306: Roomba-like Items
In the end, the Grain Weevils and robot lawn mowers come for us all. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
Episodes
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.
Episodes
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
299: Window
I can see clearly now. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
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 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.
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” 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.
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? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
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.
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 and Jason Snell.
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?! John Siracusa and Jason Snell.
286: Dishwashing Methods
A tale of dishwashers and large sinks.
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.
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.
283: (Pizza) Pie
Fresh out of the oven for Pi Day, here’s a discussion of who exactly thinks pizza is a pie.
282: Places You've Been
Do you have to leave the airport or get out of the car to claim you’ve been somewhere? (And are you under oath?)
281: Killer Robot
Listener Kent is building actual killer robots.
280: Hat
What makes a hat a hat?
279: Streets
I want to run, I want to hide, I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside. Sometimes the streets have no name, but other times they are named roads, or avenues, or boulevards, or drives. What does it all mean? Does Jason live on a road or a drive? When we go there, we go there with you. It’s all we can do.
278: Spatula
Spatulas, scrapers, flippers, and home economics.
277: Coffee
A question about cold brew coffee makes us question everything about coffee. Is everything coffee? Probably not.