CROSSWORDS: Future

Quotes | Summary | References: General | Augmented Reality

Quotes

Summary

  • New puzzle styles?
  • Digital vs. paper?
  • Social: online collaboration and competition
  • New user interfaces / augmented reality, e.g., "Shattered Crosswords"
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to solve or construct puzzles.
  • "'What do you think will be the next evolution of crossword or puzzle themes?'

    As more people solve puzzles and become interested in constructing them, there are
    increasingly more creative and original ideas. One of my favorite parts of my job
    is to look through submissions. Every week we get about 150 to 200 that we sift
    through. Yes, we see many of the same ideas recycled and repeated, but we also
    see some truly novel concepts. I love opening a puzzle that makes me go 'Oh, wow!'

    As our team grows, we have the ability to be more artistic than we have in the past;
    we have an art director, Kathy Lee, who can make fun “overlays,” like in the
    WHAC-A-MOLE puzzle or the animation in the EVEL KNIEVEL tribute.
    (You won’t be able to see the overlays until the puzzle is completed.) We also
    have a tools and software team that’s committed to bringing new capabilities
    to the digital crossword. Since we ran our first picture-clue puzzle last July,
    we’ve had quite a few other submissions come in with visual elements that
    were once impossible to pull off in a digital format. I predict that we’ll see more
    puzzles with some visual or artistic element either in the grid or in the clues,
    as the puzzles that come out inspire more constructors to think outside the box."
    ~Christina Iverson; NYT Easy Mode newsletter; 2/16/2024

References

Augmented Reality; Shattered Crosswords

  • NYT crossword in 3-D provided by phone's camera and an Instagram Augmented
    Reality (AR) "effect" -- only one-time Mini for 12/22/2020?
  • A small crossword sits on whatever surface you’ve picked, while a cloud of letter shards hovers above it.
  • As you move your camera around, the change in perspective will reveal the words that solve the puzzle
  • Now You Too Can Look Like a Fool While Trying to Solve the AR New York Times Crossword Puzzle Giz; 12/23/2020
  • The New York Times' crossword can now haunt your living room in augmented reality Verge; 12/22/2020
  • more info & images from game's designer; video
  • To try it (disclaimer: I am not an Instagram expert):
  • Install, open Instagram app (iOS, Android)*
  • Log into (or create) account; visit NYTimes profile page
  • Grant permission (if necessary) for Instagram to access your Camera
  • Access 'Shattered Crosswords' effect
  • Simplest: direct link for mobile devices
  • Usual (sometimes confusing) process:
  • Tap the Your Story or Camera icon on the Instagram home screen.
    You can also swipe left from the home screen.
  • At the bottom of the screen you’ll see a carousel of effects known as the effect tray.
  • Scroll right to the end of the effect tray. Tap Browse Effects.
    Where Effects Appear on Instagram;
    How to Use Instagram Effects on iPhone and Android
  • Select, or search: Shattered crosswords
  • *If message appears: "Unable to use this effect on your device",
    try again later -- or perhaps your older device or OS may be incompatible.
  • You'll need a relatively flat surface (or at least something your phone perceives as flat) and patience.
  • Zoom, rotate, and pan to find words in a sea of yellow pieces.
  • Just slowly move the fragments and the phone until you spot something
    that looks like a letter. Line them up to form a word, then reap the rewards.