The Citadel

Today was one of those VERY rare days when I managed to make zero mistakes (unlike @danoff :D )

AND it's a 4/5 difficulty day according to NYT, so I'm chuffed.

Connections
Puzzle #987
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Skill 95/99
Uniqueness 1 in 34

PS you can infer approximate origins and age from my use of ...

Danoff wrote: Thu Feb 05, 2026 3:20 pm <SNIP> Electronics usually drops like a rock in terms of price. <SNIP>

Back when I started working in the computer industry, a megabyte of disk storage cost ~ $5,700

Inflation adjusted, an 8TB disk drive today should cost ~ $476,520,000,000 assuming no price increase or decrease

One of the words was very parochial today, very NY

Strands #704
“Quint-essential”

Connections
Puzzle #967






Skill 89/99
Uniqueness 1 in 124

Does this mean Strands has contributed 6 months to my mortality?
.

Just when I am reaching total frustration with Connections, I get handed unexpected wins with perfect scores, one of them being a 5/5 difficulty. There must be some strange neuron wiring in my head.

In other success news, I received an email from NYT saying my subscription rate was being raised ...

Spangram Centenarian at last?

Ok, I'll bite.

My '08 FX35 is getting long in the tooth. I'll probably need something newer in the next year or two. I have a bring-a-trailer alert for any FX45s coming in to auction. I'd want an 08 or older. But I'd consider an EV for this vehicle. Here's what the vehicle needs:

- Decent ...

I felt very sharp when I found today's SpanGram

Strands #656
“On the chopping block”

I'm still kicking myself for taking a hint, however I like the symbols they used in this one
.
(better than how it comes out in text)...
Strands #652
“Palette episodes”

The bottom right hand corner threw me for a couple of sixes

Strands #649
“Shakespearean titles”

A 5/5 difficulty in which the purple one jumps out at me is really rare.

Connections
Puzzle #912





Skill 97/99
Uniqueness 1 in 96

Interesting science news with significant implications involving the discovery of sugars, a mysterious “gum-like” substance, and an unusually high abundance of supernova dust in samples from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.

The sugars, including ribose and glucose, are essential for life on Earth ...

Today was a 5/5 difficulty which should have disqualified me

Connections
Puzzle #904





Skill 95/99
Uniqueness 1 in 2,278

Back into Assassins Creed: Shadows

After hundreds of hours, today I discovered that in Photo Mode, one can change to time of day and thereby choose the lighting.

As a byproduct of this, it reveals the actual in-game time of day.

Small details in an absolutely huge game

For example, it was night ...

Milestone achieved
.

Just couldn't see it today...

Strands #635
“If all else fails ...”

Strands #631
“Horsing around”

Messy

Connections
Puzzle #897

Connections
Puzzle #895





Skill 95/99
Uniqueness 1 in 150