1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: Hey, you're welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh. There's Chuck, 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: just Josh and Chuck. No, Jerry's short stuff. Go. New 3 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:14,319 Speaker 1: York Times crossword puzzle stumps Americans. That was a good one. 4 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: Mid Atlantic accent is what they call that. Yeah, we're 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: talking about the New York Times Daily Crossword. A crossword 6 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: puzzle I have never attempted to do in my life, 7 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: but it is a part of the fabric of America. 8 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: And there's a great documentary that I have have not seen 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: yet that I want to see about this. I think 10 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: it's about all crosswords. Yeah, I want to see that. 11 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: It's called word Play. Yeah, that's the one. Yeah. Sure. 12 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: Jon Stewart's in it. He's a crossword fanatic, did you know. Yeah, 13 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: a lot of people I know are crossword fanatics. Kim Jennings, 14 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 1: of course, as you would imagine, is quite good at 15 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: the New York Times Crossword A little on the nose 16 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: if you ask me, Yeah, what is that guy not 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: good at? Right? Um, podcasting, he's good at that. He's 18 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: good at everything, good at talking to strangers the time 19 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: that I met him. Sure. Anyway, So one of the 20 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: people who's in that documentary Chuck is Will Shorts, and 21 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: Will Shorts has kind of become a legendary figure in 22 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: the crossword community and even beyond, frankly, because he is 23 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: just a straight up, interesting, neat kind of Um. I 24 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: want to say comforting, and it doesn't feel like the 25 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: right word, And when I'm describing a crossroad puzzle editor, 26 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: I feel like I should have exactly the right word, 27 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: but comforting still works. He's just a cool dude. But 28 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: he is the current editor of the New York Times 29 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,680 Speaker 1: crossword Puzzle, and he has basically taken it and catapulted 30 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: it into international fame. It's like the crossword Puzzle thanks 31 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: in large part to his efforts. Yeah, if you want 32 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: to go back in time, though, it's pretty interesting in 33 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: that The New York Times was the very last major 34 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: daily metropolitan newspay for in the United States to start 35 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: a crossword puzzle. They were really popular all over the country, uh, 36 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: starting in about nine and The New York Times even 37 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: came out and was like, you know what, here's a 38 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: quote for you, the latest of the problems presented for 39 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: solution by psychologists interested in the mental peculiarities of mobs 40 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: and crowds. That's what a crossword is going to do 41 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: for you? No idea what they meant by that one. Well, 42 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: they were just saying it's sort of base, uh, entertainment 43 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: and knowledge. I think I'm gonna have to go back 44 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,079 Speaker 1: and reread it. That's fine, but I'll take it. I'll 45 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: take it on space. You know what I'm reminded of 46 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: now when I think of crossroad puzzles as Rupert Sheldrake's 47 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,959 Speaker 1: theory that crossroad puzzles get easier to solve as the 48 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 1: day goes on because of everybody's collective consciousness. Yeah, I'm 49 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: sure that's the case. So it is pretty surprising that 50 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: The New York Times pooh pooed crosswords as fooi for 51 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: twenty years easily by almost twenty years, um, maybe fifteen, 52 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: So that crossword craze starts in the New York Times 53 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: didn't finally published one until the beginning of World War One. No, 54 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: I think it was probably World War two. What did 55 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: I say? He said? World War one? Yeah, so the 56 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: New York Times went back in time to beat everybody. 57 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: So sorry, it was World War two when they adopted it. 58 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: So about fifteen years after the craze started, they held 59 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,239 Speaker 1: out and then finally, as the legend goes, the Times 60 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: editor Arthur Sulzberger. Um. He he was tired of buying 61 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: the New York Herald or note the Harold Tribune so 62 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: that he could play their crossrood puzzle or do their 63 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: crossrood puzzle. He wanted the Times to have its own, 64 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: and he finally said, fine, we'll publish a cross world Yeah. 65 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: I get the feeling. His name, his nickname was selzie 66 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: m h. Yeah, Arthur Salzi Sulzberger. Yeah, it's the beginning 67 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: of World War two. And basically the thought was, besides 68 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: the fact that he wanted one, is that you know, 69 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: all we're doing is talking about World War two. Maybe 70 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: a crossword puzzle is finally a good idea to kind 71 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: of get people's mind off of things. So you over there, 72 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: miss Margaret Ferrar, why don't you be our very first 73 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: crossword editor. Uh, because you have been editing all these books, 74 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: crossword books that Simon and Schuster has been putting out 75 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: since right, and to get everybody's minds off of it. 76 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,840 Speaker 1: By the way, make sure that the crossword puzzle answers 77 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 1: and clues have to do with the news that are 78 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 1: in that day's newspaper, which all happened to be about 79 