MESSAGE #2--FROM: MGBADA JOE

I LOVE THIS PAGE. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. 9 December 2006 at 14:20 Eastern

MESSAGE #3--FROM: LMontauk

also in fond memories of Everett Rees, who was indeed one of several demanding and superb teachers at SME. LM '65 27 December 2006 at 11:10 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this article.

MESSAGE #4--FROM: Bob

You apparently don't know how to figure lottery odds. 23 February 2007 at 01:42 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #5--FROM: Brian

Having just read the pros and cons of using dictionaries, etc to complete a crossword I feel compelled to suggest that a crossword is the perfect example of the adage "It is not the destination that matters, but the journey itself. What began, for me, as a way to kill time while a guest of the state of California way back when, is now a near obsession. Finding a puzzle that matches my skills to its difficulty is one of life's genuine pleasures. On a bit of a serious note, crosswords became common ground for my mom and I where there was none. She sent me all the puzzles she couldn't finish before she left us, and I relish digging them out now to feel a little closer to her. Thankx for a great page! p e a c e 9 March 2007 at 14:31 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #6--FROM: whalley

hey i'm the best person on the internet and also off the internet 14 April 2007 at 10:16 Eastern

MESSAGE #7--FROM: Shawn Bonnington | E-mail Address

May I call you John? John Great! Now that I have had the life sucked out of me for the past 13.6 minutes, I would like to kick you in the genitals, over the web! What do you do all day long, other than watch spy movies, and the discovery channel in HD that give you the time to update this pointless, mind blowing website you call your LIFE. and yes, Mensa reject, I am aware that this is a run on sentence. My shear disdain, and utter hatred of your life right now, has no bounds. I'm actually shocked your still in the Student phase of your education. We here at Dunder Mifflin put your education level at no less than that of a college professor. You might want to stop spending so much time on that ass ring of a website called yours, and venture on over to Eharmony, or Match.com. Your forearm, and the very few of us who happen to stumble through that pile of ass you call a website will thank you. So, John in closing, I hate your guts, and I would love if you would shut down your crap site, and the venerial disease that you are spreading over the internet. Again, I really hate you, Signed, Dan Quayle Dont get excited jack off, its only his asst to the traveling secretary 9 May 2007 at 17:39 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #8--FROM: Mark | E-mail Address

It's great to get to see GODS country when we can't be there . We visit as often as we can . Thank you . 16 May 2007 at 06:57 Eastern

MESSAGE #9--FROM: Dmitry | E-mail Address

You say at barelybad.com/lottery.htm: >>> An almost whole 'nother topic. Let's say that, like in The Deer Hunter, someone loads a live round into a six-shot revolver and forces you to spin the chamber, aim it at your own head and pull the trigger. The question is, what are the odds you'll be shot if you're forced to keep spinning and shooting as many as three times? >>> If you're thinking, "Six chambers, three attempts, must be 50%," then think again. >>> The following is a rant against bad math, and it's not really all that funny, so be warned. >>> The easiest way to calculate your odds is to start by calculating the likelihood, the probability, that you'll be alive after the first trigger-pull. That's easy: It's 5/6. The probability, expressed by mathematicians as p, that you'll survive the second attempt is 5/6 times 5/6. The p of surviving three such attempts is 5/6 times 5/6 times 5/6, or ((5/6) ^ 3 ), which works out to 58%. >>> Therefore the p of being shot must be 1 (which is identical to 100%) minus 58%. The 50% chance you might have originally thought is fully 19% larger than the actual answer of only 42%. No. The real answer is 5/6 x 4/5 x 3/4 which equals 1/2. Think about it. After the first shot, you have essentially 5 chambers we are interested in, 4 of which are not loaded. Good one, moron. You think you rant against bad math, but in reality you suck at math, you pretentious loser. You know nothing of statistics. It's a good thing you don't vote anymore. It's hard work deliberately putting out misinformation, you pretentious moron. You're probably one of those fundamentalist Christian assholes. Whoops, redundant. Democracy's biggest fault is that all the idiots have an equal say in government. Fortunately for all of us, you have removed yourself from the political process, probably the only useful thing you've ever done, you waste of life. 18 June 2007 at 18:10 Eastern MY REPLY:   With respect to voting and the political process the visitor is referring to the sidebar at this page. With respect to the math the visitor is referring to this article. Note also that Dmitry failed to notice that you spin the revolver's chamber each time, not just once, so it turns out he was 100% wrong. But you've got to give him credit for exuberance.

