What the Wordle?
What the Wordle?
Thoughts for the day
I’m not a Wordle guy. It’s not that I don’t like puzzles, I just missed it. Suddenly, everyone I knew was posting scores on social media, and I had no idea where this thing had come from.
Being a contrarian, I decided I’d missed the boat and wasn’t going to try to catch up. I still have painful memories of the Sudoku craze. That thing makes my brain hurt. Predictably, jockularity ensued — Friends basically charging me with being an old man yelling at a cloud (I’m sure you get the reference).
That’s a long intro to lead us to the news that the New York Times has purchased Wordle and will be adding it to its suite of games. This could potentially be bad news for fans, as the Times likes to make people pay for premium content like puzzles and recipes — even its subscribers! Wordle behind a paywall may bring a swift end to the madness. The Times has said that “initially” that will not happen, but it certainly sounds like an eventuality.
That sucks for fans, and I feel for them. Still, I’m impressed that a game developed by a couple during COVID lockdown could be purchased for large sums of cash in the space of just a couple of years. As someone once said, “America, what a country!”
Read all about the sale below…
Editor’s Note
Just because I share something doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with it, but it will always be a valid point of view worth considering. The rest is 100 percent Six.
The Six
No. 1
Wordle has been bought by The New York Times, will ‘initially’ remain free for everyone to play (The Verge)... “for a price that The New York Times’ announcement reports is ‘an undisclosed price in the low seven figures’”
No. 2
As you know, exposing gerrymandering is a big cause for me. If you are wondering how we have become so polarized, gerrymandering districts so they are less competitive is exhibit A. The Washington Post has an interesting opinion piece that goes into how each party gerrymanders. What really exposes the baloney, however, are the interactive graphics, which made this old graphics editor smile.
No. 3
A MUST READ from The Atlantic: The Betrayal. Paraphrasing: How Joe Biden allowed optics to get in the way of saving Afghans, and “how a group of soldiers, veterans and ordinary citizens came together to try to save lives and salvage American honor.” And the Biden administration isn’t the only one on the hook.
No. 4
I love the Winter Games. I can’t imagine a worse country to host than China at the moment. Setting aside the humanitarian concerns and soft boycotts, simply because China’s zero-COVID policy is an odd backdrop as athletes and support staff from around the world arrive and the highly transmittable Omicron is at hand. It will be interesting to see what effects it has on the competition. ESPN notes already that COVID infection rates up for Olympic athletes.
No. 5
For reals this time. Right, ESPN? Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady officially announces retirement.
No. 6
I always like Doug Glanville. He’s smart, he’s local to where I grew up, and he was a Phillie. He makes the case on ESPN.com — One former player on why Bonds should never be a Hall of Famer.
Quote of the Day
“It is one thing to watch artificial domination on TV, marveling at the numbers it produced as if it is a magic show. It is another when you lose your job from it.
Eventually, I tried to put aside my anger at the tweets and the commentary. I ended up with a question: How can we celebrate anyone who clearly leveraged unfair advantages in order to win?
We want to enshrine these men? For what? For having a better pharmacist?” — Doug Glanville
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About
Christopher Six is a passionate advocate of community journalism with more than 30 years in the media, corporate communications and marketing. An award-winning designer, columnist, illustrator, photographer and newsroom leader, he is a respected voice in journalism ethics. A veteran reporter, he has created and taught news writing seminars for community colleges and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.