Heaneyland!

Opposites detract

A lot of people are up in arms about Katy Perry's ostensibly suggestive video (of a rewritten-for-kids version of her hit "Hot and Cold") being pulled from "Sesame Street" and relegated to an online-only existence. But people who say things like "There is nothing suggestive about the video", "My daughter's Barbies are more suggestive than this", and "You have got to be kidding me" are missing the point. Obviously this video isn't actually risque in any way, and Sesame Street is trying to cover up the real reason it was pulled before a bigger controversy blows up. Take a look at this map:

That's right, Sesame Street is within mere blocks of Ground Zero!!! And let's take a look at these so-called "innocent" lyrics: "You're up, then you're down." You know what else was up, then down? That's right, the WORLD TRADE CENTER. This song is a secret celebration of the 9/11 attack against America, and while Katy Perry has the right to sing her degenerate song anywhere she likes, it's just the polite thing to do to relocate the GZKPS (Ground Zero Katy Perry song) to a less sensitive location. I applaud your decision, Sesame Street.

Summer fun

And by summer fun, I mean, fun you can have while you're sitting inside with the air conditioning on. Like solving my latest Onion crossword.

(If you don't have Across Lite, get with the times, man.)

No rest for the cruciverbal

Well, all that New York Times business was fun, but there's no time to rest on my laurels (and laurels are prickly anyway), so here's another crossword for you. It's my latest from the Onion, and contains no material about human rights atrocities whatsoever.

(Download Across Lite, the discerning person's choice for solving crosswords online.)

For every reaction there is an equal and opposite overreaction

Well, it's been a few days now, and I think I've mostly come to grips with the fact that people aren't talking about me all over the internet the way they were a few days ago. I got lots of great compliments, many from fellow constructors whose work I love, and a fellow could get spoiled! Thanks to everyone who chimed in. That actually is what makes constructing puzzles worth it.

But perhaps now would be a good time to take a look back at some of the more memorable comments about my Sunday crossword, which people turned out to have very strong feelings about, both good and bad. The majority of the comments (at places like Rex Parker's blog, Crossword Fiend, and the Times's Wordplay blog) were super enthusiastic (woo-hoo!), but the remainder of the reactions were ... what's the opposite of enthusiastic? Rancorous? Annoyed? Maybe even a dash of ... bitchy? Something like that. And there was pretty much no middle ground in between.

From here on down I'll be posting spoilers about the answer, so don't keep reading if you haven't solved the puzzle yet and still plan to solve it. All right. Onward.

Come and Solve It

Hey, my Sunday crossword is out! If you're a Times crossword subscriber, you can grab it here. Also up is a short interview with me about the puzzle on the Times's Wordplay blog; it's filled with spoilers about the answer and the theme gimmick, so don't read it if you plan to solve the puzzle and haven't yet. However, if either half of that caveat doesn't apply to you, well then, please read freely!

Crossword alert!

Since I gather that many people don't look at the internet over the weekend (for whatever crazy reason that might be), perhaps now is the time to remind everyone to be on the lookout for my Sunday New York Times Crossword debut this weekend, available online if you're a subscriber, in the Sunday Times magazine if you're not, or possibly as a printout from me if you see me in person in the next couple of days. There will also be a short interview with me in the Times's Wordplay blog.

In honor of this event, here is an mp3 in the ongoing sporadic Do What I Tell You to Do series, Sly Stone's "Crossword Puzzle". (Click through for download link.)