MESSAGE #10--FROM: Claims Adj anon

Just wanted to drop an line and let you know how much I enjoyed your claims stories. Im an adjuster with one of the larger commercial insurers in the southeast and I love listening to the tales of crazy claimants. 11 July 2007 at 20:32 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #11--FROM: jimbo | E-mail Address

are you really 50? i feel quite harsh saying this but you should really grow up and do something worthwhile with your life instead of wasting it like you are. 6 August 2007 at 18:16 Eastern

MESSAGE #12--FROM: Barbara | E-mail Address

OMG, I've found someone else who sees things in black and white. And example, my doctor told me to check my blood sugar after a meal. Meals last anywhere from 15 mintues to one hour or more, depending on how much chewing you have to do or how much talking and I talk a lot as evidenced by this post. Did he want me to check at the beginning of the meal, at the finish of the meal, or please tell me when. When I asked, he just shook his head. My ex is a doctor who's planning on retiring and wants to find some intelligent people to meet with as he has no friends and really no social skills. I thought Mensa would be a good start, not that a lack of social skills would qualify. *smile* I love your site and Barbara is my real name. 10 August 2007 at 14:48 Eastern

MESSAGE #13--FROM: Ron Wilkins | E-mail Address

Yesterday, September 6, I attempted to solve New York Times Daily Crossword 0726 by Joe Krozel. Though a note claimed otherwise, I found no clues for all ACROSS words at the left column. Today, I discovered these spaces completed answers clued for the right column. Still, I found NO reason to assume these right column answers were to be finished on the left. Please explain. 7 September 2007 at 18:53 Eastern

MESSAGE #14--FROM: Dr Richard Parfitt of Middleton Wis ruined my nose!

geocities DOT com / justslapmenow This story tells all. He had a bastard son with one of his employees many years his senior. His Before and After photos are, as I am told by his WIFE, fakes. He uses imaging as their actuals! he has a HUGE turn over at his office, he likes confrontation I hear, and he has is UNLICENSED SON prepare Botox syringes and even allows him to APPLY it on the faces of his victims , This surgeon HAS TO BE STOPPED! I am so afraid that it will take many more ruined faces to stop this man and it does NOT have to be this way! 18 October 2007 at 14:39 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring, I think, to this page.

MESSAGE #15--FROM: Ria | E-mail Address

I don't know how the hell I ended up at this site but I stayed up reading your claims stories. Thanks for the site; it's a nice diversion to Wiki and Yahoo news and my own publications, what evil masters they are. 20 October 2007 at 05:55 Eastern

MESSAGE #16--FROM: Martha Lopez

Our operating system is down at work so I was just looking around on the net and decided that I might like to be a claims adjuster so I typed in the words claims adjuster and got to your site. I grew up in Chicago so the adjuster stories had that extra bonus for me in that many were set there. I worked (briefly) at Combined Insurance there and ended up having more policies than paychecks. W. Clemment Stone knew how to sell insurance. I also worked for State Farm and the best part of that dull job was reading the claims.I haven't had such a good laugh in a long time. I hope those are real stories but if they are in fact fiction then you have quite a gift for amusing detail. You are on my FAVORITES now. 17 December 2007 at 18:10 Eastern MY REPLY:   Just so you'll know, all of the stories are set in Chicago and all are true.

