Crossword Puzzle Champion...Video of what Tyler Hinman wrote

Here is a video of the crossword puzzle Tyler Hinman finished in 2 minutes 6 seconds.

Because my goal in life is to impress these people
http://www.TylerHinman.com
Written by Tyler Hinman
Thursday, 20 March 2008
So the current tally on my YouTube video is 377,737. That's a cool number. Anyway, after the jump, I wish to address the concerns the intelligent YouTube community has raised, ending with the most popular grievance. * The iPhone. First of all, some people have taken this opportunity to blast the iPhone because it failed to respond to my touch when I was done. Since the iPhone belonged to Chris and not me, I cannot comment. Others have accused me of looking at the answer grid on there, and at least one person accused me of cheating by using the Calculator feature. (Yes, really.) Well, no, I was using the stopwatch and nothing more. * Usefulness. I've read some comments decrying the uselessness of this hobby, saying that it won't save the world or get me a job. They're actually sort of wrong about that last bit; while it may not be enough by itself, it's a nice thing to make me stand out. As for the rest of it...well, yeah. People, I'm not trying to stop the war or end hunger here. I'm solving a bloody crossword. Take it for what it is. * Boring video. I suffer from no illusions about this. I know this can't compare to watching an androgynous blond scream about Britney. It's only two and a half minutes, and you can determine pretty early on whether or not you want to watch the whole thing. Maybe we'll do another one of these things and I'll come up with something more exciting for everyone. (I particularly enjoyed the suggestion that I be set on fire before I solve.) * My social/love life. Not surprisingly, many comments have spoken to my probable lack of friends, virginity, and residence in my parents' basement. Speaking to one part of this...sorry, but you're not getting the juicy stuff from me that easily. As to the rest of it, I don't even live in the same time zone as my parents, and the world of puzzling itself has brought me a large, diverse, and truly excellent group of friends, in addition to my other comrades. And they all can spell. * Memorization. I didn't do this, although I admit I can't prove it. The puzzle was the Monday, March 19, 2001 New York Times crossword. So I probably HAD seen it before, but not for nearly seven years. I'm up to nine crosswords every weekday, with that figure varying only slightly on weekends, and that doesn't even take books and magazines into account. The number of crosswords I've done since that day very easily reaches five digits. I wouldn't remember a puzzle I did one year ago, let alone seven years. * Writing gibberish/miscellaneous cheating. The real reason for this entry. People have accused me of scrawling in random letters, or speeding up the video somehow. Well, Chris actually kept the puzzle I solved on camera, and he has scanned it for the benefit of the community. Presenting my actual sheet (click to load it separately and zoom in:)


Look, I certainly don't feel I have to defend myself. There are always going to be haters. And really, every accusation of cheating is a compliment. It's nice to be able to do something so fast that so many people claim it's impossible. I don't think I've allayed all doubt here, but I hope this has been enlightening.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Tyler
• Hinman
• American
• Crossword
• Puzzle
• Champion
• 2008
• Brooklyn
• Wordplay
• Documentary
• Sundance

[zefrenchi]

at the bottom it seems there's like an N stetched out on 2 spaces.. and the video this is a response to seems sped up just a tad.

[chrisbarrett]

Hey, The video is not sped up at all. Tyler is an amazing and talented person. He is featured in the documentary Wordplay that was at Sundance a couple years ago. It's on DVD now... you should check it out.

Chris

[lana0ti0ekil]

asses?

[chrisbarrett]

1 Across Clue: Beasts of Burden

[IrreducibleParadox]

Although the solving might be legit, and perhaps probably is, there really isn't any way to prove it on youtube. Because any crossword puzzle that you make could easilly have been memorized. You'd have to have an official person, maybe from the book of guiness world records hand you a puzzle and be present as a judge to dismiss all doubt.

[chrisbarrett]

Tyler posted a blog response. The link is in the about the video section on the right side of your screen. Tyler does thousands of puzzles a year... he is the real deal.

[whamzilla]

wonderful. itd be even better, if i could read his handwriting.

[jezooitboy09]

i had my doubts. but not anymore. really good job man. hope you get into guinness or something lol

[digitelle]

still can't read it, the words are too small, zoom in a little plz

[IamEhad]

lolz thats says asses

[noorkhar]

i agree 100%

[dannypancake]

Anyone who does lots of crossword puzzles knows that certain words are used over and over again, puzzle after puzzle...after awhile some pretty obscure words are easy to solve...but this guy IS fast...really fast.

[bobjohnson513]

I thought it said asses too...

I don't think that's a crossword clue though, I could be wrong...

[9166938]

is it me or does the one on the very top left hand corner say asses???