CROSSWORDS: 2000s

Highlights | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | References

Highlights

• 2002: CrozzWord (Steve's Zaurus app)
• 2006: Wordplay (movie)
• 2007: iPhone
• 2008: Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words (Simpson's episode)
• 2009: Lviv crossword spans entire side of a residential building
  Crossword Puzzle with Lady in Black Coat by Paulina Olowska

2000

• Monday: Now ... and Then NYT (daily) Crossword 50th Anniv. [.puz, .pdf]
• All the Clues That Are Fit to Solve: The New York Times Crossword Puzzle
  The Journal of Popular and American Culture Association; 6/2019;
  Examples of public perception of the Times' status are not limited to storytelling and characterization.
  In his 2009 book Everything but the Coffee, Americanist Bryant Simon makes an
  important connection between Starbucks and the New York Times in terms of public perception
  as elite institutions. In looking to connect with what Simon calls "the right people,"
  Starbucks sought ways to brand themselves as the highbrow coffee shop. They sold USA Today
  to their customers for a few years, but because the paper had the perception of being "the McPaper,"
  Starbucks felt that by switching to the New York Times, the "educated class," who had money
  to spend on things like $4 coffees would associate Starbucks with the same ideals as the Times.
  The Times is seen as well-established and of the cultured, educated, middle and upper class,
  and therefore the puzzle is seen in the same light.
• Starbucks to stop selling newspapers: Bring your own NYT or WSJ
  Starbucks started selling NYT in 2000; 7/12/2019
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; 1.4 (TV series);
  Catherine: "You're right, you know. I should be just like you. Alone in my hermetically-sealed condo watching Discovery
  on the big screen, working genius-level crossword puzzles, but no relationships. No chance any will slop over into a case."
  Grissom: "Technically, it's a townhouse. And the crosswords are advanced, not genius. But you're right.
  I'm deficient in a lot of ways. But I never screw up one of my cases with personal stuff."

2002

• Steve's CrozzWord application debuts on Zaurus; CrozzWord awarded 1st place in the
  Entertainment/Educational/Multimedia category in the JPDA 2002 Application Developers Contest
  for Zaurus and iPaq sponsored by Insignia Solutions, HP, Intel, Metrowerks, Sharp,
  Softbank Publishing and Sun Microsystems
• Marathon (movie); "Each year, single New Yorker Gretchen (Sara Paul) tries to complete as many
  crossword puzzles as possible during a 24-hour marathon session while riding the subway.
  By performing this strange ritual (a legacy from her mother), Gretchen seems to be railing against
  the meaningless cacophany of city life. Though seemingly senseless, Gretchen's annual gesture
  speaks volumes about imposing personal order on the random dice throw that is daily life."
• A Star-Guarded Coronation (song) (video; 5:17) by Vintersorg, album Visions from the Spiral Generator;
  lyrics: "A star-guarded coronation / Over the crossword's profound and royal thrones"
• Happy at Last (song) (video; 2:49) by Josh Joplin, album The Future That Was; MayasMix @ 47:43
  lyrics: "I'm not as smart as a Sunday Times crossword puzzle / Big words get me into trouble"
• Hiccups (song) (video; 4:03) by Darren Hanlon, album Hiccups;
  lyrics: "Some day without trying you'll find something that's rare / Like an eight letter word on a triple word square
  A thousand ideas I try to tell crossword girl / How do I get one across when you're always too down?
  And if things get hard will you throw in the pen? / But if you are unsure you can pencil it in"

2003

• Four Down And Twelve Across (song; 2:47) by George Strait, album Honkytonkville; MayasMix @ 35:58;
  lyrics: "Girl, this relationship we're in / To say the least it's puzzling' / Like a crossword puzzle / Fill in the blanks /
  [Chorus] What's four down and twelve across / Two letter synonym for lost That's me / And a three letter word /
  That rhymes with through / Oh I get it, that's you"
• I Do My Crosswords in Pen (song) (video; 4:20) by On Broken Wings, album Some of Us May Never See the World;
  lyrics: "Ink bleeds deeper / When pressed hard / Soaks through paper and / Leaves stains on the table"
• Excalibur Touch-Screen Crossword Puzzle
  1000 NYT puzzles; Model 455 manual; [right: images]
• Corpus de Crossword: A Mystery With Crosswords Nero Wolfe, 2003

2004

• "'Ken' means 'wisdom' in Japanese,
  so the name 'KenKen' can be translated as... 'wisdom squared.'
  
