BILL KURTIS: From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME the NPR news quiz. I'm Bill Kurtis. We're playing this week with Jessi Klein, Cristela Alonzo, and Helen Hong. And here again is your host, just two shows away from finally completing NPR's host training program, Peter Sagal.
PETER SAGAL, HOST:
Thank you, Bill. In just a minute, Bill takes a trip to his favorite store, Total Rhyme and more, in our Listener Limerick Challenge game. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Right now, panel, though, time for some more questions for you from the week's news.
Jessi, new research into lady mice shows that unlike...
JESSI KLEIN: (Laughter) Thank you.
SAGAL: ...Male mice - I try to be polite about the mice. New research into lady mice shows that unlike male mice, they do what?
KLEIN: All the work.
SAGAL: No, but yes, obviously. We knew this.
KLEIN: I'm still recovering from lady mice.
SAGAL: Lady mice.
(LAUGHTER)
HELEN HONG: You couldn't go with micettes (ph), Peter, micettes?
(LAUGHTER)
KLEIN: Wait, lady mice do something. They discover that they do something...
SAGAL: Yeah, it's a difference...
KLEIN: ...Men mice don't.
SAGAL: ...The behavior of a female mice in a certain species and male mice.
KLEIN: Sacrifice for the good of others. Take responsibility for their actions. I don't know. Give me a hint.
SAGAL: (Laughter) Well, when it happens, Jessi, these lady mice - they tend to put on sweatpants and sit around eating tiny pints of mice cream.
KLEIN: Oh my God. I just died.
HONG: Oh, Peter. Wow.
KLEIN: Wait. Wait. They get, like, lady mice depressed?
SAGAL: Yeah, they get lady mice depressed because of...
KLEIN: Because of the men mice?
SAGAL: Yes, because they get their hearts broken.
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HONG: What?
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SAGAL: It's true.
CRISTELA ALONZO: Wow.
HONG: What?
SAGAL: There's a specific breed of mouse called the California mouse, and they mate for life. Or at least that's what he promised at the altar.
ALONZO: (Laughter).
SAGAL: But it turns out there's some tramp from the hole down the wall he's been tangling whiskers with. Anyway, a new study shows that when a male California mouse loses a partner, they'll instantly go out and find a new one, whereas a female California mouse will wait an average of 10 extra days before getting back out there in the mouse single bars.
HONG: Because she's getting a new hairdo.
KLEIN: This all sounds so familiar.
SAGAL: Yeah.
HONG: She's getting a new hairdo. She's got a haircut, and she's got to, like, do the Hallmark Channel marathon. And just...
SAGAL: How do you help a broken-hearted female mouse get her groove back? What do you say? It's like, I know you're hurt now, but it's better than being glue trapped in a bad relationship.
(LAUGHTER)
KLEIN: Peter.
SAGAL: We have never heard of California mouse. California mouse sounds like knockoff Mickey Mouse that doesn't want to get sued by Disney.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Helen, this week, Tinder announced a new feature which will double check with users before allowing them to do what?
HONG: Before allowing them to DM someone, a potential hottie?
SAGAL: Exactly right.
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HONG: Oh. I wonder how I knew that.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: I have no idea, Helen. Specifically, it will ask you to double check, take a second and think about it before using a terrible pickup line.
HONG: Yeah, a lot of unthought out DMing (ph).
SAGAL: Right, right. Exactly. That's exactly the problem. And this is supposed to help with it. The dating app calls their new feature - and this is true - Are You Sure?
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: And it uses - this is what it's called, which you got to like, right?
KLEIN: Oh, my God.
SAGAL: And it uses AI to sort of scan the pick-up lines that you're trying, and it can tell if it's particularly bad.
HONG: What? So it won't give you the feature every single time? It just decides?
SAGAL: Right. It's - the idea is that it actually can see what you're sending.
KLEIN: What?
SAGAL: And if it detects certain, like, bad ideas, if you will.
KLEIN: Is bad idea a euphemism for a picture of a penis?
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: I am guessing.
HONG: What about, you up?
SAGAL: Instant triggering.
HONG: Yeah, are you sure?
ALONZO: But imagine being on an app for the first time, and you just - you're so nervous. You spend, like, an hour worrying what you're going to write. And as you're going to send it, THEY'RE like, yo, you sure about this?
HONG: As someone who is an avid, avid dating app user, Cristela, I guarantee you no one is spending an hour picking what they're going to write.
(LAUGHTER)
HONG: Literally no one.
KLEIN: It definitely seems like Are You Sure - the Are You Sure feature should start with profiles.
SAGAL: I do. I do love...
KLEIN: Because like really? The picture is you in your sunglasses in front of a gun store. Are you sure?
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: The company says this feature will help reduce harassment on the app and will help - that's what they say - and will help facilitate more real-life connections. The reactions have been great. Like, thanks, Tinder, for teaching that weirdo how to hide his enormous red flags until at least the third date.
KLEIN: Yeah, cut to a year from now when Tinder is like, well, according to our data, 99.9% of dudes are sure.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET'S GET IT ON")
MARVIN GAYE: (Singing) Let's get it on. Oh, baby. Let's get it on. Let's love, baby. Let's get it on, sugar... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.