216: Grocery Robot Swarm
If robots at a grocery-store warehouse works in tandem, are they robots? If they have a hive mind, are they still robots?
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
215: A Criterion of Data
Singular or plural?
214: Religious or Spiritual
When you see an org chart and money changes hands, your spirituality has become something else.
213: Daylight Saving Time
Should we really spring forward and fall back?
212: Dishwasher
When do you run the dishwasher? Do you rinse the dishes first? And wouldn’t it be nice if our dishwashers were robots?
211: Rules for Watching TV
Do you always start watching at the beginning? And do you have to watch till the end?
210: Burrito, Part 2 (Qdoba v. Panera)
The strange case of the burrito sandwich.
209: Dog-Shaped Dogs
What is the shape of a dog?
208: Self-Driving Cars, Part 2
Tim Cook thinks that self-driving cars are robots. Does John want to revisit his opinion?
207: Pandemic Changes (or not)
Has the pandemic made John reconsider some of his previous rulings? (One guess.)
206: Relish
Not all pickles are pickles, and not all relish is pickle relish.
205: Pots and Pans
What divides pots from pans?
204: Peanut Butter
Chances are pretty good that the peanut butter you eat is terrible.
203: Bagel Update
A very unfortunate bagel on either side of the Atlantic.
202: Books
Is a book a bound, printed collection of pages, or is it something more?
201: Apocalypse
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the robot, happy stuff: When does the apocalypse start, and when do we reach post-apocalyptic times?
200: Microscopic "Robots"
We celebrate our 200th episode by going back to where it all started—news about whether something is a robot or not. Also, we may have inadvertently started a religion. (Congratulations, Listener Eric!)
199: Christmas Special
In the spirit of the season, we discuss when a Christmas tree is dead. (Thanks to Listener Darran.)
198: Soda
Fizzy water. Is it soda, or pop, or a soft drink, or something else? (Incomparable members also get a bonus episode about Coca-Cola and cocaine, also released today.)
197: Indoors
When are we indoors and when are we outdoors? And where do tents fit in?
196: Video
Is a GIF a video? (Incomparable members also get a bonus episode about movie studio logos, released today.)
195: Child
When is a child no longer a child?
194: Henge
When the definition escapes its antecedent.
193: Puppet
When is it a puppet, and when is it just someone in a suit? And what does this mean for the future of Gritty?
192: Backup Brain
If we clone your body and transfer your memories to it, is it you?
191: Game
The universe is Candy Land.
190: Pillow
You can use this podcast as a pillow, if you like, but it’s still not a pillow.
189: What We're Owed
When a book series hasn’t completed, what does the author owe us?
188: Reboot
Beginning in this episode, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto will be portraying John and Jason. Or not.
187: The Cloud
Is The Cloud just Other People’s Computers? Watch out for Cloud Men!