  Tetsuya Miyamoto, a mathematics teacher in Yokohama, Japan, invented the puzzle in 2004
  as a way to improve his students' math and logic skills. His goal was to offer his classes a tool
  that would be understandable and fun and that would encourage independent thinking.
  He wanted his puzzle to be challenging for a student of any level and to build concentration and perseverance.
  
  In 2006, a Japanese television program featured Miyamoto's classroom as an example of
  innovative teaching methods, and the puzzle that had been a school assignment quickly
  became a favorite leisure activity for all ages in Japan.
  
  After the show aired, the Japanese educational publisher Gakken purchased the rights to the puzzles in Japan.
  It was first called 'Keisan Block', with the tagline 'Kashikokunaru Puzzuru', which means 'the make-you-smarter- puzzle.'
  
  Robert Fuhrer, founder and president of a United States game-development and
  marketing company, Nextoy, bought the rights to the puzzle outside Japan.
  
  In 2009 KenKen became the first daily puzzle besides the crossword to run in The New York Times.
  It now appears in approximately 200 newspapers nationwide, has a strong online following and is the basis
  of an annual international championship." ~NYT Puzzle Mania, p. 4, Brief History of KenKen; 12/17/2017
• The Smoking Room TV series; Barry is usually seen attempting to solve the day's crossword,
  and although he considers himself something of a crossword expert his answers are often ludicrous
  and Robin solves many of the (sometimes very easy) clues for him. Barry doesn't understand how
  Robin can be gay when he's so good at crosswords.
  videos: UFO 2:45; Bontempi 1:21; Crossword blog: the best TV gags about crosswords; Guardian; 8/20/2012;
• Crossword Puzzle Blues (song) by Steve Mardon, album Critic's Darling;
  lyrics: "I try to get my point across but you keep bringin' me down / All you offer me is cryptic clues..
  You came here on a Sunday, dressed in black and white / I'm just another fool /
  Livin' with the crossword puzzle blues (break out the White Out) /
  Livin' with the crossword puzzle blues (where's my thesaurus)"
• Word Wars (movie) "In this character-driven documentary, filmmakers Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo
  follow four 'word nerds' through their fastidious preparations and smaller tournaments
  that lead to the national championship Scrabble tournament in San Diego in 2002.
  Our favorite contender: Joel Sherman, a true dork with acid reflux trouble (he constantly
  quaffs Maalox) and no other discernable job besides playing Scrabble."
• Walk Idiot Walk by The Hives
  the video takes place in a white room with crossword puzzle designs on the wall. Before the music starts,
  there's a sign with a large "!"; as he steps on the crossword designs, letters appear soon after, reading "Walk Idiot Walk"
• Sideways movie; early on, the hero, Miles (Paul Giamatti), does the Times crossword puzzle
  while driving his Saab on the San Diego Freeway
• These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach; book; renamed "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" in 2012;
  Norman delights in filling in the crosswords in ink so no one can erase his answers and start afresh.

