Break Your Streak, Not the Strike
November 4, 2024 11:14 AM Subscribe
After two and a half years of negotiations, The New York Times Tech Guild has gone on strike (NYT Gift Link). "The guild said it was asking readers to honor its digital picket line by not playing Times Games products, such as Wordle, and not using the Cooking app." "Nearly 750 New York Times journalists and Times Guild members signed a new pledge pressing the Times’s management to bargain and reach a contract deal with the Times Tech Guild by Election Day." More coverage: The Verge, The Washington Post, NBC News.
Aw FUCK, I played my usual puzzles this morning and feel all scabby. Thanks for the solidarity alert. I'm off the games officially as of now.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:21 AM on November 4 [25 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:21 AM on November 4 [25 favorites]
Everything I'm seeing indicates that the infrastructure should already be in place for election coverage, but I don't know what the strike means for, say, The Needle, since that's very much on the data side of data journalism. And I still have Needle Sweats from 2016 so I can't say I'd exactly miss it if it didn't work.
I ALSO didn't see the news until after I'd done my morning puzzles today, so please accept this rueful solidarity high five.
posted by fedward at 11:24 AM on November 4 [1 favorite]
I ALSO didn't see the news until after I'd done my morning puzzles today, so please accept this rueful solidarity high five.
posted by fedward at 11:24 AM on November 4 [1 favorite]
"...and not using the Cooking app."
*drops teacup*
Okay, fiiiiiiine.
posted by BrashTech at 11:37 AM on November 4 [11 favorites]
*drops teacup*
Okay, fiiiiiiine.
posted by BrashTech at 11:37 AM on November 4 [11 favorites]
Ok, so since the next couple of days a lot of us will be needing distractions to reduce our anxiety, can we share some replacement puzzles? I’ll start:
Unscramble some maps: https://www.tripgeo.com/scrambledmaps
Make words with ever more letters: https://eightile.com/
There was one where you untangle tubes of different colors but I lost the link.
Someone mentioned Stardew Valley has an update, and while that is highly effective at distracting me from everything else going on, it's so addictive I'm afraid to pick it up again.
posted by antinomia at 11:46 AM on November 4 [16 favorites]
Unscramble some maps: https://www.tripgeo.com/scrambledmaps
Make words with ever more letters: https://eightile.com/
There was one where you untangle tubes of different colors but I lost the link.
Someone mentioned Stardew Valley has an update, and while that is highly effective at distracting me from everything else going on, it's so addictive I'm afraid to pick it up again.
posted by antinomia at 11:46 AM on November 4 [16 favorites]
If you'd like to try out a new game while honoring the picket line, I've really enjoyed Catfishing by Klipspringer.
posted by chinesefood at 11:46 AM on November 4 [8 favorites]
Guess the Wikipedia article from the categories it’s in. Every day there are 10 articles to guess, from a pool of about 2,500 notable, diverse and interesting people, places and things. It's free and there are no ads.I found it on MetaFilter Projects a few months ago.
posted by chinesefood at 11:46 AM on November 4 [8 favorites]
Well damn I was gonna make election cake. Guess I can find a recipe somewhere else...
posted by suelac at 11:47 AM on November 4
posted by suelac at 11:47 AM on November 4
Sigh. Freaking allrecipes and food mommy influencer blogosphere it is then.
If you're looking for a crossword fix, the Atlantic has a pretty good daily that gets insanely hard as the week goes on, as well as a monthly one (Caleb's Inferno) that gets progressively sadistic the deeper down you go
posted by treepour at 11:52 AM on November 4 [2 favorites]
If you're looking for a crossword fix, the Atlantic has a pretty good daily that gets insanely hard as the week goes on, as well as a monthly one (Caleb's Inferno) that gets progressively sadistic the deeper down you go
posted by treepour at 11:52 AM on November 4 [2 favorites]
dammit I literally came here from playing. Gonna go tell my friends.
posted by heyitsgogi at 11:52 AM on November 4 [1 favorite]
posted by heyitsgogi at 11:52 AM on November 4 [1 favorite]
Highly suggest trying the game Gisnep by Metafilter's own ironicsans.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:55 AM on November 4 [30 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:55 AM on November 4 [30 favorites]
Another Wikipedia-based game I've been enjoying (ever since someone mentioned it in a previous discussion) has been Redactle.
It has moved a couple of times but the current incarnation can be found here. The goal is to guess the title of a Wikipedia article whose words (excepting common articles and prepositions) have been obfuscated. Entering a word reveals all instances of that word (as well as, usually, variants such as plurals of nouns or alternate tenses of verbs). The goal is to deduce the article title in the fewest guesses possible.
