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.
Apr 22, 2025•4 min•Ep. 312
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 [email protected].
Episodes
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 to be right there in the description. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Apr 07, 2025•4 min•Ep. 311
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 character arc. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Mar 22, 2025•6 min•Ep. 310
309: Flying
Listeners Joshua and Matthias want to know about flying in (or on) an airplane. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Mar 10, 2025•5 min•Ep. 309
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. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Feb 24, 2025•2 min•Ep. 308
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 high-school lunch. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Feb 10, 2025•7 min•Ep. 307
306: Roomba-like Items
In the end, the Grain Weevils and robot lawn mowers come for us all. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Jan 27, 2025•4 min•Ep. 306
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 Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Jan 13, 2025•3 min•Ep. 305
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 year begin in our hearts? (Happy New Year, everyone!) John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Dec 30, 2024•2 min•Ep. 304
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 have his own rules. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Dec 16, 2024•11 min•Ep. 303
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 authority is. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Dec 02, 2024•6 min•Ep. 302
301: Fan/Light
Listener Patrick is concerned about taxonomy, most particularly involving fans that are also lights. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Nov 18, 2024•2 min•Ep. 301
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. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Nov 04, 2024•11 min•Ep. 300
299: Window
I can see clearly now. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Oct 21, 2024•3 min•Ep. 299
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.
Oct 07, 2024•6 min•Ep. 298
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 include: All-In-One computers, dates, pasta, and antique vs. retro. It’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Please consider donating as a part of our campaign at stjude.org/relay. John Siracusa and Jason Snell with Casey Liss.
Sep 25, 2024•16 min•Ep. 297
296: Catchphrase
Oh, Listener Sean wants to know about catchphrases! Well, isn’t that special? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Sep 16, 2024•3 min•Ep. 296
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” that sits on a table and moves its display around, and a “robot” that follows you around your house folding laundry, reminding you of your mortality, and possibly running a viral campaign for Apple TV+ shows. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Sep 02, 2024•9 min•Ep. 295
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.
Aug 19, 2024•4 min•Ep. 294
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? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Aug 05, 2024•3 min•Ep. 293
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? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Jul 22, 2024•5 min•Ep. 292
291: Hawaiian Shirts
Are Hawaiian shirts just fun to wear, or are they cultural appropriation? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Jul 08, 2024•6 min•Ep. 291
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.
Jun 24, 2024•3 min•Ep. 290
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 and Jason Snell.
Jun 10, 2024•3 min•Ep. 289
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.
May 27, 2024•4 min•Ep. 288
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?! John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
May 16, 2024•3 min•Ep. 287
286: Dishwashing Methods
A tale of dishwashers and large sinks. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Apr 29, 2024•8 min•Ep. 286
285: Theme Songs / Skip Intro
We follow up on some feedback about our theme songs, and theme songs in general, while taking on whether we use the Skip Intro button when we should be listening to TV theme songs. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Apr 15, 2024•10 min•Ep. 285
284: ⚾️ Robot Umps ⚾️
It’s baseball’s Opening Day, so here’s our discussion of automated balls and strikes, also known as “Robot Umps,” how they relate to automated Hawk-Eye tennis calls, and why we won’t ever know how good human umpires could actually be. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Mar 28, 2024•10 min•Ep. 284
283: (Pizza) Pie
Fresh out of the oven for Pi Day, here’s a discussion of who exactly thinks pizza is a pie. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Mar 14, 2024•5 min•Ep. 283