John Siracusa educates Jason Snell about what is, and what is not, a robot.
LATEST EPISODE • When is a machine truly intelligent?
What makes machine intelligence “real AI”? And what is the difference between strong and weak AI?
August 7, 2017 • 11 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
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The very definition of video entertainment from Japan.
July 24, 2017 • 8 minutes • What defines Anime? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
What makes something a sport, and not an exercise or a game?
July 10, 2017 • 14 minutes • Baseball? Is not sport, is game. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
Exploring Jason’s favorite food, what a “favorite food” even is, and the hazy dividing line between condiments and other edibles.
June 26, 2017 • 9 minutes • Ketchup or Peanut Butter? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
What’s science fiction? And more importantly, is Star Wars science fiction, fantasy, or something else?
June 12, 2017 • 10 minutes • Sci-Fi or Fantasy? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
Is everything a computer chip? Is nothing a computer chip? Jason thinks this is gonna be good. John thinks it’s obvious.
May 29, 2017 • 11 minutes • Microchips. Not potato chips. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
What is the canon of bagels? Why are some ingredients allowed in an Everything Bagel but not any other bagel style? What makes raisins an acceptable ingredient, yet bars blueberries? Mr. Siracusa, native of the great state of New York, educates Mr. Snell, one of those California hippie types, about what a real bagel is.
May 15, 2017 • 18 minutes • Bialys! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
What toppings are allowed on pizza? And what about using a knife and fork to eat pizza? There are many rules.
May 2, 2017 • 9 minutes • Canonical pizza toppings • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
John weighs in on what makes something a pizza, including the horror of the Turkey Dinner Pizza.
April 17, 2017 • 11 minutes • You have left Pizza Country. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
Exploring what makes a sandwich, while also discussing the history of food, sandwiches as satire, and the difference between llamas and camels.
April 3, 2017 • 8 minutes • What is a sandwich? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell
John helps Jason figure out the precise moment when a villain becomes a supervillain.
March 20, 2017 • 10 minutes • How super is my villain? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell