#waitwaitstatsproject — Public Fediverse posts

I've published a blog post with updates to the Wait Wait Stats Project, background details for the Wait Wait Playing Cards Gallery, and, frustratingly, an update on the Subaru Trailseeker.

Blog Post: Omnibus Update: July 2026 Edition

https://linhpham.org/blog/2026/omnibus-update-july-2026-edition/

#WaitWaitStatsProject #Subaru #Trailseeker

The Wait Wait Stats Project has a new web site/application called the "Wait Wait Playing Cards Gallery" where I have scanned, cataloged and published each of the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! playing cards that I have.

https://cards.wwdt.me

Source Code: https://codeberg.org/qlp/cards.wwdt.me

The code is published under Apache License 2.0 while the playing card images are published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

#WaitWaitDontTellMe #WaitWait #WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitStats

Although I am not an Adherent of the Repeated Meme, but I am a Disciple of the Repeat Bug.

When creating a series of shows reports for the Wait Wait Stats Page, I intended to created a condition check for a show location's venue, city and state in order to format the location correctly.

Instead, I wrote the check for the location's venue and city... and city again. I, then, copied and pasted that block over and over across multiple reports.

🤦🏻 🤦🏻 🤦🏻

#WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitStats

Somehow, there was no show host record entered for the 2026-02-08 show. There were rows created for the other mapping tables.

So, how did I find this out? The pytest tests failed when running test scripts for the Wait Wait Reports Site caused by an empty dictionary being returned for that show. It took a lot of digging to narrow down to that particular show.

Whoops. 🤦🏻

#WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitStats

Both the Wait Wait Stats API and the Wait Wait Graphs Site authoritative repositories have been migrated over to Codeberg.

Stats API: https://codeberg.org/qlp/api.wwdt.me

Graphs Site: https://codeberg.org/qlp/graphs.wwdt.me

Note that the repo name for the Stats API on Codeberg is `api.wwdt.me` while the repo name on GitHub will stay as `api.wwdt.me_v2`.

#WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitStats

Along with the release of Wait Wait Stats Page version 6.16.0, the authoritative Git repo has been migrated from GitHub to Codeberg.

https://codeberg.org/qlp/stats.wwdt.me

#WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitStats

Starting with the documentation for version 3.0.0 of the Wait Wait Stats Library hosted on Read the Docs, I have switched from using Google Fonts to Bunny Fonts for any required web fonts (IBM Plex Sans and Plex Mono).

https://docs.wwdt.me/

Documentation build for older versions will still use Google Fonts due to those being built from older tags and commits.

#WaitWaitStatsProject

I just published a new blog post providing updates on the Wait Wait Stats Project, my recent trip to Chicago to see Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on my birthday, and (finally) closing a chapter and starting a new one.

https://linhpham.org/blog/2026/omnibus-update-april-2026-edition/

#WaitWaitDontTellMe #WaitWaitStatsProject

Just finished upgrading the two application/database servers that host the Wait Wait Stats Project from Debian 12 to 13.

The caching proxy in front of them was already upgraded to Debian 13 a while back, but I was more cautious about upgrading the backend servers.

#WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitStats #Debian

I guess if Flickr can have it's MODE, so can the Wait Wait Stats Project. Okay, it's not a festival, but it does have to deal with statistics 🙃

Wait Wait Stats Updates: Mode Edition

https://linhpham.org/blog/2026/wait-wait-stats-updates-mode-edition/

#WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitDontTellMe

It's time for another update for the Wait Wait Stats Project, including a new (optional) higher contrast dark theme and getting closer to official Python 3.14 support across the project.

https://linhpham.org/blog/2026/wait-wait-stats-update-february-2026/

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitDontTellMe

I guess it's time for the last #WaitWaitStatsProject update blog post of 2025!

https://linhpham.org/blog/2025/wait-wait-stats-update-december-2025/

#WaitWaitStats

I know our minds like to make patterns out of things that may or may not exist (at least, ones that only exist along a very long span of time).

So, it's funny to see something that looks like a pixelated question mark and a pixelated exclamation mark in this chart of #WaitWaitDontTellMe shows recorded in Chicago (purple), Away (yellow) and home/remote studios (green).

https://graphs.wwdt.me/locations/all-locations-shows-heatmap

#WaitWait #WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

As with last year, I will be doing a Wait Wait Stats Wrapped for 2025. This time around, I will be waiting until after the last regular show of the year (2025-12-20) airs before collecting data and publishing the Wrapped infographic.

If you are interested in checking out last year's Wait Wait Stats Wrapped, the images are available on Flickr

https://flickr.com/photos/questionlp/albums/72177720322647930/

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject #WaitWaitDontTellMe

Just a short blog post with updates to the Wait Wait Graphs and Wait Wait Reports Sites to fix an issue where shows with an all men panel were not getting counted correctly.

I found the issue after entering information for this week's #WaitWaitDontTellMe 🤦

https://linhpham.org/blog/2025/wait-wait-stats-update-november-2025/

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

I'm now running Fedora 43 on both of my laptops and decided to switch from KDE Plasma to GNOME. While I do like the customizability of KDE, but decided to go back to something a little more no-frills.

