Did you come here looking for Rex? Don't worry. You're not alone. Read on!
Yes, it's time for another in the series of "mini biographies of people I don't know anything about." This time I take on The King.
Mr. Parker, if that's his real name, ok it's not, writes a fascinating post every day at Rex Parker does the NYT Crossword Puzzle and I have strong circumstantial evidence that it's very popular. How do I know? I checked the log files of this site today and an amazing number of Google hits come from people typing "Rex Parker" and then the clue they're trying to solve. Why they end up here is a mystery only the engineers deep in the Googleplex can fathom (presumably they catch the Rexlink in the left column) but it has apparently become a popular meme in the webosphere that if you want to know the answer to any question, any question at all, just type Rex's name followed by whatever it is you're curious about. I presume that at least 99% of the Googlers actually find their way to rexwordpuzzle and I just get the dregs, but if that's the case the traffic to Rex's site must be nearly melting his server!
What is Rex's secret sauce? I did an analysis on why his blog is so popular and I think I have a handle on it. His strategy, and this is so diabolically clever it's uncanny, is that every day he not only provides answers to questions puzzlers around the world are struggling with, he does so in an entertaining and informative way. Damn, why didn't I think of that? Don't stop at just the Rexy commentary, though. He also moderates the dynamic Comments section of each post where battles can break out at any moment.
One wonders why the pseudonym. Let's analyze it closely. Rex, from the Latin, meaning King. So far so good. Parker meaning, uh, well, presumably one who parks. Rex is very good behind the wheel. Outstanding, really.
My journalistic ethics are so strong it prevents me from revealing Rex's alter ego, unlike posts like this one. If he wants to assume the role of a mild-mannered English professor by day and wear the Crossword Cape after hours, who am I to argue? According to this NY Sun article, Rex says, "The good part of criticism about puzzles is not saying whether they're good or bad, but the way it creates talk around something that had been a silent experience." I like that. And with the amazing success of his blog, it's time to string the Mission Accomplished banner up on the aircraft carrier. Bravo.
If you came here looking for my solutions, you can, as usual, check the Answer links in the right column.
