Ask A Genius 660: Omicron Don Juan

[Recording Start] Rick Rosner: Alright, let's talk about Omicron. It's way more contagious than the Delta variant, which itself was more contagious than any previous variant. Despite high vaccination rates, like in England where over 90% of those eligible have had at least one dose, they're still seeing record-breaking numbers of new cases. As of …

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Ask A Genius 659: The Other Holidays

[Recording Start] Rick Rosner: So, let's talk about holidays. The ones that nobody seems to object to, particularly those summer-ish holidays in the US, are quite likable. You have Memorial Day towards the end of May, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day at the beginning of September. Memorial Day and Labor Day kind of …

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Ask A Genius 658: The Shitty Holidays

[Recording Start] Rick Rosner: Alright, some holidays are definitely more enjoyable than others. Take the winter holidays, for example: New Year's, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Christmas, at least, is based on a historic event, the birth of Jesus. However, most historical scholars, to the extent they acknowledge Jesus' existence, agree he wasn't born on December …

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Ask A Genius 657: Evolution and AI with Human-Like Capabilities

[Recording Start] Rick Rosner: I agree with the notion that everything, whether it has evolved naturally or been developed intentionally, represents an ordering of the world. There was a significant period in human history, which could be termed the biblical era, where humans were perceived as distinct and superior to the rest of creation. Prior …

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Ask A Genius 656: Rick’s Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence

[Recording Start] Rick Rosner: Before we start, I want to clarify that my understanding of AI and machine learning is quite basic, as I've never taken a formal course in these subjects. However, as we discussed last time, eight years ago AI wasn't a common term in most people's vocabulary, though it has now become …

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Ask A Genius 655: Best of All Possible Worlds in Worlds

[Recording Start] Rick Rosner: Alright, in our previous discussion, we touched upon the concept of the best of all possible worlds, leading to the idea of alternative worlds. Imagine worlds where dinosaurs survived and built civilizations, or universes only a tenth of our size. The scope of these differences varies widely. However, when discussing possible …

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