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: the war and the lead up to war. And so 80 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 1: Ferrar was like, all right, you know what, I'm a 81 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: crossword legend already. I'm going to I'm gonna make this 82 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,239 Speaker 1: one right. And she really did. She had like really 83 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: really great crosswords that she edited. Um and she pushed 84 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: back I think fairly quickly on that idea that it 85 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:58,279 Speaker 1: needed to reflect the day's news and said, you know what, 86 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 1: I think it needs to do the opposite that I 87 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: think we need to um get references from literature, from 88 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,279 Speaker 1: popular culture, from um, just about everything but the day's 89 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: news so that people can use the crossword as an escape, 90 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 1: and managed to establish the New York Times crossword is 91 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: basically the preeminent crossword in the world. Yeah, and she did. Uh. 92 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: She did this for twenty seven years, from forty two 93 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: to sixty nine, which is a very long run, that's right. 94 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,359 Speaker 1: And it was a big, big hit, like he said. 95 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: And then in nineteen sixty nine Mr will wang Uh 96 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: succeeded her, and he I think was the head at 97 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: the Metropolitan desk at the Times. Then he took over 98 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:42,599 Speaker 1: as crossword editor. He was a little bit more of 99 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: a of an old fashioned newsy type, but he did 100 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: love crosswords and he had been writing these crosswords for 101 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,799 Speaker 1: a long time for the Times, and they finally said, 102 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:54,280 Speaker 1: bring your great sets of humor over here and become 103 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: the editor. Yeah he was apparently, like the Times, crosswords 104 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: were never funnier than when will Wang was editor. Lots 105 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: of pants dropping jokes, just super seventies stuff. You know, 106 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: Ziggy made an appearance almost every day, and nothing's funnier 107 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:17,039 Speaker 1: than Ziggy. Right, So, um, Will Wang kind of had this, 108 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: uh the paper under or the crossword under his wing 109 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: for seven years, I think under Yeah, yeah, I didn't 110 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: even mean to do that. That's a great example. So 111 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: seven eight years he was the editor of the cross Word. Um, 112 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,720 Speaker 1: and then he was succeeded by a guy named Eugene 113 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: Ti Moleska. And if there's ever been a crossword editor 114 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: who deserved a cliffhanger more than Eugene tie Moleska, I've 115 00:06:40,960 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: never met one. We'll be right back alright, Chuck. So 116 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: how does it? How does it end with Eugene tie Meleska. 117 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: So Gene Moleska is running the show now, and the 118 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: puzzles become a little more varied a little more sophisticated 119 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: uh more word play, but not as much of a 120 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: sense of humor. I get the sense from when Wang 121 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: was doing it. He was a school superintendent in the Bronx. No, 122 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: he was an opera classical music and it was just 123 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: a little more serious in tone than Wangs were. Yeah, 124 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: I mean all you have to do is say opera 125 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 1: and classical music enthusiast editing a crossword puzzle, and that's 126 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: you know, polar opposite of of Wang. Yeah. So Eugeneie 127 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: Moleski does a fine job. He did it for many 128 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: many years, from um, nineteen seventy seven until I think 129 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: ninetee and um uh then Will Shortz comes along. And 130 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: from everything I can tell after reading this and seeing 131 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: Will Shorts in that documentary word play, he's a like 132 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 1: a perfect combination of every previous New York Times crossword 133 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: editor that came before him, Like he's all of them 134 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: rolled into one. He's, you know, very sophisticated. Um, he 135 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: has a lot of culture like Moleska. He's got a 136 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: sense of humor like Wang. He's um really into crosswords 137 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: and knows how to make him great. Like Ferrar, He's 138 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: he's just like the the whole package. Like I I 139 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: didn't realize it until this moment. I'm a Will Shorts fan. 140 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: I don't even do crosswords all that often. Yeah. The 141 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 1: big thing that Shorts did, uh, and then he has 142 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: kind of become known for is is modernizing it some 143 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: and bringing a more youthful tone to it. It was 144 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: kind of seen as like an old person's thing to 145 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:58,959 Speaker 1: sit around and do the cross words. Well that was 146 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 1: in large part thing to Molaska, oh for sure. So uh, 147 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: Shorts comes along and he's like, you know what I'm 148 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: gonna do? And this is something I didn't even know. 149 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: I didn't know that regular people just write these things 150 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: out and submit them, which is an amazing fact. If 151 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: you did not know that, I knew that. I knew that. 152 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,599 Speaker 1: Do you know why? Because a stuff you should know, 153 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: a listener does words searches and they submit them. Remember 154 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:24,440 Speaker 1: that they did a stuff you should know word search 155 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:28,200 Speaker 1: and I think it was in USA today. Oh cool. Yeah, Well, 156 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,439 Speaker 1: Shorts came