Site Response Times & Display Errors
Update: I am now confident that the response time issue will be resolved before next Monday (the extended page loading times are most prevalent at the beginning of the week) because the hosting company has now accepted that other accounts on the shared server are affecting its performance.
A number of people have mentioned that, since Tuesday morning, they been unable to access the site or have needed to refresh a page before it displays correctly (i.e. the home page has all the latest post summaries and individual posts have all the comments). Some server modifications were made on Monday evening to try to rectify, or at least reduce, the response time issue but the hosting company has informed me that these should not have caused the access/display problems. If you continue to have access or display problems please let me know either via email (admin{at}fifteensquared{dot}net) or by adding a comment below. I would also be interested in receiving details of any problems experienced during the last couple of days.
Independent 9478 / Radian
Tuesday Independent crosswords tend to be quite challenging and often have a theme I think today’s puzzle from Radian fits the bill. There are references to Daniel DEFOE and his novel … Read more >>
Financial Times 15,485 by ARMONIE
Huzzah, a ‘normal’ Tuesday FT. After a brief run of absolute stinkers (which were fun but mucked up my modest life-schedule, and yours if you finished them), a straightforward and elegantly composed mid-week puzzle. Thanks to Armonie and the powers that be.
Guardian Cryptic 27,132 by Sphinx
The first Sphinx puzzle I’ve seen, and a bit of a mixed bag. Mostly clever with some obscure words and some awkward parsing. Favourites were 20ac and 8dn. Thanks, Sphinx
Edit: since blogging, the online version of the puzzle has added [italics mine]:
“Special instructions: Having solved this puzzle, tonight’s episode of ‘Inside No 9’ on BBC2 at 10pm would interest you”
The episode is titled ‘The Riddle of the Sphinx’, and involves a cryptic setter and a woman named Nina… [BBC link] [Fifteensquared post]
Second Edit: [Link to a separate post with spoilers for the TV episode]
Inside No 9 – 28/2/17
I have received the following from Alan Conner (the blue italics are my additions):
“A quick heads-up to say that there’s a programme on BBC Two tomorrow (28/2/17 at 10pm) which I suspect will be of interest to all people 225. It’s a one-off episode of Inside No 9 (a 30 minute dark comedy): the lead character is a cryptic setter (Professor Squires) who is visited by a woman called Nina, and the whole thing is based around a puzzle. (Disclosure: I feature briefly and needlessly in the credits as “crossword consultant” or similar.)”
Quiptic 902/Pan
I liked this Quiptic from Pan, but found it tricky in places. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] letter(s) removed definitions are … Read more >>
Independent 9477/Hoskins
Body parts, body functions, bodily fluids exchange, beer and a bird. Harry Hoskins is in town. I was engaged by the puzzle, so have wittered on a bit. Abbreviations cd … Read more >>
Guardian 27,131 – Rufus
This was a puzzle of two halves for me today – the top half was pretty much a write-in, with the bottom taking a bit longer, probably because of the preponderance of cryptic … Read more >>
Everyman 3,671
Perhaps a little more tricky than your average Everyman but still a pleasure to solve. If Pierre had covered this puzzle he would have had his customary ‘bird’ link but I’m sure you … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1409/Hypnos
Good puzzle for the IoS slot, I thought. A few harder ones, but once you’d got some crossers, it wasn’t too tricky to finish. You might have thought differently, so comments welcome. … Read more >>
AZED No 2,332 Plain
All present and correct. I found this very pleasurable, not the hardest AZED but a nicely consistent level of difficulty from the start to the finish. Thank you Azed.
Independent 9476 / Hob
Wow – this was a toughie from Hob – but that is what we have come to expect. We might have found it a little easier if we had been familiar with the … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations 1265 Association by Maranga
12 thematic clues with an associated definition and an extra thematic word. The remainder are normal. As preambles go quite long but straight forward. It took me a while to get the theme … Read more >>
Guardian 27,124 / Boatman
A clever and entertaining puzzle with some excellent clues, rather let down for me by bad rubric… The rubric, after replacing the numbers with their answers, read: Seven theme clues require ALBPHABETISING THREE … Read more >>