Randy Cohen is an American writer and humorist known as the author of The Ethicist column in The New York Times Magazine between 1999 and 2011. The column was syndicated throughout the U.S. and Canada. Cohen is also known as the author of several books, a playwright, and the host of the public radio show Person Place Thing. Career Cohen graduated from the University at Albany, SUNY in 1971, with a Bachelor of Arts in music. He received an MFA in music composition from the California Institute of the Arts. During this time there he and Rich Gold created the Serge synthesizer. In 2011, Cohen received the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters from the University at Albany. From 1973 to 1977 he played Serge synthesizer and drums with the proto no wave band Jack Ruby. Boris Policeband and George Scott III were also members of the group. He spent several years "writing humor pieces, essays, and stories for leading newspapers and magazines," including The New Yorker, Harper's, and The Atlantic; his first paid, published piece was in 1976 for The Village Voice. In 1981, his book of satiric letters, Modest Proposals, was published by St. Martin's Press. In 1989, his collection of humor pieces, Diary of a Flying Man, was published by Knopf. In 2002 The Good, the Bad, & the Difference: How to Tell Right from Wrong in Everyday Situations was published by Doubleday. His book Be Good: How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything was released by Chronicle Books in August 2012. Cohen was a writer on Late Night with David Letterman for 950 episodes over seven years, starting in 1984. He shared in three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for his work on the show. Perhaps his biggest contribution was the invention of Letterman's famous feature, the "Top Ten List." Cohen wrote for TV Nation, sharing in a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series in 1995. In 1996, he became the original head writer for The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Cohen wrote for Slate starting in 1996. At Slate, he became known for "News Quiz", a satiric reader-participation feature which began in February 1998 and ended in November 2000. He also co-wrote a first-season episode of Ed, first broadcast on February 14, 2001. Cohen wrote The Ethicist column in The New York Times Magazine between 1999 and 2011. From 2001 to 2005, he also answered