Linked without comment (Sunday brunch: August 11, 2013)

Have an orgasm instead of doing a crossword, it's better for your brain, says scientist (Telegraph)

The sexual climax gives the whole brain a good workout, rather than just one area of it, Professor Barry Komisaruk [Rutgers] said. ... “Mental exercises (such as crosswords and Sudoku) increase brain activity but only in relatively localised regions. Orgasm activates the whole.”

Well, maybe one comment: a crossword in bed after more physical pursuits would be a lot healthier than the traditional cigarette, and pose less of a fire risk too.

So cuddle up with your special someone and solve puzzles together this weekend.

The Wall Street Journal has a variety cryptic by Hex called “Jigsaw.”  It’s not difficult, and as usual with Hex, the payoff when you complete the puzzle is lovely.  Bring colored pencils.  If you get stuck (and I don’t think you will), there is a hint grid posted, as well as the solution.

The rest of the weekend WSJ is worth your time too.  They have quietly bulked up the lifestyle sections of their Friday and Saturday editions (called Arena, Off Duty, and Review, respectively), assembled a solid collection of writers, and given them space to write on interesting topics like the back story behind “Midnight Train to Georgia,” things to see in Kraków, and classic desk toys.

Hex are on a healthy diet for the summer, heavy on fruit and vegetables (though there’s a little ham and shellfish and a drink as well).  They hid their shopping list in the acrosses (all of them!) of their weekly cryptic in the National Post.  Falcon will be a little late with the solution.

The third Hex of the weekend is an acrostic, behind the paywall of the New York Times as usual.

The quarterly variety cryptic by Mark Halpin, “Factions,” is out.  I enjoyed this one, especially after I figured out the identity of one of the competing factions (acrosses versus downs) and I got the connection.    

Nathan Curtis’s weekly variety crossword is an Around the Bend that is a little harder than his previous one.

Xanthippe created a Sunday-size British puzzle, but alas no PDF.  It has minimal Dr. Who content, though the title might suggest otherwise.