouri who narrowly missed out on last year’s Bee after an epic 66-round showdown in regionals. This year she found redemption and punched her ticket to Washington. Once you meet her, you can’t help but root for her.

We’re on Soundcloud, iTunes, and virtually everywhere else you get your podcasts. We tweet at twitter.com/SpellingBeePod, and our website, http://SpellingBeePodcast.com, redirects to our tumblr page. 

And you can email comments to us at spellingbeepodcast@scripps.com.

Theme: @PaavoIlves (soundcloud.com/paavoilves)
Additional music:
James Pants (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/james_pants/)
D.V.S* (soundcloud.com/dvsmusic)
Broke For Free (http://brokeforfree.com)

not a blog

Dan Feyer, The American Crossword Ninja

Best of Design Matters: David Kwong

Classic material regrooved to a new FUNKY dancefloor monster..
"Get Your A$$ Up (And Let's Get Ill).." !!!

Ronny Hammond & The De La Stoners

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Ronny Hammond & The De La Stoners - Get Your A$$ Up (And Let's Get Ill) (NY Funky Style) (FREE DL)

3/5/18 -- THIS WEEK'S SHOW (hosted by San Francisco Film Critics Circle's TIM SIKA): A gem from the archives-- the year 2006! 

Words. They don't just tell stories... they also play games! In the documentary WORDPLAY, crossword puzzles take center stage, and we have director Patrick Creaden and New York Times puzzle constructor Merl Reagle! 

Documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki talks about American foreign policy and military supremacy in that particular point in time that was 2006 in WHY WE FIGHT. 

Plus, ALL-NEW movie reviews including VERONICA; THOROUGHBREDS; THE LEISURE SEEKER; BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY and THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS [Twilight Time Blu-ray]. 
* * * * * * * * 
This week's featured classic soundtracks: A SCANNER DARKLY (music by Graham Reynolds) [Lakeshore Records] and ABOMINABLE (music by Lalo Shifrin) [Aleph Records]

Celluloid Dreams - the Movie Show

CELLULOID DREAMS THE MOVIE SHOW (3-5-18) WORD PLAY, WHY WE FIGHT + GROUCHO REVIEWS

Happy New Year! Could 2019 be the Year Of The Reckoning for the NYT? The Crossnerds take on the Notorious 2 Down...and ALSO get into the O-zone and the origins of the word "sinister," while Rebecca plays Regis to Andy's Pat Sajak/Vanna White wheeler/dealer. Hashtag fortunate. All while discussing the New York Times crossword puzzles from the last week, 12/31/18 to 1/6/19.&nbsp;

BREAKING NEWS | It's 2019

Please enjoy this most seasonal episode: veritable cornucopia of knowledge on relevant topics such as "how to take a picture" and "how to wish someone a happy--or not--Thanksgiving." Yes!&nbsp;We're back! Celebrating the past week in New York Times crossword puzzles, 11/19/18 - 11/25/18.

SILENT FINALES | To each Clippy his own

Prii! 23andNOT me! Did pogs smell bad! And more! Join your two fave crossnerdburgers, Rebecca and Andy, for our weekly romp through the past week in New York Times crossword puzzles: 1/7/19 - 1/13/19.

PARLOR TRICKS | Oh, what an actress!

Whether it was Party of Five, Mean Girls, or both we all fell in love with Lacey Chabert even before she became one of our favorites on the Hallmark Channel. She's back with a new Hallmark movie on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries called Crossword Puzzle Mysteries: A Puzzle To Die For.

📷: Maro Hagopian

Lacey Chabert on her Hallmark movie Crossword Puzzle Mysteries: A Puzzle To Die For

The Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast takes you inside a cherished American tradition, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Your guide to this world of words is Paul Loeffler, former Spelling Bee contestant and current ESPN spelling commentator. He'll take you behind the scenes of the Spelling Bee and speak with authors, celebrities and some of the young spellers in the spotlight.

Design Matters by Debbie Millman features interviews with designers, artists and cultural leaders, including Lawrence Weiner, Barbara Kruger, Malcolm Gladwell, Eric Kandel, Stefan Sagmeister, John Maeda, Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, Michael Arad, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, Steven Heller, Jonah Lehrer, among others.

In 2011, Design Matters received the People’s Design Award from the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards.

Subscribe to Design Matters for free on iTunes, where new episodes are uploaded weekly: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/design-matters-debbie-millman/id328074695

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Spinnin' & Rockin' parties since prehistoric times..
A Funky Rebellion Fighting the Dark Side of Disco..
".. and just love my $h!t FuNKy & OLd-$KooL" !!!
Already in the 90s called "The Fatboy Slim Of The Lowlands''

Also member of 
https://soundcloud.com/thebigbirdcage 
and 
https://soundcloud.com/funkafied

For CONTACT.. just click the envelope above.. 
and type your thing.. 

More MIXTAPES @ https://mixcloud.com/djronnyhammond

more HAMMOND bizznizz.. also CHECK... ⬇︎⇩⬇︎⇩⬇︎⇩⬇︎⇩⬇︎⇩

A weekly podcast about the New York Times crossword puzzle. The best. Er, nerdiest.

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