NYT Online Crossword Puzzle Question

The Game Room
1

I have been on an unwanted hiatus from work for the past six weeks. Since there’s only so much time I can spend bingeing quality programming, I’ve taken to seeking out and solving online puzzles and brain teasers. For the past two weeks, I’ve succeeded each day in solving the New York Times online crossword (yay, me!).

I’m wondering about something I’ve noticed the puzzle board doing though. Sometimes, when I successfully complete a word, the letter in the box will do a little animation, as though it’s exploding. The animation only lasts for a fraction of a second, then the letter returns to its normal appearance. This phenomenon follows no pattern of occurrence that I’ve been able to discern, nor have I found any reference to it after several Google searches.

Does anybody have any idea what this is all about?

2

I think it’s letting you know you’ve done half the crossword

3

Ah. Thank you very much. I’ll look out for that tomorrow.

4

There is another one at the 3/4 mark as well.

5

Heh. They should do a Zeno’s progression thing, and explode the letter at 7/8, 15/16, 31/32, etc.

6

I think this is exactly what you’re seeing.

7

In the setting gear thing, you can change that behaviour