Also, I've switched from using MySQL Server 8.4 to MariaDB 11.8. Good thing that I got the #WaitWaitStatsProject apps and libraries to be compatible with MariaDB 11.8 😉

#Fedora #Linux #Gnome

It's only been a week since the last Wait Wait Stats Project update blog post, but there have been a couple of updates to the web apps, API and upgrading production from Python 3.12 to 3.13.

https://linhpham.org/blog/2025/wait-wait-stats-update-october-2025-part-two/

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

I've posted some updates to the Wait Wait Stats Project on my blog, including a change in how panelist scores are displayed:

https://linhpham.org/blog/2025/wait-wait-stats-update-october-2025/

#WaitWaitDontTellMe #WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

I think I might be well situated to migrating from MySQL 8.x to MariaDB 11.x or even 12.x when it comes time to redo my Wait Wait Stats production servers.

Earlier this month, I stood up a VM with Debian 13 and MariaDB 11.8 (stable release train) and ran all of the tests I've written for all of the Wait Wait Stats Projects sites without errors. I also compared the JSON output of several API endpoints that return a lot of computed data and they matched the output from an instance of the API running against a MySQL 8.4 database.

Just finished doing the same with a VM with Debian 13 and MariaDB 12.0 (rolling release train) and all of the tests ran without errors. I still need to verify the JSON output to make sure there aren't any inconsistencies.

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

It's nice to see that some of the changes that I've made to the queries I've written for the various #WaitWaitStatsProject libraries and sites aren't erroring out when the database is hosted on MariaDB 11.8 now.

I did run into some incompatibilities after I migrated to MySQL 8.x a while back, but slowly worked to fix them.

While I'm not going to immediately switch from MySQL 8.4 to MariaDB 11.8 in production, but it does open new options if/when that time comes.

I still need to dive deeper to make sure that there aren't any data inconsistencies, of course.

#MySQL #MariaDB #WaitWaitStats

I will be shifting my focus on updating the #WaitWaitStatsProject sites over to collecting and updating segment names and show descriptions.

This is in effort to provide more accurate data and to align segment names to the names used by the show and NPR.

https://linhpham.org/blog/2025/wait-wait-stats-segment-naming-updates/

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitDontTellMe

@me @rl_dane I also follow a Doctor Who-related naming scheme for my machines and network names.

Tegan and Tecteun are names for my two laptops, while I have workhorse VMs that have been named after Sontarans.

The only servers that I do not use Doctor Who-related names for are VMs and instances that support my #WaitWaitStatsProject.

Servers that run copies of the database are named after scorekeepers (Bill and Korva) and the proxying local balancer is named Lorna, the show's technical director.

Why I chose Lorna is a reference to Lorna's title, the role of the server, and that Cisco had sold load balancers under the name "LocalDirector". So, a deep, deep cut of a reference 😅

Compared to Maeve Higgins, Alonzo Bodden, the late P.J. O'Rourke, and Brian Babylon, Paula has lower loss percentage at 73.7% compared > 79% of the other panelists listed.

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

You can sort based on column and set a minimum number of appearances to filter out panelists who have only appeared a handful of times.

I created this after Paula Poundstone mentioned that she's had the most losses on #WaitWaitDontTellMe.

While Paula has had the most total number of losses on Wait Wait, she does not have the highest loss percentage based on number of losses against number of appearances on the show.

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

I've published a new live report on the Wait Wait Reports site that includes panelists' wins, draws and losses, including the corresponding percentages against all appearances with scores.

You can sort based on column and set a minimum number of appearances to filter out panelists who have only appeared a handful of times.

https://reports.wwdt.me/panelists/wins-draws-losses

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

Whoa! I just found out that Paula Poundstone gave me a shout out in the August issue of Ability Magazine regarding my Wait Wait Don't Tell Me recordkeeping!

https://abilitymagazine.com/paula-poundstone-interview/

#WaitWaitDontTellMe #WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

Proof of concept is feeling cute, might delete later.

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

New versions of the #WaitWaitStatsProject sites, including the Stats Page, Reports Site and Graphs Site, have been published and have a new retro-inspired "middle" color theme.

For more information and the inspiration for the new theme, check out the blog post.

https://linhpham.org/blog/2025/wait-wait-stats-going-all-retro-sort-of/

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitDontTellMe #WWDTM

I now have a retro-inspired "middle" theme implemented for the Wait Wait Graphs Site, Reports Site and Stats Page applications with just a little bit of copy and paste between them.

The only difference for the Graphs Site is to create graph color schemes that (for the most part) use "web safe" and a couple of HTML named colors for the colorways. The heatmaps use the same color palettes, but applies a gradient due to the nature of the graph type.

#WaitWaitStats #WaitWaitStatsProject

I guess it was a decent decision on my part to create a common theme package for my #WaitWaitStatsProject sites so that I can just modify the common package and just ingest the compiled files within each project.