2005

• Wordplay (song) (video; 3:08) (wikipedia) by Jason Mraz, album Mr. A-Z;
  lyrics: "I am the wizard of ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's / Yeah the Mister A to Z / They say I'm all about the wordplay"
• Everyday (song) (video; 6:44) by Authority Zero, album Rhythm and Booze;
  lyrics: "These masses of confrontation beating me down / I'm picking at the pieces to put them all back into place
  A never ending crossword of questions collaborates / While asking myself, where are we going in time?"
• The Office TV series (American);
  Stanley Hudson generally prefers working on crossword puzzles during the various staff meetings.
  Crossword blog: the best TV gags about crosswords; Guardian; 9/20/2012
• Crossword (song) by Helen Slater, album Crossword; MayasMix @ 05:35
• The Perfect Man movie; "What constitutes the perfect man according to this ill-conceived hokum
  is not someone with a burning inner soul, deep compassion or romance oozing from every pore.
  No, the clue that poor Jean's lifelong search for the ideal companion is finally over is based
  on the fact that the man in question fills in crosswords with pen."

2006

• WordPlay (movie): "WordPlay follows New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz,
  his fans and contributors, and champion solvers at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament,
  exposing the madness and mirth behind this not-so-puzzling national obsession."
• Every Word (song) (video; 2:41) by Gary Louris (from WordPlay); MayasMix @ 94:08;
  "You know every word is made up of letters / Made up of letters / Made up of letters"
• Bananagrams (game)
• Simple Man (song) by John Corbett, album: John Corbett;
  lyrics: "Crossword's on the table, coffee in the cup / She finds another word for waiting as he pulls into the drive ? /
  And she's working on that crossword, fightin' back a smile / Find another word for sober, let him sit out there a while"
• Mozartian Crossword (classical) (video; 8:08) by Jill Teml; MayasMix @ 11:50
• Crossword (video; 3:41) by Karolina Novitska on the song "Don't Look Back" by télépopmusik;
  MayasMix @ 76:40; background
• Mr. Vinegar and the Crossword "It's a bright sunny day, and Mr. Vinegar steps out into the world
  to enjoy his morning coffee and do the crossword... but the world has other plans." video: 0:07
• Crossword (song) (video; 3:41) by Bleak; album Burns Inside;
  lyrics: "I couldn't solve her / God and our hearts cried / Together, as I let my air out /
  Like a crossword / Like a crossword / You are to me"

2007

• iPhone and mobile crossword apps
• (Merv Griffin's) Crosswords (TV game show): IMdb
• The Crossword Monologues (movie):
  "If people from different parts of the world lined up their monologues, as if in a crossword puzzle,
  these monologues would eventually create a conversation."
• Mariella (song) (video; 4:17) by Kate Nash, album Made of Bricks; MayasMix @ 85:30
  lyrics: "Yes, she always got the crossword puzzle right everyday / And she could do the alphabet backwards /
  Without making any mistakes"
• The Two Ronnies TV series; A Times-solving Barker is irritated by fellow commuter Corbett tackling the Sun;
  video: 'proper' crosswords video: 5:14;
  Crossword blog: the best TV gags about crosswords; Guardian; 9/20/2012
• No Reservations film;
  "In No Reservations, the leading lady is a crossword solver. Each day she sits with her colleagues at the lunch table,
  armed with a pen and crossword grid. While the others laugh and chat, she is immersed in the crossword
  with a glum expression. She is also unkempt, unfriendly, has no "life" and no boyfriend. She is in therapy.
  Along comes the hero. As it happens in such films, they spar then become friends. The lady grows
  cheerful and beautiful. After predictable twists, the movie moves towards the inevitable happy end.
  Once Love enters the lady's life, she is never again to be seen solving the crossword."
  ~Attention film-makers: Crossworders are not oddballs! 3/15/2010
• Crossword Puzzle (song) by Noro, album Love Sweet Dream; MayasMix @ 24:58

