Robot or Not?
Hosted by John Siracusa and Jason Snell
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.
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?
Previous Episodes
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December 30, 2024304 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!)
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December 16, 2024
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.
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December 2, 2024
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.
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November 18, 2024
301 Fan/Light
Listener Patrick is concerned about taxonomy, most particularly involving fans that are also lights.
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November 4, 2024
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.
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October 7, 2024
298 Henchman
As so often happens with us, discussions of evil henchman end up becoming discussions of legal employment status.
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September 25, 2024
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.
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September 16, 2024
296 Catchphrase
Oh, Listener Sean wants to know about catchphrases! Well, isn’t that special?
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September 2, 2024
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.