MESSAGE #17--FROM: Simon Prodromou

I don't lie. 21 December 2007 at 10:52 Eastern

MESSAGE #18--FROM: monkey man maga | E-mail Address

i love your site love all i am married to monkey 23 December 2007 at 04:32 Eastern

MESSAGE #19--FROM: Nate | E-mail Address

I've been reading up on different gangs in and around Chicago, and after searching "Cabrini Green" I came upon your site where I read the stories of your job as an insurance agent visiting the projects on business. Great stories that had me more than frightened just reading. It's sad poverty makes so many commit to crime and violence but I'm glad you weren't a victim. Great site keep up the work. 5 January 2008 at 01:21 Eastern

MESSAGE #20--FROM: Chris Adams | E-mail Address

this is a cool site g 5 January 2008 at 16:17 Eastern

MESSAGE #21--FROM: john | E-mail Address

iam good to play crossword 10 January 2008 at 06:46 Eastern

MESSAGE #22--FROM: baby judge

The pic of you as a youngster is -- well, it's difficult to select a single word -- precious, adorable, darling, cutest. I'm certain you're even more adorable and darling and cute and precious now. 20 January 2008 at 10:54 Eastern

MESSAGE #23--FROM: Meathead

In 1994 Hizzoner Joe Steineger and his top assistant, Peter Adams, were tried in U.S. federal court for accepting a $4,000 bribe allegedly paid by a local strip-club operator named P.J. McGraw. Mr. McGraw was the principal prosecution witness, and his handler was Jeff Lanza, an FBI agent. Except for the voir dire, I attended almost every moment of the trial. I read this off your website,Joe S is guilty and should be in the pen. 21 January 2008 at 14:55 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #24--FROM: angie | E-mail Address

I finally got into the guestbook! I really enjoy this website. I love your sense of humor. 4 February 2008 at 14:03 Eastern

MESSAGE #25--FROM: John | E-mail Address

I own a dump truck I stummbled on you site and could not believe how you are not educated in the trucking business. Have you ever been in or drove a truck.If I cannot see you in my mirriors your dead.Because if I have to dump on my brakes hard your going to end up in the back of my truck. Secound rocks get stuck in our drive tires and may come out on the road.So if you stay back 300 hundred feet we can see you and more likley you will not get hit by a rock. And yes we will not let loaders,excavators,or anything else push us out it can ruin our gates ext. So before you start throwing stones jump in a truck and ride in one you might learn something 21 February 2008 at 13:54 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #26--FROM: John Dargan | E-mail Address

Dear Sir, Please take a look at my unusual crossword puzzle website at halfsecret dot com (why are you blocking website addresses?) and let me know if you have any comments about it. Thanks. 25 February 2008 at 22:17 Eastern

MESSAGE #27--FROM: Grand Matriarch

I'm going to have fun, here. I feel it in my bones. I will also send it on to some of my heirs. We quirky-minded folks need frequent refreshing. 15 April 2008 at 15:39 Eastern

MESSAGE #28--FROM: GALE

i AM A LIABILITY CLAIMS ADJUSTER. LOVE THE WAR STORIES. 14 June 2008 at 20:47 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #29--FROM: steve woolf | E-mail Address

Hi, I liked your intelligent discussion of 20 questions. So I have a real gem for you in the form of a variation. You need a minimum of 3 players. ONE person (the "Interrogator") asks the questions; each of the others take turns in answering - the first of these volunteers Animal, Vegetable or Mineral as the first answer. I shall call these people "The Liars" (for reasons that will very soon be clear!) Now for the fun part: NO OBJECT is decided on at the beginning - much less agreed upon! The rules are as follows: (1) The Liars must, as usual, answer each question YES or NO (taking it in turns to respond to the Interrogator). (2) After each answer, the Interrogator can EITHER accept the answer (in which case he then proceeds to the next question), OR challenge it. (3) If the answer is challenged, the Liar who answered the last quesion must attempt to state the what the object is! (a) If he succeeds in stating ANY object that is CONSISTENT with ALL the given answers, victory goes (jointly) to the Liars; (b) If, on the other hand, he cannot state such an object, victory goes to the Interrogator. I find this game even more fun and - challenging - than the original! Musing over the history of science from Greek times, that of Isaac Newton and through to Relativity, Quantum mechanics and the current Search for the Holy Grail in the form of Grand Unified Theories - this game suggests a very compelling view of the universe: that there is no "final" explanation of everything, merely different theories some of which fit the observations (i.e., answers in our game) better than others. In Quantum theory, the physical world seems to leave its options open about past events until their results are observed (i.e. recorded)! Perhaps you are aware of Godel's proof of the incompleteness of arithmetic and the impossibility of proving consistency. Do drop me a line if you have time - I'd like to know what you think of the variation game, which perhaps we can call "Twenty Lies". Or perhaps you share my interest in the unsolved (or unknowable!) mysteries of the universe. Regards, Stephen L Woolf (British) PS By all means add Twenty Lies to your site. Can't remember where I originally heard of this variation. Would love to know who first thought of it. Might have been in a Douglas Hofstadter book?? 18 June 2008 at 00:47 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #30--FROM: Joy

