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.
Episodi recenti
327 episodi
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.
298: Henchman
As so often happens with us, discussions of evil henchman end up becoming discussions of legal employment status.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell...
297: Relay Podcastathon Special 2024
Live from the Relay Podcastathon, Jason and special guest Casey Liss ask John a bunch of questions from the Robot Or Not question list. Topics includ...
296: Catchphrase
Oh, Listener Sean wants to know about catchphrases! Well, isn’t that special?
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
295: Homepods and Other Robots (or Not)
In a rare timely episode, John and Jason discuss a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that Apple is designing a series of robots, including a “robot”...
294: Double Space
Listener Daniel would like John’s blessing for his practice of putting two spaces after every sentence he types.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
293: Severe Weather
Listener Arne received a severe weather alert for a fire. Fires are very bad, but are they weather? Are some natural disasters weather, and others not...
292: Tea
Is “truffle mushroom tea” just a soup? Did a fancy New York restaurant play a trick on Listener David and his wife? And what is tea, really?
Jo...
291: Hawaiian Shirts
Are Hawaiian shirts just fun to wear, or are they cultural appropriation?
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
290: Airport Wheelchair
Listener Erik sent us this video of self-navigating wheelchairs in the Miami Airport. Does the Roomba Rule apply?
John Siracusa and Jason Snell...
289: Vending Machine
Friend of the show Frank is seeking to delineate when something is a “vending machine” and when it’s just a machine that vends.
John Siracusa a...
288: El Camino
Thanks to Friend of the Show Casey, we’re talking about weird cars and car classes again.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
287: Autonomous Excavator
Listener Ivan sent in a link to an autonomous excavator that assembled a six-foot wall out of rocks. Is it the Roomba of construction materials?!
286: Dishwashing Methods
A tale of dishwashers and large sinks.
John Siracusa and Jason Snell.