Ask A Genius 1644: Canada, Courtesy, MAGA, NAFTA, and Vampire Moldova

Rick Rosner parcels Alien Earth into ten-minute rations, landing on the six children uploaded into super-strong synthetic adults. He doubts the show’s glossy mind-transfer fidelity by 2120, noting Nibs’s PTSD and delusional pregnancy after the Eye Midge attack. The Peter Pan naming frames ageless “Lost Boys,” adding textured worldbuilding; quirkiness matters. Alien Earth’s Maginot ship evokes the Maginot Line—impressive yet fatally bypassable. Rosner contrasts this care with Altered Carbon’s one-trick future. He then pivots to politics: a recent appeals-court blow to broad tariffs may temper inflation and reshape 2026 incentives, potentially sparing Republicans pain that higher prices could have delivered.

Ask A Genius 1394: Swear Words, Utilitarianism, and AI Ethics: A Deep Dive

Scott Douglas Jacobsen interviews Rick Rosner in a wide-ranging conversation starting with swear words and diving into utilitarianism, longtermism, effective altruism, AI ethics, simulated consciousness, moral uncertainty, and capitalism. Rosner critiques modern frameworks, explores future consciousness, and calls for ethical clarity amid rapid technological change.

Ask A Genius 1367: What are rising social awareness and global leadership changes?

Scott Douglas Jacobsen interviews Rick Rosner about the nature of therapy, particularly couples counseling. Rosner shares his extensive experience in therapy, noting the importance of unbiased therapists. He reflects on the complexity of discussing current events, like the Israel-Palestine conflict, within therapeutic environments, recognizing the emotional weight it carries for many, including American Jews. Rosner expresses frustration over politicization in counseling and stresses the need for impartiality. He relates this dynamic to personal communication challenges with his wife, emphasizing the role of therapy in fostering constructive dialogue about personal and external issues, including political tensions, without ideological bias.

Ask A Genius 1353: GPT-5, AI Consciousness, and Crossover Country

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: You have been listening to a country song designed for people who do not usually enjoy country music—not the traditional kind aimed at long-time fans, but rather a version that tries to appeal to outsiders. Rick Rosner: There is crossover country, of course. However, in Albuquerque, I could only find stations playing formulaic country …

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Ask A Genius 1352: Gumption and Talent: The Creative Drive of JD Mata and Lance Richlin

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What do you think are the best attributes of JD Mata and Lance Richlin? Rick Rosner: Yeah. I know it sounds like we’re talking behind their backs, but... I mean, they’re both talented. JD is a really good musician — performance-wise, vocally, as a composer. And they both have this level of …

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Ask A Genius 1351: Intercessory Prayer Studies Show No Evidence of Divine Intervention

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, four studies often come up in the discussion on the inefficacy of intercessory prayer. In some cases, prayer not only fails to help, but even backfires. When people found out they were being prayed for, their stress levels went up — likely due to performance anxiety about recovery. That stress may …

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Ask A Genius 1350: Political Fear, Free Speech, and Satirical Resistance in the Trump Era

Rick Rosner: So, Carole doesn’t want me tweeting about Trump anymore. She doesn’t want me doing Lance versus Rick anymore either, because she saw a report today involving the U.S. Attorney General and the head of the FBI — Pam Bondi and Kash Patel — going after people. Now, the deal with the Attorney General …

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Ask A Genius 1349: Aging, Billy Connolly, and Misconceptions About Quantum Entanglement

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, I tapped the bar. Rick Rosner: I said, “Go to okay.”  Jacobsen: You said, “Go to okay,” and the first thing that popped into my mind was Billy Connolly. I think this was even well before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Basically, the joke was that, as you get older, …

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Ask A Genius 1348: Debunking Quantum Myths: Misused Science in Pop Culture

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I've got an idea—we will discuss quantum mechanics misinterpretations. Rick Rosner: I'm down. I just cracked open the book again, and it was so dusty that it triggered a sneeze.  Jacobsen: And I'm not talking about mistakes professionals make—I'm talking about the New Age-y, crystal-alignment, "quantum healing" stuff. Rosner: Yeah. All right. Jacobsen: So what do you …

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Ask A Genius 1347: Misconceptions in Quantum Mechanics and the True Nature of Photons

Rick Rosner: So, I took out my old quantum mechanics textbook—which, honestly, I never got all the way through. I made it partway, I guess. I don’t even remember if I passed the course that used this book. But I’ve been thinking—there’s still a ton I don’t know about quantum mechanics. And, as you know, …

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