Back to a daily-sized puzzle! It's no wonder this one was politely turned down by newspapers, since the Venn diagram of mainstream solvers and computer geeks likely shows only a tiny sliver for whom this puzzle would click. I hope there's at least something in today's grid that resonates with you.
Clues are (gratuitously) on the longwinded side today, though I'm partial to those for 36-A, 5-D, and 35-D. Believe it or not, 21-A is real. I'm not that creative a writer — and, let's be honest: does anything surprise you nowadays?
Pensively,
- Sid