Wait, Wait. Don’t Tell Me.
I just came across a fun little segment – “Wait, Wait. Don’t Tell Me. Daily News Quiz*.” – within the National Public Radio (NPR) site and thought I’d share it with those of you who might not be aware of it. (I’m sure it’s been around for a while and that many of you will know about this already. As with many such things, I’ve only just discovered it. By the way, did you know they now have mobile phones with cameras built right into them? Amazing.)
This segment is a quiz that spoofs the news in a very irreverent and humorous way. It is hosted by several comedians, including one of my favorites, Paula Poundstone. I think this is a great way to amuse yourself when you need a break from the current proposal effort.
As an example, today’s quiz question was:
Once again, South Korean scientists are filling a need we didn’t even know we had. Specifically, they recently created the world’s first…what?
→ Invisible cars
→ Sentient houses
→ Electric pants
→ Fluorescent puppies
Clicking on the “hint” icon brings up a clue as to which is the correct answer. In this case, what is offered is, “Perfect for those times when you can’t find the flashlight when taking the dog out.”
Another example, just to whet your appetite is:
From the “Didn’t see that coming.” file. China announced this week that it is taking steps to address what unexpected dilemma?
→ Declining population
→ A surplus of dentists
→ A surplus of money
→ A naval invasion by Canada
The hint? “Hey. If it helps, we can take some of that off your hands. Whatever you need friends.”
Here’s the link to “Wait, Wait. Don’t Tell Me”.
Enjoy.
* The subtitle for this is “The online version of the oddly informative weekly radio show.” I think this is a wonderful title for this. Rather than being very direct and obvious, such as “The Daily News Quiz”, this title, for me at least, evokes the spirit, nature and energy of the quiz. (I can easily visualize Paula eagerly pleading, “Wait, wait. Don’t tell me.” In the best cases, the title for the executive summary and the “story” we tell within our proposal will have the same effect, rather than being direct and obvious.
This article was written by BJ and filed under Musings. If you found it useful, you can with others. To receive automatic updates, subscribe to The Proposal Guys via 
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This Quiz Show is one of my favorite pleasures on a Saturday morning. For those who can’t catch it on your local NPR station, you can either use your computer to listen to a recording of the show or subscribe to their podcast.