Scott Douglas Jacobsen: A few days ago, Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealth Group (the parent company of UnitedHealthcare), was fatally shot in New York City. Reports suggest the shooter took a bus to the city and waited for 10 days, apparently targeting Thompson, who was there to speak at an investors' conference. Rick …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1213: The Murder of Brian Thompson
Rick Rosner: Fox News named Trump "Patriot of the Year" tonight at some ceremony. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Is that what they call it? Like their annual version of Time's "Person of the Year"? Rosner: I don't think it's an award that has existed before—unless I'm wrong. Cynical people on Twitter are saying this is just …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1212: Patriot of the Year Latitude
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How do you feel about the Trump situation coming up in a month? Rick Rosner: Carole is more nervous than I am, but, you know, there are reasons for both optimism and pessimism. On one hand, most Americans oppose many of his policy goals. On the other hand, many Americans aren't paying …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: From Bryan McFarland: Good Afternoon, I’m writing to inquire about your willingness to compare my results of the LAIT (1979) with yours as an analog for scoring the test. Despite there being evidence of the answers being leaked online in the 1990s, I can’t find them now. What’s my IQ? I honestly …
Rick Rosner: The question is: why are holiday car ads so clichéd and disconnected? The question is about how some come across as out of touch or uninspired, and it seems inexplicable. The most ridiculed feature is the big red bow on the cars. Is it because people who buy luxury cars as gifts without …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What size dog do you like? Rick Rosner: What size dog? I like small dogs because they tend to live longer. Carole's best friend has German Shepherds, which are a larger breed. They usually weigh between 80 and 100 pounds, and you only get about 10 or 11 years with them, which is sad. They're smart, …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1208: Preferences in Sizes of Dogs
Rick Rosner: Today, I came across a concept called AI "pimping." What happens is that pornographers—whether amateur or professional—steal explicit images from across the internet and use AI to generate new faces. They create fake individuals, typically naked women, and use these fabricated identities to make money on platforms like Instagram. The article I sent …
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Hey, Rick. What's your topic? Rick Rosner: Before we get to the discussion about pornography, I sent you an article. But first, let's talk about Elon Musk, who, right now, seems to have aligned himself closely with Trump. Trump attended Musk's recent SpaceX rocket launch and appeared impressed. Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy—another …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1206: Musk, Ramaswamy, Saul, and Summers
Rick Rosner: So, I'm in the Writers Guild and the TV Academy. That means I can vote in certain Emmy categories and for the Writers' Guild Awards. I get invited to screenings of TV shows and movies, and I can bring Carol along. Someone from the production team, or even a few people, will often …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1205: ‘I’m in the Writers Guild’
Rick Rosner: I do believe in magnetic personalities, though, because I live in a town of schmoozers. Do you know what a schmoozer is? Jacobsen: Yes. Someone who basically kisses up—a kind of social smooth-talker. Rosner: It’s Yiddish. Jacobsen: I wasn’t sure if it was in the general non-Jewish lexicon. Rosner: It is. My stepdad …
Rick Rosner 