171

If the new “Lion King” film features CGI animals talking with other CGI animals, is it a “live-action” movie or just a different kind of animation? What about a movie like “Avengers: Infinity War”?

March 18, 2019 • 8 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

152

Milk

Legal news: Is Almond Milk milk?

March 4, 2019 • 5 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

151

“Chick Flick”

What is a “Chick Flick”? Let’s start off by taking apart the term itself.

February 18, 2019 • 9 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

150

In a rare topical episode, John and Jason discuss Marty, the tall, googly-eyed robot that may soon be roaming the aisles of a supermarket near you. Does Marty meet the Roomba test? Are the googly eyes fooling anyone?

February 4, 2019 • 6 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

149

Simulated Universe

Is this real or are we in a video game? How can we tell the true nature of the universe?

January 21, 2019 • 9 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

148

Hacker

Do hackers do good, or bad, or both?

January 7, 2019 • 2 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

147

Cult

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

Merry Christmas, everybody!

December 24, 2018 • 8 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

146

GIF

Choosy mothers pronounce it differently.

December 10, 2018 • 5 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

145

Database

Where spreadsheets and databases collide.

November 26, 2018 • 3 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

144

Soup

“You haven’t done soup yet, have you?”

November 12, 2018 • 6 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

143

Phones

Smartphones, dumb phones, feature phones, and computers in your pocket.

October 29, 2018 • 6 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

142

Toasters

Slot toasters, toaster ovens, and the definitions thereof.

October 15, 2018 • 9 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

141

Podcasting

What makes something a podcast? OMG, are we one?!

October 1, 2018 • 2 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

140

Bread

Bread is bread, but what about hot dog buns, bagels, tortillas, and pitas?

September 17, 2018 • 3 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

139

Planets, and also Pluto

John is given the opportunity to endorse or reject the rulings of the International Astronomical Union.

September 3, 2018 • 5 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

138

Job Security

John’s worked (and left) a lot of jobs. What’s his personal philosophy about job security versus going it alone as an independent?

August 20, 2018 • 8 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

137

Nerds and Geeks

The subtle and vexing difference between a nerd and a geek.

August 6, 2018 • 6 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

136

Programming

What is computer programming? And what doesn’t qualify?

July 23, 2018 • 8 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

135

Reality TV

When is a game show a game show, and when is it reality television? Also, we reveal our favorite reality TV show.

July 9, 2018 • 8 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

134

Personal Computers

Is a Mac a PC? Is an iPad a computer? Does John favor a broad definition or a narrow one?

June 25, 2018 • 9 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

133

Gnocchi

What makes pasta pasta?

June 11, 2018 • 5 minutes • Pasta existentialism • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

132

Seasons

The conundrum of seasons versus eternally pleasant weather.

May 28, 2018 • 6 minutes • Endless mildness? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

131

Savory Donuts

Bagels are not donuts, people.

May 14, 2018 • 2 minutes • What about a bacon donut? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

130

Sweaters

Listener Ed, we’ve got bad news.

April 30, 2018 • 2 minutes • It's all unraveling • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

129

Pets

What makes an animal a pet?

April 16, 2018 • 9 minutes • Do chickens count? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

128

The Midwest

Did both of Jason’s parents both come from the Midwest, or only one? What are the true boundaries of America’s heartland?

April 2, 2018 • 8 minutes • What are the boundaries? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

127

Potato Chips

From Sour Cream & Onion to BBQ, what are the “real” potato chip flavors?

March 19, 2018 • 6 minutes • Canonical flavors • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

126

Vacation

If you don’t go anywhere, is it a vacation? What if you go somewhere, but you don’t relax?

March 5, 2018 • 10 minutes • And what about Staycations? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

125

Cheesecake

Is cheesecake cheese, cake, pie, tart, or none of the above? Does the angle of the pan matter? Does crust content matter? Do any of us matter, really?

February 19, 2018 • 13 minutes • Not a pie • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

124

The Trolley Problem

As recently highlighted on “The Good Place”, it’s a classic ethical conundum that John wants absolutely no part of. And what if the trolley drives itself?

