Yes, I recall amazing my family with a zero-letter solve before too. It's not trivial, but I suspect we'd have an above-average concentration of people who could do that around here.
No way could I do it under pressure right now, but then, if I knew I had a Wheel of Fortune appearance coming up you'd better believe I'd be studying and practicing. It amazes me that it's so obvious that so few people do that. Also how many people play so badly from a game theoretic standpoint; spinning a $400 on a puzzle with an obvious solution and a few open letters including one triple letter, they choose one of the single letters then solve. No prize puzzle, etc.
> It's not trivial, but I suspect we'd have an above-average concentration of people who could do that around here.
I don't know about that. All that's required is memorize and recall word lists, breaking down a puzzle into components, and being able to do both of those quickly. I think most people would be able to do it given practice. Most school tests I've taken require similar skills.
I agree entirely. What I think would be above average around here is the number of people who have made some effort in that direction, especially the "breaking it down into components" part. It isn't that being an HN type is an intrinsic advantage, it is that it is a shorter trip for us.
No way could I do it under pressure right now, but then, if I knew I had a Wheel of Fortune appearance coming up you'd better believe I'd be studying and practicing. It amazes me that it's so obvious that so few people do that. Also how many people play so badly from a game theoretic standpoint; spinning a $400 on a puzzle with an obvious solution and a few open letters including one triple letter, they choose one of the single letters then solve. No prize puzzle, etc.