Funny, amuzing, entrancing, etc, etc. Very fun page/set of blogs. Thanks for the entertainment, bit of professional guidance, and all of that stuff. 18 June 2008 at 16:17 Eastern

MESSAGE #31--FROM: Mac McDougal | E-mail Address

Hi, I read with interest your catalogue of mid-'90s errors in the NYT crossword and Mr. Shortz's response. My two favorites? First: "K. The June 30, 1998, puzzle contains the clue "Poly- ----." The answer is SCI, but I'm pretty sure the term political science is shortened to "poli-sci," not "poly-sci." Shortz: Either spelling is correct. See RHD, for example. (At Indiana University, where I went to school, "poly sci" was the preferred spelling.)" And stands for what . . . Polytical Science? Polygamous Science? Polymorphously Perverse Science? This is an example of something that makes language less precise and less useful. Second: "O. In a January puzzle the 40-down clue reads "With-20 Across, an English novelist." If you follow it through you realize it should have said, "26-Across," not 20-Across, unless you think there's a famous English novelist named Angus Meaning. The real answer is Angus WILSON. Shortz: I don't remember this." Well at least he made an effort to look it up. Here's an errror that is not trivial: Puzzle 58, The New York Times Sunday Crossword Omnibus, Volume 9 (ISBN 0-312-35666-8). The clues refer to a different crossword grid altogether. 5 July 2008 at 15:34 Eastern

MESSAGE #32--FROM: Linda Frisbie | E-mail Address

Yes, but do talents lay or do talents lie? 11 August 2008 at 22:50 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #33--FROM: Anna | E-mail Address

Hi, I wanted to let you know about my site, which now has the New York Times Crossword every day for free: abdpbt dot com, click on top navigation tab that reads "new york times crossword puzzle" Enjoy! 13 August 2008 at 16:25 Eastern

MESSAGE #34--FROM: NoWearMan

your site really does suck. 5 November 2008 at 10:08 Eastern MY REPLY:   See?

MESSAGE #35--FROM: Marie | E-mail Address

I was looking for crossword info and your article showed up in the search results. I liked it and wondered about the rest of the site. 18 November 2008 at 10:02 Eastern

MESSAGE #36--FROM: rikki | E-mail Address

I was wondering why you didn't include the NYT Sunday Puzzle with the theme Making a Left as one of the best ever on the page that has those. I thought it was brilliant. I don't know the date. It's probably sometime in 05 or 06. 21 November 2008 at 14:21 Eastern

MESSAGE #37--FROM: Dave | E-mail Address

Ditto on Everett Rees.He taught me the difference between literature & "Krud", something I continue to teach my own students. I hope he had some idea of how much reach he really had. 28 November 2008 at 23:41 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #38--FROM: Liar T. McLiarton | E-mail Address | Web URL

This statement is a lie. 30 December 2008 at 08:46 Eastern

MESSAGE #39--FROM: Jerry

Nice site, but I don't think the plural of "atlas" is "atli." It's just a minor mistake. 2 March 2009 at 00:20 Eastern

MESSAGE #40--FROM: Vern Barnet | E-mail Address | Web URL

Dear Johnny, I did reply to your inquiry on April 15. I have resent it today, April 24. Thanks for your interest. If it is still lost in cyberspace, check your spam filter or send me another way to provide you with the material you requested. 24 April 2009 at 15:49 Eastern

