Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What about the year 2045? Rick Rosner: So, I thought we would talk, maybe in chunks, about the future moving forward. This is the same scheme as Charles Stross’s novel Accelerando, which is a novel about AI fucking transforming everything. He probably wrote it 20 years ago now. But with 2045, your …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Dark chocolate or vanilla chocolate? Rick Rosner: Dark. Vanilla chocolate isn't even fucking chocolate. Jacobsen: Yes. Yes. Try telling that to a horse girl. Sweet stuff. Rosner: The darker, the better, up to some ridiculous point, like 85%. Jacobsen: Yes. I'm good to comfortably, regularly, 70%. Rosner: Yes. 70 is there. 70 …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1147: Vanilla or Dark Chocolate?
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, I am house-sitting. I'm taking care of two dogs. I should specify—I love animals after taking care of these dogs, but I think I prefer being without them, except maybe a cat or two. So, my thought about this is that I like animals. I enjoy living with dogs, but their …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1146: House-Sitting for a Neighbourino
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: If earthly civilization survives, is there a principle that the longer a civilization endures, the more it contributes to the universe? Rick Rosner: If you look at the set of all possible moments in a universe that follows the principles of existence, and there's no upper limit to the size of a …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, let’s get into some other issues. What’s going to happen in the U.S. with all the guns? Rick Rosner: Right now, there are about 400 million guns in the U.S., around 250 million adult Americans, and roughly 16 million guns sold every year—more under Democratic administrations because the NRA often warns …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1143: What will happen with all of the guns?
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, I do have a topic. Rick Rosner: What is it? Jacobsen: What have we missed about the future? We’ve missed the ways in which technology will change social interactions. Rosner: So people are trending toward more isolation? Jacobsen: Yes. And there’s a long-term rise in narcissistic tendencies. So if you have …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1142: Enamored With Our Own Awesomeness
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, I’ve got another topic. Here’s another topic: It’s healthy to embrace your negative emotions, but not to indulge them. It’s a subtle distinction, but important for mental health—especially for men in North America, who often deal with shame, guilt, sadness, and fear. Those emotions are healthy to acknowledge and experience, but …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1141: Know Your Limits, Yourself
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I have a question. So, I used to—if I can pull it up here—where was it? I asked. When I used to do janitorial work at the pub and the bistro, I would play a lot of Dua Lipa, and I would dance a lot. Rick Rosner: Was that because you were …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I've got a new game for you. It's called Trump or Not Trump. It's a riff on the quote game. I'll read something, and you tell me if it's from Trump or not. Rick Rosner: Sounds fun. Let's do it. Quick addendum to the previous conversation—Franklin Graham was with Trump while he …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1139: Trump or Not Trump, the Game Show!
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, I vaguely heard about Hurricane Helene. Current reports are 64 dead and millions without power across the Southeast. Rick Rosner: You're behind. It's at least 128 dead now, and there are still tons of people missing. The damage is estimated between $15 billion and $100 billion. Trump showed up at a …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1138: Late Hurricane Commentary From the Moment
Rick Rosner 