I’ve been doing the New York Times crossword puzzle every day for almost three years now. For those without the attention span for the wonderful documentary on the subject, Wordplay (2006), here is a short video clip from the Today show featuring an interview with the puzzlemaster himself, Mr. Will Shortz.

Perhaps most puzzling of all: the interview is conducted by former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager. Apparently I’ve been so busy doing the puzzle for the past three years that I failed to notice she’d become a television correspondent.

Clive Anderson of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” fame (that’s the original British version) narrates these one-minute cartoons that take us through the history of the English language. If you haven’t read Bill Bryson’s The Mother Tongue, you’ll want to after you watch these videos.

My favorite street economists explore the curious parallels between the rising price of subway fares and pizza slices in NYC.

Some other examples of their field work:

• Vend diagram – NYC street vendors affected by the recession
• Checkmate – “America’s most valuable resource…is poor people. Poor people with checks.”
• Bodega – Quarter water and the yellow food group
• Ghetto Big Mac – Remixing the dollar menu