Community Chat

[gardenman]

Another NYT puzzle user here. I start with Wordle, then work my way down and then back up from Wordle. I'll occasionally skip the hard PIPs, because they annoy me, but I do everything else. I skip over the easy and medium Sudoku because they're too easy and go straight to the hard one. It's worth the $50 a year to me.

[kare29]

I have been using Arkadium dot com free puzzles. So far it is still working with my ad blocker on. There are over twenty free crosswords on that site.  I have marked it as a favorite in my browser.  

[Sooner]

We have been NYT puzzle fans for a long time,  Wordle, Connections, Crosswords and others.  I also use a lot of NYT Wirecutter's reviews and have found them helpful.  

Now we are doing New Yorker Shuffalo too!  If you haven't tried that one, it's fun.  My husband is a lot better than I am at that one.

NYT Connections is either easy mostly or impossible for me because I do not know the movie and many sports terms, but I still enjoy trying!  

[pigletsmom2]

Well this is the first I've heard of the site. I just went and did a crossword and had no ads. Not sure if that's because it's giving me a break or if my ad blocker is taking care of it. Looks like a year is fairly cheap so to me it would be worth it if I used it a lot. And I'm cheap LOL.

I only pay for two places and they're both news sites. And one is the local paper which I've always paid for going back to delivery so that one seems natural. The other is something that reminds of reading a magazine which I also would have paid for back in the day.

[chickenbutt]

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@nascarfan wrote:

I enjoy working crossword puzzles too!

Sorry, I can't help you with an online site.  I still buy subscriptions to crossword books.....🙃

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I'm curious about this subscription to books.  I've not heard of that.  I've been getting the MEGA books that each have 300 puzzles on them.  The bummer is that I have gotten all of them over the years and the next one doesn't come out until September.

What I did this time, figuring that there is no way I'd remember puzzles I did in the past, I bought one of the books I did some time back.   I'm about 1/3 of the way through that one and, yeah, it's just like the first time.  I'll probably do that again if I don't find something else similar that I like.

What I like about these is that the pages are perferated so I will pull out the answer sheet that has 20 puzzles on it, then pull out the corresponding 10 pages (puzzles on each side of pg), and put them on a clipboard and do them from that.

The only weird thing (there always has to be something weird with me) is that it's become harder to find the old-timey #4 pencils.  The new fangled #4 pencils are, well, krap!   But I have a small supply for now. 

[shoekitty]

I am so addicted to the Spelling Bee. I started before Covid nd just do it everyday.  I do have a link that will tell me how many words there are , and how many panagrams.  Thyas all I need. Then I don't stop lol. I usually get Queen Bee, every last word, but a few times a week I am stumped one or two short of Queen Bee, and just go back when I am finished with the puzzles for day.  I do love the Letter Box, but I have to say. They get me a little frustrated. Because I want to get them in less try's than listed. lol

[beach-mom]

Thanks @elated - I'll check that one out!

Thanks for your comments everyone. I also play Wordle every night. A lot of my friends do too - most play early in the morning, so I'm the last one!  

[shoekitty]

@chickenbutt  hey CB!  I want to know how one would tell the new #4 from old time ones?   Are they marked?  How do you purchase them?

[chickenbutt]

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@shoekitty wrote:

@chickenbutt  hey CB!  I want to know how one would tell the new #4 from old time ones?   Are they marked?  How do you purchase them?

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@shoekitty  Hey, Darlin!   I went upstairs and grabbed one of the newer ones so I could take a pic with each of them.   The pencil on top is the regular old-type #4 pencil.

The bottom one - see how there is a slash after the 4 and "2H"?   Those are the newer ones.  Now, if somebody isn't such a freak for the #4 pencils as I am, they might not hate the new ones.  But I do.  Just not the same.  HTH    If somebody wants some of the newer ones I have several boxes.  I had purchased them years ago before I realized they weren't the same.

PS:  Hope you're having a wonderful day and it's been going well since we last chatted. 

[shoekitty]

@chickenbutt  the distinction of the different numbers on pencils had my interest piqued!  Who knew so much went into a pencil lol. The wood is slightly different in the 4 2H as well. I found this tidbit of info...which makes sense

"4H and 2H pencils produce lighter, harder marks that stay sharp longer and are ideal for light preliminary sketches and technical drawings, while Dixon #4 pencils (a standard writing grade similar to HB) create darker, softer marks better suited for general writing and darker sketching"