I was also going to suggest gisnep but the previous poster beat me to it!
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:59 AM on November 4 [3 favorites]
It has moved a couple of times but the current incarnation can be found here. The goal is to guess the title of a Wikipedia article whose words (excepting common articles and prepositions) have been obfuscated. Entering a word reveals all instances of that word (as well as, usually, variants such as plurals of nouns or alternate tenses of verbs). The goal is to deduce the article title in the fewest guesses possible.
I was also going to suggest gisnep but the previous poster beat me to it!
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:59 AM on November 4 [3 favorites]
Election Cake recipe from Tasting History
posted by PussKillian at 12:02 PM on November 4 [13 favorites]
posted by PussKillian at 12:02 PM on November 4 [13 favorites]
Thank you for the heads up. I Shant play. Does anyone know of good alternative game sites?
posted by waving at 12:02 PM on November 4
posted by waving at 12:02 PM on November 4
Puzzmo has several styles of daily games and there may be one or more that strike your fancy.
posted by fedward at 12:08 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
posted by fedward at 12:08 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
Crosshare is a great, free crossword sharing site!
posted by Crane Shot at 12:15 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
posted by Crane Shot at 12:15 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
Aw FUCK, I played my usual puzzles this morning and feel all scabby.
Personal link: I keep a bunch of alternatives to NYT games here for just such eventualities, and I've been updating them with suggestions over the course of the day.
Solidarity with the striking workers.
posted by mhoye at 12:19 PM on November 4 [20 favorites]
Personal link: I keep a bunch of alternatives to NYT games here for just such eventualities, and I've been updating them with suggestions over the course of the day.
Solidarity with the striking workers.
posted by mhoye at 12:19 PM on November 4 [20 favorites]
Also, how awesome was it that the Tech Guild had a Strike Needle?
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:42 PM on November 4 [5 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:42 PM on November 4 [5 favorites]
404 Media reports that Perplexity AI has offered to scab.
posted by bcwinters at 12:46 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
posted by bcwinters at 12:46 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
My “Wordle without the letter E” clone is still online: QWRTL
(based on the code from hello wordl)
posted by mbrubeck at 12:49 PM on November 4 [6 favorites]
(based on the code from hello wordl)
posted by mbrubeck at 12:49 PM on November 4 [6 favorites]
Thank you for this alert. Loving all the alternate game suggestions! It was about time for a change for me, anyway.
posted by evilmomlady at 12:58 PM on November 4
posted by evilmomlady at 12:58 PM on November 4
conexo is a free connections-alike with an ungated archive
celtix is a knotty puzzle game where you connect colored dots by changing the path of the celtix knots that contain them. (it's explained better on the site!) solving a puzzle may be hard at first (although gameplay itself is simple), but you start to get a feel for it and the archive is also ungated. i love games that teach you how to get better at playing just by playing them.
posted by a flock of goslings at 1:05 PM on November 4 [7 favorites]
celtix is a knotty puzzle game where you connect colored dots by changing the path of the celtix knots that contain them. (it's explained better on the site!) solving a puzzle may be hard at first (although gameplay itself is simple), but you start to get a feel for it and the archive is also ungated. i love games that teach you how to get better at playing just by playing them.
posted by a flock of goslings at 1:05 PM on November 4 [7 favorites]
Many Wordle-likes revolve around solving several wordles with a limited number of guesses that are tried against all of the wordles at once. But Letroso generalizes Wordle differently by allowing the number of letters in the word to vary.
(On preview, made by the same people that made Conexo)
posted by a faded photo of their beloved at 1:11 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
(On preview, made by the same people that made Conexo)
posted by a faded photo of their beloved at 1:11 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
https://www.semafor.com/article/09/15/2024/new-york-times-tech-staff-threatens-strike-during-election-day-crunch
Management says that the Guild has bogged down negotiations with what the paper sees as outlandish, even illegal, proposals. As Semafor previously reported, the Guild proposed a ban on scented products in break rooms, unlimited break time, and accommodations for pet bereavement, as well as mandatory trigger warnings in company meetings discussing events in the news.
Times management has been frustrated by proposals that would provide more money for nonwhite staff and others from underrepresented communities to attend conferences, and language that would prioritize non-citizens in the US on visas in the case of layoffs — both of which the paper pointed out couldn’t be fulfilled because they likely violate employment laws.
While the union has withdrawn or reached agreements with the paper on some of these issues, the paper has been alarmed that the union has continued to push for a provision on journalistic integrity that would allow the non-editorial union to have a say in editorial decisions, including the right to request letters to the editor not be published.
