Robot or Not?
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Robot or Not?
Jason Snell asks John Siracusa to rule on the meaning of various words and concepts. It’s not just about robots anymore. Have a question for John? Email robot@theincomparable.com.
Seneste episoder
341 episoder
339: Can
Listener Niels follows on from the logical question of if a glass can be made of plastic to ponder what makes a can a can.
John Siracusa and Ja...
338: Facial Hair
Listener Justin tries to get us to stretch the definition of “facial hair” beyond the beard.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
337: Shirt
Listener Roy brings us into his debate with his teenage son about what makes a shirt a shirt.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
336: Building
Listener Jack wants to know if a few famous gates and statues are also buildings.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
335: Pop-Tart Pie
Listener Gregory thinks Pop-Tarts are pies. We have ratio questions. Also: We remember so many burned palates caused by calzones and McDonald’s fruit...
334: Open-Faced Sandwiches and French Bread Pizzas
Listener Gregory tries to confuse us with a question about open-faced sandwiches and pizza. We largely ignore him and talk about different ways to eat...
333: Scrolling
Listener Scott’s wife sure has a strange definition of which way is up.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
332: Basement
Listener Joel has discovered some Canadians referring to the first floor of a two-story house as a “basement.” Does this defy all reason? How low must...
331: Supercars and Hypercars
Host John Siracusa asks himself to discuss the difference between Supercars and Hypercars, while Jason looks on.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
329: Charger follow-up
Listener William challenges our ruling about chargers and we get deep into the weeds of car charging.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
328: Hoodie
Stephen Hackett has called us out and requests John’s ruling.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
327: Blogs
What’s a blog, and what’s a news outlet? Are Jason and John bloggers?
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
326: Spiders and Other Bugs
Listener Kev needs us to unpack John’s comment about “spiders and other bugs.” Does that mean spiders are bugs? And what are the other bugs? Spooky! <...
325: Wire
Listener Matt can’t stand it when someone calls a USB cable a wire. But what does John think?
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
324: Landscaper
Who scapes the lands? Who gardens the gardens? Who mows and who blows? Not us!
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
323: Pasta Roundup
John fields some important questions about pasta from listeners Connor, Joshua, and Lee, including the definition of Al Dente and noodles versus pasta...
322: Vehicle
Listener Eric asks if vehicles are only motorized, and we ponder how small a thing can be before it’s not a vehicle anymore.
John Siracusa and...
321: Glass
Can a drinking glass be made out of plastic? Or is it just a cup?
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
320: Parasol
Summer is in full swing, so Listener Ken has asked us to differentiate between umbrellas and parasols.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
319: Market
Listener Marc ponders the “VR headset market” and wants to know what makes a market a market.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
318: Charger
Listener Eric really needs his kids to differentiate between charger blocks and charging cables.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
317: AI Hype
Listener Christian, your time has come. Is an AI Lock the same as a Smart Lock? Or a Fuzzy Logic Lock? When bicycle gear shifters are called “AI”, how...
316: Spacesuits
Listener Lorne asks what makes a spacesuit a spacesuit, and it gets complicated in a hurry.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
315: 10th Anniversary Episode
Let’s get back to basics. We celebrate our improbable 10th anniversary with a letter from Listener Scott, who has a lot of questions about his son’s b...
314: Bay Leaf
Listener Paul doubts the efficacy of the Bay Leaf. Host John ponders the longevity of Spices. Host Jason admits to keeping spices 15 years past their...
313: Tech
Listener Jason (not host Jason) wants to know if “non-tech items” are really tech items.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
312: Unanchored Buoys
Listener Ben asks: If a Buoy is unanchored and works hard to stay where it is, is it the Roomba of the seas?
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
311: Mushroombot
Listener Jim wants John to weigh in on the story of the mushroom that was given a robot body, and while that does sound fascinating, the answer seems...
310: Arc
Listener Victor brings us a question from another “or Not?” podcast about how many points are required to make something a story, episode, or characte...
309: Flying
Listeners Joshua and Matthias want to know about flying in (or on) an airplane.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
308: Gibson Robot Guitar
Listener Jason (not that one) wants to know if the Gibson Robot Guitar is just trying to jump on the robot bandwagon as a form of fancy marketing.
307: Sandwich Legal Update II
Two listeners have requested that we revisit recent court and podcast rulings regarding the definition of a sandwich. Also, Jason details his meager h...
306: Roomba-like Items
In the end, the Grain Weevils and robot lawn mowers come for us all.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
305: Console
Is a Game Boy a game console? What about a Switch? Can a handheld gaming device also be a console? What makes something a console?
John Siracus...
304: Calendar Year
Listener Alexander has seen through the calendar’s deceptions and wants to know why any old day couldn’t be the start of a new year. When does the yea...
303: Tipping
Listener Ben and his sister-in-law have come up with a sophisticated system of rules for when and when not to leave a gratuity. But someone else may h...
302: Sandwich Legal Update
Many listeners are concerned about recent legal rulings that suggest tacos and burritos are sandwiches. But we all know who the real voice of authorit...
301: Fan/Light
Listener Patrick is concerned about taxonomy, most particularly involving fans that are also lights.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
300: Fast Food
There are so many different ways to define fast food. Is pizza fast food? Also, Jason has a story about the Shake Shake in the Minneapolis airport.