MESSAGE #41--FROM: Justin | E-mail Address

I will challenge you in Vegas with you malarky and educated bullshit. I will come up with more winning numbers than you over a time span. Okay Calculas Head?? 10 May 2009 at 20:23 Eastern MY REPLY:   I assume the visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #42--FROM: Craig Radhuber | E-mail Address

Great pages of information. Thank You and keep up the good work. By the way the future of the present is the past since the present will soon be over. 15 June 2009 at 13:06 Eastern

MESSAGE #43--FROM: joe hoffman | E-mail Address

I have a comment about the crossword section. The puzzles became available online about when Will Shortz became puzzle editor at NYT. The puzzles got better because the clues were more apposite and also more real, i.e. no more "South African shrub." They also for a time became too easy. This was about 1997 as I recall. To make the easy puzzles fun i tried doing them really fast or doing them in my head but that wasn't great. Then i started doing them using only the down clues and guessing the acrosses. I've been doing 2 or 3 a day that way. not the Saturday NYT or New York Newsday but all the others. i even finished one Friday NYT but it had a strong theme which made it doable. This is for the experts out there; to increase the fun of the too-easy puzzles. 12 July 2009 at 09:03 Eastern

MESSAGE #44--FROM: Haggistwo | E-mail Address

Just read your analysis and Shortz comments regarding mistakes in the NY times puzzles. I was trying to contact Shortz by email when I stumbled on your "correspondance" which I found rather interesting. My gripe is with the clues and responses for puzzles in the LA Times, mostly edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis. Do the clues have to be so far-fetched and why do so many answers have to be the names of some obscure celebrity(to us anyway) or performer from a year in the distant past. I am thinking now of a couple with whom I played scrabble and who had a list of 3-letter words. The husband laid down 3 tiles and I asked him what it meant. He couldn't tell me so I looked for it in a dictionary with no luck. I felt that the word should not have been allowed even if it were on a list that is used by scrabble enthusiasts--besides, it was cheating in our book! "Far-out" crosswords we treat like jig-saw puzzles that take weeks to put together. They lose their interest and are not worthy of any effort on our part. Thanks for listening. Duncan Maclean 19 July 2009 at 16:39 Eastern

MESSAGE #45--FROM: joohan

Dear web-master ! I looked your site and I want to say that yor very well made it .All information on this site is represented for users. A site is made professionally. So to hold 30 August 2009 at 17:34 Eastern

MESSAGE #46--FROM: Riot

You're funny. Nice blogish? posts. 10 October 2009 at 00:43 Eastern

MESSAGE #47--FROM: Jeff | E-mail Address

Your illustration of the Matisse piece (sailboat) is not correct. You've illustated the front and back veiw. Not upside down, right side up. You should have spun it like a clock 180 degrees, instead you rotated it toward you and down showing the back of the piece as if it was transparent. If it was correct the sideways "V", formed by the sail and its reflection, would point in the opposite direction. Hope this helps, you seem to like the details to be correct. 17 November 2009 at 12:00 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #48--FROM: Bruce Todd | E-mail Address | Web URL

Hello - I wanted to have a conversation with Will Shortz regarding crossword content - I was actually looking for a phone number as well - I don't want to go into a lot of diatribe unless I know I am talking directly to Mr Shortz. I live in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and I enjoy the crossword puzzles that come from his office within the New York Times. My number here in Canada is 613-389-[XXXX]. 24 February 2010 at 14:57 Eastern

MESSAGE #49--FROM: Mrs. Nancy Nelson | E-mail Address

Hi, I can't get to you via your e-mail link - it doesn't 'talk' to my ISP for some reason. I was so relieved to get a HARD puzzle that caused me (after almost 70 years of puzzling) to grab an Encyl. and go on line! Thank you. I got most all - BUT - have a small problem with the upper right corner - I ran into trouble with your 'Trilbies' -- so looked at your answers. Trilbies are 'FELT' hats - so I'd be interest in knowing a source for the 'feet' answer. Also - the Buddhist sect is 'ZEN', I think - not 'BRUNEI' which is a sultanate in Borneo. If the trilbies are 'felt' then it makes 'Insect catcher' safely a 'net', don't you think?? But it does cause problems with 17 across, doesn't it? Do you have more nice hard puzzles? Do you remember a puzzler named Jack Luzzatto? I loved his constructions. THANKS! 5 April 2010 at 15:45 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to the page linked to from here.