February 7, 2018 • 13 minutes • Ethical problems • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

123

Janet from “The Good Place”

Never believe what a robot tells you.

January 22, 2018 • 5 minutes • Not a woman. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

122

Night (bark) Joggers (bark)

A dog interlude.

January 8, 2018 • 1 minute • Woof! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

121

Holidays and Holiday Movies

What makes a movie a holiday movie? How do they celebrate winter holidays in warm climates? Merry Christmas to all, especially in Australia!

December 25, 2017 • 7 minutes • Ho, ho, ho • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

120

Death

Okay, time to call it. Time of death— wait, wait, everybody hold on. How do we define death?

December 11, 2017 • 11 minutes • This is the big one • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

119

Life

How can we call something alive?

November 27, 2017 • 15 minutes • It's made of Life Stuff • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

118

Ice Cream

It would seem like ice cream versus frozen yogurt would be the main debate. But the pronunciation of a third competitor completely derails us.

November 13, 2017 • 10 minutes • There's only one R in Sherbet • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

117

Brunch

We discuss the names of meals and when they happen, and make an interesting(?) digression into human sleep cycles.

October 31, 2017 • 14 minutes • Meal times and sleep times • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

116

Salad

From leafy greens to sugary Jell-O concoctions, all sorts of things are called salads.

October 16, 2017 • 7 minutes • Fruit Salad? Yummy yummy. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

115

Barbecue

Continuing our confused series of episodes about food-related topics, it’s time for John and Jason to talk about Jason’s favorite food style and what happens when you put food on a grill.

October 2, 2017 • 9 minutes • BBQ • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

114

Smoothie

If everything can be a smoothie, then nothing is. So we try to define what makes a smoothie and acts as a bulwark against the milkshake.

September 18, 2017 • 6 minutes • Will it blend? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

113

Art

I don’t know what it is, but I know it when I see it.

September 4, 2017 • 16 minutes • But is it art? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

112

Donuts

We don’t know quite what an old-fashioned donut is, but we know what we like… and what we don’t.

August 21, 2017 • 10 minutes • Two blind men describe an elephant. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

111

Artificial Intelligence

What makes machine intelligence “real AI”? And what is the difference between strong and weak AI?

August 7, 2017 • 11 minutes • When is a machine truly intelligent? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

110

Anime and Kaiju

The very definition of video entertainment from Japan.

July 24, 2017 • 8 minutes • What defines Anime? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

109

Sport

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

108

Condiments and Favorite Foods

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

107

Science Fiction

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

106

Computer Chips

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

105

Canonical Bagel Flavors

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

104

Pizza Toppings

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

103

Pizza

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

102

Sandwiches

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

101

Supervillains

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

100

The Robot

Your hosts return to where it all began and then prepare to set out for new horizons.

(Robot or Not will return in two weeks with a new series of episodes.)

March 6, 2017 • 2 minutes • At long last... the end? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

99

Your Hosts

Are John and Jason robots? All will be revealed!

February 27, 2017 • 2 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell themselves. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

98

Human Beings

Could it be? Are we all robots?

February 20, 2017 • 2 minutes • Us • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

97

Captchas

What does a robot do when it gets to a web page with a checkbox that says “I’m not a robot”?

February 13, 2017 • 51 seconds • Fill in the blank. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

96

The Gate at Jabba’s Palace

The gate at Jabba’s palace in “Return of the Jedi” talks to droids, or has something inside it that talks to droids. So is it a robot?

February 6, 2017 • 2 minutes • Gatekeeper droid or door? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

95

Autonomous Sailboats

They roam the ocean, scanning for important data and relaying their information home. There are no humans on board. Are these lonely sea voyagers robots?

January 30, 2017 • 5 minutes • Roomba of the Sea? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

94

Shardik

The robotic guardian of the Beams. He looks like a bear but has a satellite dish on his head. He’s a thousand years old.

January 23, 2017 • 4 minutes • A monster from the Dark Tower • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

93

Nintendo R.O.B.

Game controller, robot, or total embarrassment?

January 16, 2017 • 2 minutes • Nintendo's Robotic Operating Buddy • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

92

Pronunciation

ˈrōˌbät or rōbət?