2008

• The Simpsons: "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" (TV episode):
  "Lisa discovers that she has a talent for solving crossword puzzles,
  and she enters a crossword tournament. Lisa's feelings are hurt
  when she discovers that Homer bet against her in the
  championship match... Crossword puzzle creators Merl Reagle
  and Will Shortz guest star as themselves...One of the few successful
  moments Gil Gunderson has enjoyed is when he won a crossword
  contest, but only because he fooled Lisa by making her take his glasses,
  which he didn't actually need."
• Top 10 crosswords in fiction, no 1: The Simpsons Guardian; 10/4/2012
• CrossFire (crossword construction software) released
• Lollapuzzoola a crossword-solving tournament with a more tongue-in-cheek, free-form style,
  launches in Jackson Heights, New York
• Cross Words (movie): "On his 50th birthday, George, an arrogant, agoraphobic, crossword puzzle maker
  is mistaken for dead... and he must crash his own funeral to learn how to live."
• Burn Notice (TV series); "In the world of intelligence, if an operative hands you a crossword puzzle,
  chances are, you just received a coded message." ~Michael Westen
• Mon-Sun NYT Crosswords (songs; .mp3) by John Schnall;
  MayasMix @ Mo: 79:49; Tu: 79:54; We: 80:13; Th: 80:52; Fr: 81:54; Sa: 82:47; Su: 83:38

2009

• 10 Years of the KenKen Puzzle in The Times NYT; 2/9/2019
• Ukraine Building Gets A 100-Foot Crossword Puzzle That Solves Itself
  The city of Lviv/Lvov, Ukraine, creates a crossword that spans an entire side of a residential
  building, with clues scattered around the city's major landmarks and attractions; 7/31/2009
• Words with Friends from Zynga; Crosswords with Friends in 2017
• From Square One: A Meditation, with Digressions, on Crosswords
  captivating and in-depth exploration of the cultural history, psychology, and even metaphysics of
  crosswords -- their promise of a world without chaos and uncertainty; Dean Olsher
• Wordplay (TV game show)
• Academia (song) (video; 3:16) by Sia from the TV movie Acceptance; MayasMix @ 64:00
  lyrics: "You can be my alphabet...You're a cryptic crossword, a song I've never heard"
• All About Steve (movie); "In All About Steve, the heroine is a crossword compiler for the (fictional) paper
  Sacramento Herald. She is also socially inept, clingy and spouts random facts to anyone
  within hearing range. She gets so besotted with a man Steve (a CCN cameraman,
  whom she has barely met) that she writes her next crossword themed entirely on him,
  titled "All About Steve". The crossword when printed frustrates the readers.
  She is fired from her job for this crossword. Now unemployed, the lady stalks the man
  all across the country and gives him the creeps." ~Attention film-makers: Crossworders are not oddballs! 3/15/2010;
  Crossword blog: ...favourite crosswords in fiction? -- Dishonourable mention: All About Steve Guardian; 5/3/2012
• Little Bird (song) (video; 6:13) by Imogen Heap, album Ellipse; MayasMix @ 50:32
  lyrics: "... little bird, little bird / What do you hear?... Crossword puzzles start to grate / One across Four letter word"
• Supernatural TV series; In the Free to Be You and Me
  [S5E3], Sam is at a bar and completes the Saturday New York Times crossword, the most
  difficult puzzle of the week. A bartender who is romantically interested in Sam takes this
  as an indication of Sam's intelligence and continues her pursuit.
• Crossword Puzzle Crisis (TV); Robert must incorporate various food-related sayings into his dishes
  when he caters the awards luncheon at the 2009 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn
• crossword poem; Valzhyna Mort; 12/2009
• Crossword (song) (video; 2:38) by Deckchair Orange, album Deckchair Orange; MayasMix @ 21:53
• We Learned To Be Cool From You (song) (video; 6:50) by Jimmy Buffett, album Buffet Hotel;
  lyrics: "Maybe I can parlez a little Francais / Maybe I can even write a whole page a day
  Do a crossword puzzle in a minute or two / But I learned to be cool from you"

References

• Wikipedia: 2000s
• The Decades That Invented the Future: Part 11: 2000s
  iPhone; Human Genome; Instagram; Rise of the Drones; Hadoop (search server software); Connected Cars; Sep. 11th;
  Nintendo Wii; Apple (design); Doping (sports); Facebook; Social Media; Wired; 2/1/2013
• Paleofuture: 2000s