Sept. 24, 2026

How to win at World 99% of the time

Show Notes
Transcript

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Binghamton University researchers used Shannon entropy to create a Wordle strategy that solved 99% of puzzles in simulations by maximizing information gain rather than guessing the most likely answer, though it requires running a side program. Researchers in Thailand found Asian elephants can resist impulsive reaching and adapt to a rotated clear box to access fruit, with older elephants adjusting more slowly, informing human-elephant coexistence strategies. Reece, homeless for a decade, played “Bohemian Rhapsody” at St. Mary’s Church, went viral as the “Night Church Pianist,” met Ron Wood, and has raised about $54,000 for charity. A Four Seasons Sicily staff returned a lost bear, Rosie, with photos and a letter. Outlaw the Mustang was safely captured after two months loose in Maryland and rehomed.

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Hey there, I'm Johnny Mac with five good news stories.

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If Wordle has been giving you trouble, some researchers have

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an idea for you. Try math. A team at Binghamton

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University developed a strategy that solved 99% of Wordle puzzles

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and simulations. An approach built around common letters only solved 90%.

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The trick is to choose a word that helps you

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learn the most from those little colored squares. Assistant Professor

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Wu explains, Let's say you're at a certain guess. The

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previous guesses will eliminate a whole bunch of options, and

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based on the remaining options, guessing some words will send

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you into a trajectory where information gain is speedier. The

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team is using something called Shannon entropy, which measures uncertainty.

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For Wordle, that means figuring out which guess could do

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the most to narrow your remaining choices. Doctoral student Donald explains,

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A subtle but important insight from the paper is that

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a guess doesn't have to be the most likely answer.

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It simply has to be informative. The objective shifts to

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maximizing the expected reduction in uncertainty rather than the probability

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of being right. The team explains, though, to use the

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method in real time, a player would need to run

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a script-slash-program on the side. The player would enter the

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color-coded feedback that the game provides, and the program would

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spit out the next best guess to attempt to find

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more information. Well, that's not fun. Elephants can apparently see

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a snack and resist the urge to grab it. Elephants

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are better than I am. If you put a plate

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of cookies in front of some elephants... They might be

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able to resist. Researchers tested Asian elephants at Thailand's National

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Elephant Institute to see whether they could overcome an impulse.

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When another approach would work better, the scientists put fruit

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inside a clear box. The elephants could see the fruit,

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smell the fruit, but getting the fruit required using an

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opening on the side. The elephants had already been taught

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where the opening was, and they generally used it instead

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of trying to reach straight through the barrier. Then the

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researchers turned the box. At first, the elephants went for

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the spot where the opening used to be, but the

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elephants soon adjusted... and figured out how to get their snack.

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Older elephants took longer to make the adjustment. Professor Joshua

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says the more we understand about how elephants think, make

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decisions about risk, and adapt to human-driven environmental change, the

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better we can predict what they'll do next, and the

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better designed our strategies for human-elephant coexistence can be. Reese

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went into a church to get out of the cold,

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and a turn at the piano opened a new chapter

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in his life. He had spent a decade homeless and

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walked into St. Mary's Church... He was welcomed, and after

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speaking with volunteers, he asked if he could play their piano.

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What did he play? Bohemian Rhapsody. Reese said, There's a

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lot of noise in my head, but when I play piano,

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my head goes quiet and I feel calm. A volunteer

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shared a video of all this on Facebook. People were asking,

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Who is this? Online, he became known as the Night

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Church Pianist. That led to an invitation at a charity

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event where he met stars including Ron Wood from the

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Rolling Stones. In the 30 months since that night at

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the church, Reese has raised about $ 54, 000 for charity. He

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told the news, I don't see myself as a professional

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pianist or a celebrity figure. I only need enough money

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to cover my expenses. I just love to play the

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piano to raise money for homeless charities and good causes.

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A stuffed bear named Rosie got left behind at a

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luxury hotel in Sicily. However, the hotel did the right thing.

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Julia was staying with her mom at the Four Seasons.

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She brought Rosie the toy along. But Rosie got caught

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up in the bedding and accidentally stayed behind when they left.

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Julia's mother contacted the hotel, sent a picture, hoping somebody

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could figure it out. The staff found Rosie. They put

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together a little photo shoot showing the bear enjoying the pool,

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visiting the bar, and getting comfortable in the comfy bed.

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The hotel sent Rosie home, paid the shipping, and included

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a letter written as though Rosie was telling Julie about

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her extended stay. It reads, Dear My Special Friend, When

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we got separated at the beautiful San Domenico Palace, I

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was a little worried at first, but the kind people

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at the hotel took very good care of me while

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I waited for you. I had quite an adventure. I

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woke up to sunny mornings, relaxed by the pool, enjoyed

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delicious breakfast, and explored some of the lovely corners of

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the hotel. I even pretended I was a very important

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guest for a few days. P.S. The San Domenico Palace

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was lovely, but my favorite place in the whole world

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is right beside you. All right, good news. We found

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Outlaw the Mustang. Outlaw the Mustang had been loose for

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more than two months in Maryland. Outlaw the Mustang had

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escaped from his former owner's property in late June and

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kept showing up around Liberty Reservoir. Animal Control teamed up

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with the Gentle Giants Horse Rescue and horse expert J.R. Rorelson.

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What a great name. They arranged some panels into a

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passage that Outlaw the Mustang would willingly enter, leading him

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straight into a waiting trailer. His next stop was a

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new home. He went to the Humane Society of Carroll County,

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which arranged for him to live with the Gentle Giants.

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Even better news, Outlaw the Mustang gets to keep the

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name Outlaw. And those are your five good news stories

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for today. If you would like the program without commercial interruption,

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