276: Italian Ice
A perfectly normal discussion of Italian Ice takes a left turn and goes into outer space, where other ices are available.
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
275: Musician
When is someone a musician? Are DJs musicians? And more importantly, are John and Jason musicians?
274: Avoid All Robots
Some timely news regarding a university warning its community members to “avoid all robots.”
273: Lies
On John’s other podcast, Casey Liss often says he lied when he means he made a mistake. So what is a lie? (Trust us, we totally answer this one.)
272: Spoiler Policy
Listener Nick wonders what John’s policy on spoilers is. (Spoilers for “Romeo and Juliet” and “Citizen Kane.”)
271: Nachos
Hold on, John, Jason’s got this one.
270: Relay FM Podcastathon Special
Live from the Relay FM Podcastathon, Jason and special guest Stephen Hackett ask John a bunch of questions from the Robot Or Not question list. Topics include: Toast, Roadkill, Sandwich Order of Operations, Garage, and Cereal Soup. Please donate to St. Jude and help move us one step closer to the day where no child dies from cancer.
268: Sigh
Listener Jamie wonders whether his dog is really sighing. We discuss noises dogs make. Also, after posting our previous episode we realized we got the numbering of the podcast out of order. Sigh.
269: The Worst
Listener Andrew is worried that things we say are “the worst” are really just bad.
267: Hiatus
Listener Magnus is concerned that his favorite podcast is on hiatus. When is something on hiatus and when is it cancelled?
266: AI Camerabot
Finally we talk about robots again. If a robot controls a camera, is it a camera robot?
265: Frown
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264: Cookie Dough
If it’s never meant to make a cookie, is it still cookie dough? (Also: Peanut Butter Spread, Cheese Food, and other food labeling we have known.)
263: Shade
This time we’re throwing shade. But do sunglasses?
262: Keys
If any device can open a door, is every device a key?
261: Buildings
A chair is not a house and house is not a home, but is a house a building? And what about gazebos?
260: Dish v. Plate (revisited)
Jason’s trip to his mother’s house makes him rethink his definition of what a dish is. Also, he gets some upsetting news about the long-term relationship between the fork and the spoon.
259: Ports
Don’t anthromorphize ports. They hate that.
258: Beach
Where do beaches exist? And what materials do they need to be comprised of?
257: Island
The difference between islands and continents, and also why Pluto can be a planet if you want to lower your standards.
256: Stepmom
Sometimes they’re wicked, sometimes not. Can an adult call a parent’s new wife a stepmom? Bonus: Can you be too old to be an orphan?
255: Ice
Listener Chris clues us into an important ice safety campaign.
254: Shoes
Shoes, socks, sandals, boots. Footwear is complicated.
253: University
What makes a university? Is it the buildings, or the people, or the big hole you throw money into?
252: Friend of the Show
Listener Rob and Listener Reiner, who are not Director Rob Reiner, want to know if they are Friends of the Show.
251: Happy New Year
Are we too late to say it?
250: Roomba Update
Some deeper questions about whether certain Roomba behavior makes it more or less of a robot.
249: Blaine the Mono
Blaine is a pain, and that is the truth.
248: The Follow-Up Episode
For the very first time, we do some housekeeping about holes, Russian robots, salad, genocide, Voltron, and available sales leads.
247: Garlic
Is garlic a vegetable, an herb, a spice, or what?