A spokesperson for the paper also said that while the union has argued that the strike is a fight for fair wages, the average total compensation of someone in the Tech Guild unit, including salary, bonuses and restricted stock options, is $190,000 — $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:16 PM on November 4
Management says that the Guild has bogged down negotiations with what the paper sees as outlandish, even illegal, proposals. As Semafor previously reported, the Guild proposed a ban on scented products in break rooms, unlimited break time, and accommodations for pet bereavement, as well as mandatory trigger warnings in company meetings discussing events in the news.
Times management has been frustrated by proposals that would provide more money for nonwhite staff and others from underrepresented communities to attend conferences, and language that would prioritize non-citizens in the US on visas in the case of layoffs — both of which the paper pointed out couldn’t be fulfilled because they likely violate employment laws.
While the union has withdrawn or reached agreements with the paper on some of these issues, the paper has been alarmed that the union has continued to push for a provision on journalistic integrity that would allow the non-editorial union to have a say in editorial decisions, including the right to request letters to the editor not be published.
A spokesperson for the paper also said that while the union has argued that the strike is a fight for fair wages, the average total compensation of someone in the Tech Guild unit, including salary, bonuses and restricted stock options, is $190,000 — $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:16 PM on November 4
Oh hey, it's all the usual anti-union bullshit hits. I do find trying to portray pushing for a scent-free workplace (which is actually becoming a standard in workplaces overall) as some grand overreach is hilarious.
Also, given the utterly shit job the Times editorial team has been doing for some time now, letting the unions take a crack at it may very well be an improvement.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:29 PM on November 4 [14 favorites]
Also, given the utterly shit job the Times editorial team has been doing for some time now, letting the unions take a crack at it may very well be an improvement.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:29 PM on November 4 [14 favorites]
I'll just add this to the suggested ways y'all can kill time instead of Times puzzles.
posted by parliboy at 1:46 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
posted by parliboy at 1:46 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
I probably learned about Daily Waffle from Mefi, actually: wafflegame.net
posted by zeptoweasel at 1:47 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
posted by zeptoweasel at 1:47 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
Lol I had already solved two of my three daily puzzles and was halfway through the wordle when I saw this but YES I will sacrifice my wordle streak to the cause! I guess I will never find out what the answer to today's was. Fine by me
posted by potrzebie at 1:52 PM on November 4
posted by potrzebie at 1:52 PM on November 4
Worldle is fun. Guess the country by its outline
Absurdle is when the Wordle-bot is actively working against you
posted by kerf at 1:58 PM on November 4
Absurdle is when the Wordle-bot is actively working against you
posted by kerf at 1:58 PM on November 4
Fuck me, I'm in real trouble without Spelling Bee. How'm I gonna poop?
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 2:08 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 2:08 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
For those who enjoy Spelling Bee, consider Spellbound by AMyNameIs (on Projects).
posted by nickmark at 2:09 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
posted by nickmark at 2:09 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
Tradle is my go to for fun daily puzzle games. Guess the country by what they export to the world!
posted by Carillon at 2:18 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
posted by Carillon at 2:18 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
There are also wordle versions in other languages. I've been playing SUTOM, a French version, for a while now
posted by peppermind at 2:21 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
posted by peppermind at 2:21 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
jongmah is an in-browser tile match game with several starting layouts
posted by clew at 2:27 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
posted by clew at 2:27 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
Fuck me, I'm in real trouble without Spelling Bee. How'm I gonna poop?
I hate Spelling Bee with a fiery passion and am delighted to bid it farewell. But I'm glad it helps you poop and hopefully you will not be constipated for too long!
posted by treepour at 2:32 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
I hate Spelling Bee with a fiery passion and am delighted to bid it farewell. But I'm glad it helps you poop and hopefully you will not be constipated for too long!
posted by treepour at 2:32 PM on November 4 [1 favorite]
My partner and I play Redactle daily and have completed every Redactle to date. If you noticed issues with repeat articles I was able to alert the person who runs Redactle.net to get it fixed.
