A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
mikeh wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:40 am
Hello shore!
Question, now that I've done a few of these: I know that I email in the answer per the specs they provide. I haven't gotten an automated email back or anything. I assume that I don't hear anything unless I win, and I just trust that my submission was received?
Question for you veteran muggles out there: Is there any point in submitting the answer via the link on the puzzle page or is just sending the email with the answer in the subject line sufficient? Thanks!
I've tried it both ways over the years. Sadly there's no confirmation either way, but I can OCD check my SENT mail folder early and often to assure myself I DID submit. You'll never convince me all my emails haven't been going to some cyberspace dead-letter bin!
One advantage to sending via email, if you are a hoarder like me and never purge your sent folder, is that you can double-check your historical (or hysterical?) submissions. So I now regret my early experiments with the puzzle page submissions.
But I'd be curious to hear from those who HAVE won a mug: whether they submitted via e-mail or puzzle page?
Ashore - really enjoyed the construction on this. I was suspecting we would all have to pay now for the last two weeks with a hard meta workout, but Matt may be saving that one for our Christmas present!
mikeh wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:40 am
Hello shore!
Question, now that I've done a few of these: I know that I email in the answer per the specs they provide. I haven't gotten an automated email back or anything. I assume that I don't hear anything unless I win, and I just trust that my submission was received?
Question for you veteran muggles out there: Is there any point in submitting the answer via the link on the puzzle page or is just sending the email with the answer in the subject line sufficient? Thanks!
I've tried it both ways over the years. Sadly there's no confirmation either way, but I can OCD check my SENT mail folder early and often to assure myself I DID submit. You'll never convince me all my emails haven't been going to some cyberspace dead-letter bin!
One advantage to sending via email, if you are a hoarder like me and never purge your sent folder, is that you can double-check your historical (or hysterical?) submissions. So I now regret my early experiments with the puzzle page submissions.
But I'd be curious to hear from those who HAVE won a mug: whether they submitted via e-mail or puzzle page?
I only ever sent in solutions from my own email address. Initially I just put the solution in the subject window. Occasionally I would also put it in the body of the email, especially if I had a comment I wanted to make. I know that Mike Miller reads these, because he quoted something I put in the email once! Anyway, I was lucky enough earlier this year (seems like ages ago now) to get an email from WSJ saying I had won the mug! Even if they don't hear from you right away, they are not going to give it to someone else, unless a day or two goes by without you getting in touch with them, I imagine.
Mister Squawk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 5:31 am
Math is not my strong suit, but if we assume that the typical puzzle yields 1000 correct entries, you would need to submit the correct answer about 500 times in order to have a 99% chance of winning at least once. 250 correct entries (5 years) would give you a 75% chance.
And like others, I was taken aback by the meta answer. I'm quite sure the The Wall Street Journal Guide to Business Style and Usage would frown on it, although since the text doesn't appear in the paper, it's unlikely that any editor would flag it.
Given your assumption, the chance of winning each time is .1%. You have to submit 4603 times to get a 99% chance, and 693 submissions to get 50% chance.
That is far too complicated for me to follow on a Friday night. However, it did bring to mind Mark Twain's quote about statistics, which gave me a chuckle. I figure I have a snowball's chance across the Styx every week, same as when I buy a powerball ticket when I get fuel. Capturing either would be a pleasant shock.
Now on to martinis. I see the line at the tiki bar is around the island a couple of times. I guess I'll just have to rough it and mix them myself.
Ashore. Harder than a one star for me. 2.5/5. Easier grid this week, and I actually got to dig in to a few paths before the A-HA! moment. So, back to catching up on NYT crosswords this weekend, among other things. Prosecco!
