Time for a change

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Announcement
It’s with some regret that I’ve come to this decision, but also some relief. I’ve got to call it a day as maintainer of this site and as Saturday blogger. I’ve been contributing since 2006 and running the site since 2011 I think, but it’s caught up with me and I’m afraid I’ve lost the enthusiasm to continue (partly due to the fact that work is really busy at the moment and unlikely to ease up anytime in the near future, but also because the puzzles have become a chore rather than a pleasure).

So I’m hoping for someone to come forward to take over the site maintenance. The community mostly runs itself with only occasional input required – but my successor’s first job will be to find a new Saturday blogger!

Update: The new site maintainer will be vinyl1, who I’m sure you’re all familiar with. To assist in the transition I’ll need help from all current bloggers, as due to a corrupt backup last year I lost my entire email Addressbook, so only have a few where people have emailed me recently. Hopefully other bloggers aren’t as inept as I am and still have my email address, so if you can all email me a short note including your real names if you operate under a pseudonym, I’ll gather them and send them to vinyl1 (probably the safest spambait-free way to do it). Thanks for your assistance.

PS thanks for all the generous comments below. I’m sure I’ll pop in occasionally when I can.

PPS this Saturday’s was a stinker – looks like I got out in the nick of time!!!

53 comments on “Time for a change”

  1. I rarely comment on here but am very grateful to all involved in this most useful and entertaining site. Enjoy your well-earned rest!
  2. Many thanks to linxit for all his hard work here and well done and to vinyl for taking over. Best of luck and to both in their new roles as person-with-feet-deservedly-up and person-with-nose-to-the-grindstone respectively.
  3. I’d just like to add my thanks, Andy.

    Unfortunately I seem to be slowing down as the years roll by, so I fear that if I did volunteer, there would be an ever-increasing danger of dereliction of duty on my part.

    Despite being a highly experienced Times solver, I still seek enlightenment here on occasion. How I wish this site had been around when I was starting out!

  5. Thank you for all the work you have done and others continue to do, a great contribution to the world of crosswords and a great education for the learners. If I have a regret, it is with the time obsession (eg ‘Oh dear, I had to answer the phone and this added 20.35 seconds to my overall time — please forgive me for being so slow because normally I’m a bit better!’). Blame the annual championship and the title of the blog for that! Still, all thing considered, you all do a really good job. Thank you!
    1. I believe the time obsession adds to the special nature of this blog and actually makes it what it is. For it is the banter here and the lack of an over-reverential approach to this great pursuit that makes this site stand out from the rest. Part of the reason for this special spirit is the aforesaid obsession with times, which, truth be told, is not quite as pukka as it may at first appear. As well as providing an organising principle around which the site revolves in all its glorious oddity, it also helps to prevent it from descending into a mere ‘thanks to setter and blogger’ type of thing. If ever there were a site to mirror and even emulate the setters for erudition, wit and wackiness, this must be it – but perhaps I am running away with myself!
      2. If we *actually* cared primarily about our times then it wouldn’t be fun! I love that we’re constantly sending the whole thing up – we are, aren’t we? Well articulated either way sir.
  6. Many thanks, Andy, for so much over such a long time. It’s difficult to add to what has already been said, short of noting how much the blog has helped, encouraged and often entertained me over quite a few years. I do, however, have a good understanding of how much goes into the administration of anything intricate especially when it works as apparently seamlessly as this site: truly appreciated. Thanks also in anticipation to Vinyl1 for stepping up. Bob K
  7. Can only echo the previous comments. Nothing but praise for an invaluable resource which I’ve come to take for granted so good to be reminded that time and human effort goes into it. I’d contribute more but I have settled into a steady state level involvement which is tantamount to what used to be called lurking.
  8. This site has been a huge help to me as I mentioned on the Saturday blog.
    I added this so we can get up to a deserved 40 comments.
    And I agree with Izetti’s view about the amount of attention on the time taken. It is a useful yardstick of difficulty but no indicator of the pleasure factor. I am still ploughing through last Saturday’s -and have nearly finished it! David
  9. Big thanks to you, Andy, and all the other bloggers for your tireless work. Good luck for the future.
    Rob
  10. Just to say a very big thank you to you and to all those who contribute. The blog has really helped me with my fascination with crosswords and my move to the QC in The Times.
  11. Enjoy your retirement 🙂 If you reach a point where your enthusiasm is waning, definitely best to walk away before you find yourself unable to look at a grid at all. This is supposed to be what we all do for fun, ater all…
  13. I feel like I haven’t thanked you enough yet personally Andy – you’ve done a phenomenal job obviously, and additionally I owe you a unique debt in giving me the blogging opportunity you did, with very little more justification than an introduction from Dave T and your own generosity towards unprepossessing waifs and strays it must be said. I hope I didn’t given you too many reasons to regret that decision in intervening years. Much love, and you will be missed!
  14. Agree with everything said above so thanks Andy for keeping this going behind the scenes. It is a key part of my day.
  15. I don’t often contribute to this site, but I use it whenever I can’t see how a clue works. Thank you to you – and to all other bloggers – for your help over the years. Work is a distraction, isn’t it?
  16. Well done. Thanks and good luck.
    Will miss the dog too except, I guess, when you comment.
  17. This blog has been invaluable in improving my solving of the Times crossword or rather not solving mainly, in my case. I marvel at the times that some manage to solve the puzzle. I think it make this site unique and gives rise to nice banter such as the recent addition of par scoring by some regular contributors for the completed times.Thanks to all who blog and contribute to this site.

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