We also play some other daily puzzles:
We also play some other daily puzzles:
- Globle — Figure out a random country, triangulating with distances from each guessed country
- Travle — Find a walking path between two countries while walking through the fewest number of countries
- Globle Capitals — find a random capital, again with triangulation
I just look forward to the mess they'll have on their hands tomorrow for refusing to deal with this in time.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:09 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:09 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
I hate Spelling Bee with a fiery passion
Why, exactly? Is it because "cancan" is a word but "chacha" is not? Cos that really grinds my gears.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 3:22 PM on November 4 [9 favorites]
Why, exactly? Is it because "cancan" is a word but "chacha" is not? Cos that really grinds my gears.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 3:22 PM on November 4 [9 favorites]
Today’s Spelling Bee should have included the regularly disallowed ANNATTO and NAPHTHA, which always annoy me.
posted by fedward at 3:32 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
posted by fedward at 3:32 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
Wordle as a single page of HTML. GitHub version (with instructions on importing your stats)
Via
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:10 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
Via
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 5:10 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
I had not heard of this. I’m a daily Wordle and Connections player as well as a staunch union member, so I appreciate the heads up about honouring the digital picket line. Solidarity to the workers in this situation; I hope they get what they have been asking for.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:47 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:47 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
this one from 2020 is not repeatable but if you at all enjoy sudoku then its thematic fusion with Zelda is pretty great
posted by taquito sunrise at 5:57 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
posted by taquito sunrise at 5:57 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
Sounds like Perplexity needs a visit from a local allied union. Teamsters out front sounds good.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 6:18 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 6:18 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
LOVE the strike day before election move. So metal.
posted by latkes at 6:46 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
posted by latkes at 6:46 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]
I have been playing an unhealthy amount of this battleships logic game. Oops just did another one now before the edit window even got to four minutes.
posted by pulposus at 6:52 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
posted by pulposus at 6:52 PM on November 4 [4 favorites]
For the last few months I've been playing Spellsbee as a free alternative to Spelling Bee. But those who complain about capricious lexicographies will find no respite.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:27 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
posted by hydrophonic at 10:27 PM on November 4 [2 favorites]
Okay, Gisnep review. It's an awesome idea. I am terrible at it. I have a new tab in my daily braingame bunch.
posted by quinndexter at 12:09 AM on November 5
posted by quinndexter at 12:09 AM on November 5
Also, "[T]hose who complain about capricious lexicographies will find no respite." may well become my first tattoo.
posted by quinndexter at 12:12 AM on November 5 [2 favorites]
posted by quinndexter at 12:12 AM on November 5 [2 favorites]
Connections Unlimited just straight up copies the daily NYT one.
posted by lucidium at 3:19 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
posted by lucidium at 3:19 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
Mod note: [Thanks for the post and all the game suggestions! We've added this to the sidebar and Best Of blog!]
posted by taz (staff) at 3:20 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
posted by taz (staff) at 3:20 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
You can contribute to the strike fund and the union is picketing at the NYT headquarters from 9-6 on weekdays until the strike is over. Throw money at these folks and support them on the picket line if you're local! (Source: am friends with NYT Tech Union members)
posted by pollytropos at 8:12 AM on November 5 [2 favorites]
posted by pollytropos at 8:12 AM on November 5 [2 favorites]
Gisnep review. It's an awesome idea. I am terrible at it.
When it was testing, I told David I might need an hour digit on the clock. Fortunately I haven't so far, but I got fairly close once.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:42 AM on November 5 [2 favorites]
When it was testing, I told David I might need an hour digit on the clock. Fortunately I haven't so far, but I got fairly close once.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:42 AM on November 5 [2 favorites]
Another Spelling Bee alternative is Blossom. I haven't played Spelling Bee nearly as much as Blossom, so I don't remember if Spelling Bee is this way, but in Blossom, you only get 12 opportunities to form words, so make them count!
posted by a faded photo of their beloved at 11:28 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
posted by a faded photo of their beloved at 11:28 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
In good strike news, the strike may have killed the accused Needle.
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:23 PM on November 5 [2 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:23 PM on November 5 [2 favorites]
I can't believe I have to face this day, in which it seems principles means very little, without the Bee. I hope the Guild prevails.
posted by Riverine at 7:55 AM on November 6
posted by Riverine at 7:55 AM on November 6
The Guild has now posted a page of games and recipes. They're using the Swellgarfo mirror to create their own Connections puzzles and do seem to be updating those daily, but I haven't checked on the other games.
posted by fedward at 8:53 AM on November 7 [4 favorites]
posted by fedward at 8:53 AM on November 7 [4 favorites]
I note that the NYT just ran an article on Why We Turn to Crosswords in Times of Crisis. I mean, I get it, but HMMMMMM.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:30 AM on November 10 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:30 AM on November 10 [1 favorite]
nthing Gisnep. I have a few puzzle tabs I do every day after work to transition to out of work mode. (The others are Thrice and Rotaboxes. Puzzmo, too, but that's a pay site.)
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 8:06 AM on November 11
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 8:06 AM on November 11
Suck. Strike is over but there's no contract.
posted by adrienneleigh at 7:50 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]
posted by adrienneleigh at 7:50 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]
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posted by mittens at 11:16 AM on November 4 [6 favorites]