along and said, we need a younger voice 157 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: in here, and so uh, I think only six teenagers 158 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: previous to Shorts had ever gotten puzzles published. In his 159 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: twenty five years. He has published thirty seventeen agers and 160 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 1: the average age has gone Uh, I think down and 161 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: you know, of course he still has the oldest person 162 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:52,559 Speaker 1: a hundred and one years old, but the the average 163 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: age of contributor has now come down to UM has 164 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 1: come down fifteen years from the early fifties to about 165 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: the thirties. Right, So that's I mean, that's that reflects 166 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: an enormous change. Like the people who are creating these 167 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 1: crossroom puzzles are the ones who, um, who actually map 168 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: out the puzzle, figure out the answers, right, the clues 169 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: and the choices they're going to make are going to 170 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,959 Speaker 1: reflect their age group a lot more so, just by 171 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: virtue of selecting puzzles that are written by a slightly 172 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: younger group of people, they're going to be a lot 173 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: more modern and current and um more accessible to a 174 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 1: larger group of people. Yeah. So they get about seventy 175 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,920 Speaker 1: hundred submissions a week. Uh. If you're building your own 176 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:40,320 Speaker 1: crossword puzzle, you probably are not using graph paper like 177 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: they used to do. You're probably using a computer program 178 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,439 Speaker 1: to help you out. I'll bet some hipsters who hire 179 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: artism pencil sharpeners do graft papers still Yeah, they're getting 180 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: their pencils from David Reese. So this is pretty interesting 181 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: to me when you're making a puzzle, and I guess 182 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 1: this kind of makes sense, um, kind of like there's 183 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: one way to build a boat. You put your theme 184 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: answers in the grid first, and then you put your 185 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: little black squares and plot it out out and divide 186 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,559 Speaker 1: it into your sections, and then you write the clues. Yeah, 187 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 1: so you basically reverse engineer the puzzle, starting with the words, 188 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 1: then the black spaces, then the clues. I had no idea. 189 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: I've been doing it wrong. I start with the black spaces, 190 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: then the clues, then the words. It rarely works out. 191 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: Have you ever tried to write one? No? No, I know, 192 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: I really don't think so. You know that part of 193 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 1: your brain that inserts false memories when you want to 194 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,319 Speaker 1: answer yes to something, that that part of my brain 195 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,319 Speaker 1: like was just an operation. And I said, no, no, brain, 196 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:44,599 Speaker 1: you're wrong. You've never tried to do a crosswords. You 197 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 1: never tried to make a crossword from scratch? Shut up. Yeah, 198 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,200 Speaker 1: I enjoy crosswords, but I don't seek them out. I'm 199 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: not an enthusiast. Um. There was when I was in college. 200 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 1: I would do the one from the Red and Black 201 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: every day, and then when I fly on Delta, I 202 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: will do the one in the Sky magazine if it's 203 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: filled out. Yeah you mean. And I UM went on 204 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: a little kick where we were doing crosswords, and we 205 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: bought a Chicago Tribune book of crosswords. It was like 206 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: pretty much up our alley. Supposedly the New York Times 207 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,599 Speaker 1: is um. They they it is well known as a 208 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: very difficult crossword, but that over the span of the 209 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: week it actually gets progressively harder, which I didn't know. 210 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: Did you know that? Yeah? I didn't know that. That's 211 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:26,080 Speaker 1: one of the few things I knew because I know 212 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,080 Speaker 1: that the UM. I always thought the Sunday when was 213 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:33,959 Speaker 1: the kuda grab. Apparently the Saturday is the most difficult. 214 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: The Sunday is larger, but it's more like a Wednesday 215 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,439 Speaker 1: or Thursday on the easy scale. So I guess that's 216 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: what I thought was it was bigger, so it was harder, 217 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,839 Speaker 1: not that there was just more to it. But yeah, 218 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: the Saturday is the hardest and then Monday's the easiest. 219 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: That's right. And now that they're online, of course, you 220 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: can subscribe only to the Times Crossword and they have 221 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: close to a half a million people that subscribe just 222 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 1: to the crossword and apparently it's a it's a pretty 223 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,559 Speaker 1: decent source of income for the paper sailing New York Times. 224 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 1: Does people pay a million dollars a year for that subscription. 225 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: It's amazing. It's a lot of dough way to go, 226 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: will shorts way to Go. And by the way, if 227 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,839 Speaker 1: you're into crossword puzzles at all and you haven't seen 228 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: Wordplay yet the documentary, go see it. Um And since 229 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: I said that it's short stuff away Stuff you should 230 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: Know is a production of iHeart Radios How Stuff Works. 231 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: For more podcasts. For My Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 232 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 233 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: favorite shows.