NYTimes Crossword Puzzle

We’ve been working on these Sunday Times puzzles together nearly every weekend for the past 20 years. One thing we’ve noticed is if you get stuck and put it down part-way through, when you resume it feels as if your brain has been quietly working on it in the background - many of the stumpers become obvious.

Rex Parker (self proclaimed - Greatest crossword puzzle solver in the Universe) is often how we check our work. He has a humorous blog that critiques every puzzle - some so harshly, it seems he may need therapy.

See his thorough analysis here.

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Jim Jarmusch - Writer/Director

I find Jarmusch is one of those directors that often surprises me with the most subtle of twists in his movies - where I didn’t see it coming but it lands in the third act and it was worth it.

Watch: Paterson, Ghost Dog or Mystery Train

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Counter Culture Labs - Independent R &D

Anthony DiFranco is a medical researcher, self-described bio-hacker, and cofounder of the Open Insulin Project that was started at the Counter Culture Labs in Oakland CA. He has Type 1 diabetes. DiFranco and his team are working on a protocol to extract insulin from genetically engineered yeast cells and produce a generic drug at a cost of around $10 for a month’s supply. He says users could even eventually produce the drug in their homes. Read more here.

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Sean Baker - Writer/Director

Baker is one of those promising young filmmakers who’s career will be interesting to follow. His first feature Tangerine was shot entirely on a smart phone and his follow-up film The Florida Project (image below) was comprised of non/new actors + seasoned Willem Defoe.

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Neil Gaiman - Writer

Oceans at The End of the Lane is a favorite of all of Gaiman’s books. He transports the reader effortlessly. This book has nothing to do with Halloween but I would highly recommend it this time of year.

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