246: Undead Zombie Spider Robots
Spooky!
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
245: Werewolves
If you’re a werewolf, are you a werewolf all the time?
244: House or Boat?
It’s a house, but it floats.
243: Wheels and Doors
Sometimes, everyone on the Internet wants John’s opinion.
242: A Group of Robots
When robots flock together naturally, will humans give them a name? Or will we be too busy dying?
241: Voltron
Many robots, one robot, or no robots?
240: Holes in a Straw
Topology can be tricky.
239: Monolith
It’s a big thing in the middle of nowhere. Does it need to be a rock to be a monolith?
238: Electronic vs. Electric
When is something electronic, and when is it electric?
237: Cameos
Is that just a really short acting part, or is it only a cameo?
236: Stay-at-Home Moms
We salute all Moms, no matter their classification.
235: Robot Loathing
Listener/Professor Lisa can handle conceptual analysis on her own, but she does wonder why campus delivery robots make her so angry. (It wasn’t just because they’re Russian.)
234: Pasta Draft
A bunch of baseball writers drafted pastas. John has thoughts.
233: Magnetic Slime
Does texture matter when it comes to robots?
232: Stillsuits
Paul Atreides and the Fremen sure look cool, but won’t they die of hyperthermia in those suits? (Incomparable Members will find a special bonus episode of Robot or Not in the First Class feed today. Become a member for lots of goodies!)
231: CAPTCHAs of South African "robots"
Select all ROBOT RELATED PODCASTS. If there are none, click Stop.
230: Accents
John has one, but also doesn’t have one. Mary married some merry carrots.
229: Friendship
Listener Ashley wants to know about the true meaning of friendship.
228: America
Why do Americans crowd out the rest of two continents from the namespace? John thinks it’s about imperialism; Jason thinks it’s because our country has no proper name.
227: Semi-Homemade Cooking with John Siracusa
Listener Scott wants to know what “homemade” cooking is. Jason made this episode from scratch. (But the theme song was store-bought.)
226: Email, and Preparing the Way (for Roombas)
Jason starts to ask John a question, but everything gets derailed.
225: Car
What makes a car a car, and not a truck, or an SUV, or a crossover?
224: Next Wednesday
When is Next Wednesday? Is it Wednesday? Or the Wednesday after that?
223: Money
What makes something money? Is gold money? Is Bitcoin?
222: Sundays
Do Sundays start the week, or end it? When does the week end, and is that the weekend?
221: Cooking
What’s cooking? Is making tea cooking? John’s answers may surprise you. They certainly surprised Jason.
220: Popcorn
The proper way to eat popcorn. ðŸ¿
219: Camping
Listeners Jono and Chris, and friend Tony Sindelar, have questions about what John defines as ‘camping.’ Suffering is surprisingly part of the calculation.
218: Photo
Listener Beth seeks enlightenment about what makes something a photo.
217: Floating Bridge
Listener Isaac wants us to judge if a certain “floating bridge” is actually a ferry. This leads, of course, to a discussion of infinite bridges and whether a fairy is a ferry in California.