*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How are you defining and presenting hack comedy? Rick Rosner: Let me answer the question, then I’ll talk about hack. There’s a hack stance that, of course, American men, the kind who hang plastic testicles off the back of their pickup trucks, are cooler with lesbians than with …
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What about her highness, Kamala Harris? What are your thoughts on Harris? Same question about her. Rick Rosner: Harris, in the past, has been seen as maybe not good because of the roundabout answers she gives. And some of it is the media looking for ways to make …
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What gaffes and flaws do you see in Vance, similar to the commentary about Trump and about Walls? Rick Rosner: Vance has been attacked by Trump and others for changing his political stances. Most famously, maybe, is about fracking. He was, at some point, in 2016, against fracking, …
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What’s going on with Trump’s party? Rick Rosner: Yesterday, Trump was holding another rally, and it was hot. Two people fainted. That somehow gave Trump the excuse to stop taking questions from the audience. He’d only taken four, and then he decided instead to play music. For 39 …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1158: Trump and Walz at the Time
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, in an article in Noesis, the journal of the Mega Society years ago, you wrote an article about road rage. Do you still have it? Why is it more? Why is it less? Rick Rosner: It’s mostly less because I’m older, and not necessarily wiser, but people’s …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1157: You Can’t Have Road Rage If You Don’t Drive
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What about 2085? Rick Rosner: In 2085, everyone will have an all-purpose robot that does everything. It’ll be like a smartphone, but with more functions—a Swiss army knife of technology. They’ll be called “Obes,” I’d guess. They’ll start as “omnibots,” then shorten to “obots,” and eventually just “obes.” …
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I've heard commentary from Democrats suggesting that if they lose the next election, it will be the last Democratic election. I've also heard Elon Musk say that if the Democrats win, it will be the last Democratic election for the Republicans. So, let’s talk about it. Rick Rosner: …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1155: Demoblicans and Republicrats
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Is there any damage to your hair from dyeing your hair? Rick Rosner: It depends on how much you dye it. If you dye your hair repeatedly blonde, that’s super harsh if you’re starting from black or dark brown. So yes, you’ll—why are we talking about dyeing your …
Continue reading Ask A Genius 1154: Dyed Hair and Instruments
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What about 2065? Rick Rosner: So yesterday, we were talking about 2045. In talking about it, I kind of got the idea that it’s gonna be much like now, with all the weirdness being fairly superficial. 20 years after that, down the road, the weirdness will be more …
*Interview conducted October/November, 2024.* Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Who is your favorite philosopher? Rick Rosner: That I have one? What Wittgenstein’s or Kierkegaard’s or most people’s most famous philosophers’ philosophy was, I don’t know. I can say one sentence about existentialism. I started taking a grad-level course in phenomenology when I was at CU, but I …
Rick Rosner 