WIRED Magazine gives my Shout-Out a Shout-Out

WIRED Magazine published the "reader response" that I sent in regarding their May "Mystery" issue. I wasn't sure if they would include it, and they ended up working it in to the intro for the section:

Well, that was fun! We had a blast working with guest editor J.J. Abrams on our mind-bending May issue, which won over even the toughest of customers. "You intentionally issued a challenge to my powers of ratiocination and forced me to involuntarily feel a need for a decoder ring," wrote one, who says he'd nearly let his subscription lapse. "I fished out the discarded renewal notice and sent it on its way. May '09 = For. The. Win." Glad you're still with us, Ched Spellman! (via)

I'd like to take this moment to thank,

• Edgar Allan Poe, from whom I learned the word "ratiocination" when I read his "Murders of the Rue Morgue for a college course (Hard-Boiled Detective Fiction). Poe described these short stories as "tales of ratiocination."
• Twitter and @pbowden who introduced me to the concept of "for the win" (an "internet expression of enthusiasm") and its emphatic variant, "For. The. Win."
• J.J. Abrams, for being awesome.
• The Language Log, for clearing my conscience when I'm tempted to intentionally split my infinitives.

And for what it's worth, WIRED, you're welcome.