Daniel Jalkut over at Red Sweater Software has updated crossword puzzle software Black Ink to version 1.1.3, which adds new puzzle sources and fixes some bugs.

The Little Rock Daily Record stopped publishing its crossword puzzle online, but Jalkut added crosswords from the Chicago Reader, Onion AV Club, and Chronicle of Higher Education to replace it. The update also addresses bugs with puzzle opening and printing.

The update is available from Red Sweater's website, or from within the application.

Also, on his blog, Jalkut mentioned forthcoming updates to MarsEdit, after working with Tumblr to improve their API. He plans to release an update, version 2.3 with Tumblr support, "as soon as possible."

Microsoft aired the second in its series of new ads featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates, and unlike the first ad, we finally discover that the pair are trying to find out what life is like for the average person.

Since Gates "lives in a moon house over Seattle" and Seinfeld "has so many cars he gets stuck in his own traffic," the pair are living with a stereotypically average family in order to "connect with real people." Thus the theme of the campaign: "perpetually connecting." PC. Get it?

Mac developer Daniel Jalkut thinks the ads are genius: "They are so random, indeed so touchy-feely, that the universal reaction among the 'smart-asses' I know, is to declare them ridiculous, not-funny, and utter failures. [...] So if you think the ads suck, don't worry, you're not the target audience."

You Look Nice Today's Adam Lisagor adds a salient point: "If you smile even once, the Windows brand wins."

Thus the heart of the matter: The ads are not intended to sell Windows: They're ads to sell The Windows Brand. Think of it as The Soul of Windows. If, by the end of this campaign, we only think of Microsoft as the company with the weird ads, then Microsoft will have saved Windows' soul.

If you enjoy "the crosswords" (as my uncle says, singular or plural), Daniel Jalkut at Red Sweater Software has updated Black Ink to 1.1 (and then again to 1.1.1). Black Ink helps you download, print, and solve crossword puzzles from a variety of internet sources.

The new version dramatically improves puzzle printing quality, and includes general fixes and stability improvements. You can view release notes on the Black Ink website.

Black Ink is $24.99, and is available as a free 30-day trial. It's universal binary, and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or higher.