Robot or Not?

John Siracusa and Jason Snell•www.theincomparable.com

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.

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Episodes

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

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: âš¾ï¸ Robot Umps âš¾ï¸

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