MESSAGE #50--FROM: Wes Reibert

Your full of shit 29 May 2010 at 20:50 Eastern

MESSAGE #51--FROM: Global Glenn

Now that I finally finished reading your diatribe on xword construction, I shall eat my cured ham and wondered what it had! 5 October 2010 at 03:32 Eastern

MESSAGE #52--FROM: Jamila | E-mail Address

Hello, I came across your site and just wanted to share a few thoughts. Although you do not mention race explicitly, I think your account of the Chicago projects is based on racist assumptions. Your descriptions of the predominately black populations of the Robert Taylor Homes and Cabrini Green are not only steeped in prejudice but they also ignore the structural injustices that led to the creation of project housing in the first place. Not all black males who climb into an elevator with you in a housing project are a threat to your personal safety. Not all black males wearing "colors" belong to gangs. There is a long history of institutionalized oppression that has prevented African Americans from being able to attain access to decent housing, education, and employment in the U.S. There is also a long history of black males being perceived as "dangerous" in American society, for no reason other than the color of their skin. Before you attempt to give an experiential narrative of what the Projects are like in Chicago, I would suggest you take a critical look at the position of privilege you speak from and the implications of the generalizations you make. 14 October 2010 at 02:20 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to this page.

MESSAGE #53--FROM: Cheryl | E-mail Address

You got it going on, quite funny! You should be a writer for a television show! 7 January 2011 at 19:44 Eastern

MESSAGE #54--FROM: alison | E-mail Address

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Was that enough of 'em, oh shoot, here's another, thank you. So much useful information all in one spot. I've been trying to get a handle on coming up with themes and you've helped me along my way. So, in a word, thanks. 12 January 2011 at 11:34 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to the page linked to from here.

MESSAGE #55--FROM: Dom | E-mail Address

So, must you ACTUALLY be a dolt in order to get into Mensa? I took the test today, and it was all about speed math and other ridiculous crap. I enjoyed laughing under my breath during the whole test, knowing that these people are truly confused about life. I mean, do these people really think that there is an opposite to a mountain? LOL. The opposite to a mountain is inversely proportional to your mother's vagina, DUH! Can't believe I got that question wrong... 26 March 2011 at 11:57 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to the page linked to from here.

MESSAGE #56--FROM: Jack | E-mail Address | Web URL

Hi This was an intersting site. You made my day with the tips for FSX (zoom in/out). Thank you. Jack a Swede in Spain 29 April 2011 at 10:52 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to the page here.

MESSAGE #57--FROM: Required

Very fascinating life 30 April 2011 at 07:30 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to the page linked to from here.

MESSAGE #58--FROM: johnnycakes rebel | E-mail Address

thanks for your extroverted and epicurean nitpicks. i thoroughly enjoy reading your meanderings and bragging stuff. we appreciate many of the same things, like running heavy equipment and skydiving and framing. 14 July 2011 at 10:35 Eastern

MESSAGE #59--FROM: aaa | E-mail Address

24 August 2011 at 14:48 Eastern

MESSAGE #60--FROM: Matt La Forte | E-mail Address | Web URL

Thought that you may find it interesting that my father Jim La Forte, also took interest in the Catfish-Pizza-Breakfast sign. His 2006 album, Catfish Pizza Breakfast, is a classic Kansas City Blues piece that I encourage you to check out. Dad told me several times about the old building that inspired the title, but I'd never seen it. Thank you so much for posting the photo. 12 October 2011 at 19:11 Eastern MY REPLY:   The visitor is referring to the page linked to from here.

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