January 9, 2017 • 3 minutes • Robutt or not? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

91

Naked Robotic Core

An unadorned iPhone can be a Naked Robotic Core, but is it a robot?

January 2, 2017 • 5 minutes • iPhone, Unadorned • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

90

Mechagodzilla

Look who was under the tree! It’s a giant mechanical monster!

December 26, 2016 • 1 minute • John loves him. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

89

Battlebots

Among the fiercest creatures in the machine kingdom are the Battlebots. They’re designed for fighting! But are they really robots, or is that just a clever marketing name?

December 19, 2016 • 1 minute • They fight! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

88

School Babies and CPR Dummies

High school students carry them around and learn what it’s like to be a parent. Or you learn how to revive them by pressing their chest and breathing into their mouths. But are these learning tools also educational robots?

December 12, 2016 • 1 minute • Educational toys or robots? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

87

K5 Mall Robot

It patrols the mall. Sometimes it knocks over small children.

December 5, 2016 • 3 minutes • Does it follow Asimov's laws? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

86

The Hosts of “Westworld”

The HBO series “Westworld” makes us contemplate whether its central characters, the Hosts, are robots or not. (We recorded this episode after the first seven episodes of season one had aired; forgive us if it was revealed later that “To Serve Man” was actually a cookbook.)

November 28, 2016 • 6 minutes • It's in the brain! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

85

The Bicentennial Man

A robot slowly turns himself human. When does he stop being a robot?

November 21, 2016 • 4 minutes • Robin Williams, Isaac Asimov, and Grobycs! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

84

Metal Mario

Sometimes Mario is metallic. Does that make him a robot?

November 14, 2016 • 1 minute • Do metal men dream of robot sheep? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

83

Kayaks

They are boats with paddles. What else are they?

November 7, 2016 • 1 minute • They have paddles. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

82

The Borg

Straight out of “Star Trek” come these technological villains. Also, we discuss larger issues including AIs and hive minds.

October 31, 2016 • 6 minutes • You will be assimilated. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

81

The Energizer Bunny

It just keeps going, and going, and going….

October 24, 2016 • 1 minute • Nothing outlasts the Energizer • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

80

Tachikoma and Fuchikoma

Little cute robots from “Ghost in the Shell.”

October 17, 2016 • 2 minutes • They're adorable... • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

79

SpaceX

Self-guided rockets and drone barges.

October 10, 2016 • 6 minutes • Robots (or not) in space! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

78

Hot Dogs

They’re sure tasty, and it’s meat between bread, but are hot dogs sandwiches?

October 3, 2016 • 1 minute • Sandwich or Not, part 2 • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

77

Daft Punk

They sure look like robots. But who’s under the masks?

September 26, 2016 • 1 minute • DJs or not? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

76

Animals in “Blade Runner”

The owl and the snake from “Blade Runner” raise some interesting questions.

September 19, 2016 • 2 minutes • How do you like our owl? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

75

Bubo

A little metal owl from “Clash of the Titans.” Crafted by the gods, can he possibly be a robot?

September 12, 2016 • 3 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

74

Gort

The robot from “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, plus a long digression into Star Trek androids.

September 5, 2016 • 5 minutes • She's a real woman, Jim. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

73

Cartoons

Is all animation “cartoons”?

August 29, 2016 • 2 minutes • Synonym or not? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

72

Robots from “Castle in the Sky” and “The Iron Giant”

Two beloved metal creatures from animation.

August 22, 2016 • 2 minutes • Two animation robots. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

71

RoboCop

That “Robo” prefix is sure interesting, and he’s probably a cop, but…

August 15, 2016 • 2 minutes • RoboCop • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

70

The Robots of “Futurama”

Bender, Calculon, and Hedonismbot.

August 8, 2016 • 5 minutes • So many robots. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

69

Tron

He fights for the users inside a computer. Can software people be robots?

August 1, 2016 • 1 minute • Lightcycles are cool. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

68

Canadarm

A fancy “robot arm” from Canada. But when is a robot arm just an arm, and when is it a robot?

