Althouse: Crazy traffic.

February 4, 2006

Crazy traffic.

Suddenly, I've got hundreds of visitors going to my Christmas Eve post, because it comes up first on a lot of search engines when Googling for something that I mentioned from a NYT crossword that day. I've got to assume that today's the day that puzzle reappeared in other newspapers. I hope everyone's enjoying the picture of little me sitting on Santa's lap! As opposed to cursing at me... Well, maybe they will bookmark the page and become regular Althouse readers. I mean it was a Saturday puzzle, the hardest of the week, and an unusually hard Saturday puzzle. So these are pretty sharp folks -- as are the regular readers. Don't you think?

ADDED: I just stuck the answer I know they are looking for at the top of the post.

19 comments:

SippicanCottage said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/06, 10:37 AM
ShadyCharacter said...: Let me guess Ronald, you're an open-minded liberal?; 2/4/06, 11:12 AM
P_J said...: Sippican,

Was that from a post mentioning Timbuk3?

And RR, I don't know what is so important, but give the lady a break, willya? Eight deletes in 17 minutes? Get a life.; 2/4/06, 12:19 PM
Ann Althouse said...: John: I don't know how to do that in Blogger. Do you? I think it isn't possible.; 2/4/06, 12:36 PM
reader_iam said...: [Start OT]At least you have something new as well as old to hit! You're being spared the "every post after last night completely disappearing off your blog repeatedly" problem that Blogger is having today (with the neat twist of intentionally deleted--supposedly forever--posts magically reappearing). Only some blogs are being affected. Lucky you![End OT]

I'm sort of with you, Sippican, I always feel as if I'm cheating if I look something up. Though I don't care if others do.

Ann: That's awfully cool to put the answer there. I wish I could say I would have thought to have done something like that.; 2/4/06, 12:41 PM
reader_iam said...: Disappearing off the blog would include completely out of Dashboard, too.; 2/4/06, 12:42 PM
SippicanCottage said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/06, 12:42 PM
SippicanCottage said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/06, 12:50 PM
SippicanCottage said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/4/06, 1:25 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Yeah, Blogger is acting weird today. I just amended that post to add a second puzzle answer I knew people were looking for, and after I published the post was gone. I was able to republish it and bring it back though. Scary for a minute there.; 2/4/06, 2:09 PM
reader_iam said...: Sippican, sorry for your loss. Truly!

I have copies of mine (after reconstructing the first time), but it's irrelevant. I've re-posted them several times but they just disappear within a half-hour, or less, anyway. So I've given it up (fun to watch sitemeter hits for something not there, btw). Affected blogs are effectively shut down for anything new.

I did discover meanwhile that both the name of my blog and my nom de blog were available as domain names, so I bought the rights to a a couple of each. Moving on, here, I'm pretty sure.

ANN: Be advised that apparently new hardware is being installed by Blogger on Monday (hopefully). They're limping until then. I'm thinking you might not be affected so much, but just in case--just a head's up.

With that, and with thanks for your gracious forebearance, I'll quit hijacking this thread.; 2/4/06, 2:42 PM
reader_iam said...: "... and shortly thereafter something called "antidepressant proteins found in mouse brains," so apparently the person or persons commenting as Ronald Reagan today are covered as well."

I've read this a number of times, and it still draws a chuckle.

IP ban is something Blogger could use. I couldn't find that ability there.

However, Ann, you could vote for it on their wishlist page

Also, I think that's partly why some people use haloscan comments, even WITH blogspot blogs.; 2/4/06, 2:56 PM
Eric said...: The NY Times daily puzzles hit syndication six weeks after they appear in the paper. I'm a constructor (indeed, I've got this Sunday's grid!), and often get a lot of hits on my blog for crossword answers... first in one wave, and then like clockwork a month-and-a-half later. It's kinda funny to watch.

I also get a lot of people who reach my site by searching on a particular clue... and all they wind up with from me is another puzzle with that same clue in it, but not the answer.

Verifaction word: MIVBVGQ. Probably not a valid crossword entry.

Eric Berlin
http://www.ericberlin.com; 2/4/06, 3:19 PM
reader_iam said...: W:

?

Um, you just signed up for a blogger account this month to make comments like this and the previous one? (Or maybe you're one of those people with a whole bunch, just so you can merrily troll around.)

Wow!; 2/4/06, 3:36 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Wow, Eric, it's great to have a NYT puzzle constructor reading the blog. Thanks for coming by.; 2/4/06, 9:44 PM
Eric said...: Heck, I'm a regular. :); 2/5/06, 6:22 AM
Anonymous said...: Sippican, I wouldn't be able to finish many NTY puzzles were it not for Google! I'm getting better though. Amazing that people who win the contests complete one in 15 minutes.; 2/5/06, 12:43 PM
SippicanCottage said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/5/06, 1:39 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't even understand the directions for those cryptics, LOL!

If you're a Rumpole fan, you'll remember how he mused about the twisted mind that designed those cryptics.; 2/5/06, 5:01 PM