‘Dr.Fill’ Vies for Crossword Solving Supremacy
17:40 minutes
Crossword puzzle constructor Matt Ginsberg admits he’s a dismal crossword puzzle solver. So he used his skills as a computer scientist and A.I. expert to create a program that could do what he couldn’t. For the past three years, Ginsberg’s crossword-solving computer program “Dr.Fill” has gone head-to-head with the country’s top solvers at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Ginsberg explains how the program works and New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz weighs in on how computers have changed the crossword game.
Plus, solve the Science Friday Crossword Puzzle Challenge, and read more about the professional world of crossword constructing.
Segment Guests
Matt Ginsberg
Matt Ginsberg is a computer scientist, crossword constructor, and co-founder of Connected Signals in Eugene, Oregon.
Will Shortz
Will Shortz is crossword editor for The New York Times and Puzzle Master on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, based in Pleasantville, New York.
Heard on the Air
Meet the Producer
About Annie Minoff
@annieminoffAnnie Minoff is a producer for The Journal from Gimlet Media and the Wall Street Journal, and a former co-host and producer of Undiscovered. She also plays the banjo.