July 25, 2016 • 1 minute • Oh, Canada! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

67

Silicone Stingray

Part animal, part machine. But is it a robot?

July 18, 2016 • 3 minutes • Timely episode! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

66

Traffic lights in South Africa

Please obey robot.

July 11, 2016 • 1 minute • Listener David, thanks • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

65

Serena Williams

It’s Wimbledon time, and so our discussion turns to tennis, and Serena Williams—who is not a robot, despite her perhaps wishing she was.

July 4, 2016 • 8 minutes • Tennis or not? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

64

Rossum’s Universal Robots

Karel Capek’s play that made this podcast possible.

June 27, 2016 • 2 minutes • R.U.R. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

63

Animatronic Creatures

The Country Bears, Chuck E. Cheese, and the things from Five Nights at Freddy’s.

June 20, 2016 • 1 minute • Charles E. Cheese Esquire • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

62b

Filesystems and Flowerpot Robots

Live from RelayCon WWDC 2016, it’s a special live edition of Robot or Not.

June 18, 2016 • 3 minutes • Our first live episode • John Siracusa and Jason Snell with Myke Hurley

62

General Grievous

He’s a droid with a cough. So what’s the deal?

June 13, 2016 • 2 minutes • Cough, cough • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

61

Elevators

They go up, they go down. They might even go sideways from time to time. And they can be smart. But are they robots?

June 6, 2016 • 3 minutes • Yes, we said elevators • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

60

Inspector Gadget

Go go Gadget! Also we get off on a tangent about Penny, inspired by The Flop House.

May 30, 2016 • 2 minutes • What if penny met a dinosaur? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

59

The Doctor from “Star Trek: Voyager”

Please state the nature of the medical emergency. Can a hologram be a robot?

May 23, 2016 • 2 minutes • Hologram or not • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

58

Synths

From the AMC TV series “Humans,” the lifelike Synths look like humans but don’t act like it. And they bleed a funny color.

May 16, 2016 • 3 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

57

Baymax

He’s an inflatable, medical robot from “Big Hero 6”—but can you back up your personality and still be a robot?

May 9, 2016 • 6 minutes • "Big Hero 6" • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

56

The Incomparable’s Logo

Our own robot (or not) is in the spotlight at last.

May 2, 2016 • 1 minute • You know, that robot • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

55

The Tin Woodman

If he only had a heart.

April 25, 2016 • 3 minutes • You know, from "The Wizard of Oz" • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

54

T-1000

It’s made of liquid metal.

April 18, 2016 • 4 minutes • "Terminator 2" • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

53

Tamagotchi

Is it even a game? What if you had a video game that featured a robot?

April 11, 2016 • 1 minute • Feed me, or I die! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

52

The Robots of “Destiny”

From Bungie’s bestselling video game, Ghosts, Exos, Rasputin, and other things that might be robots.

April 4, 2016 • 6 minutes • "Destiny" • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

51

Lego Simulated Worm Toy

A software model of a flatworm, piloting a Lego Mindstorms toy.

March 28, 2016 • 5 minutes • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

50

The Matrix

Agents and Oracles and Architects from the “Matrix” trilogy.

March 21, 2016 • 3 minutes • Hello, Mr. Anderson. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

49

Chatbots

They listen to us and talk back. But is that enough?

March 14, 2016 • 3 minutes • In IRC, on AOL, and elsewhere • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

48

Replicants

Roy Batty, Pris, and all the rest. They’ve seen the Tannhauser Gate, but are they robots?

March 7, 2016 • 7 minutes • "Blade Runner" • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

47

Thomas and Friends

Living rail cars in Sodor.

February 29, 2016 • 3 minutes • Confusion and delay in Sodor • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

46

Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo

The bots from “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

February 22, 2016 • 2 minutes • MST3K bots • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

45

Nanobots

Enter the realm of the very, very tiny as John and Jason ponder if size matters when it comes to whether something is a robot or not.

February 15, 2016 • 6 minutes • Very tiny machines • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

44

The Internet of Things

Security expert Bruce Schneier said the Internet of Things was a robot, but what does John think?

You can probably guess.

February 8, 2016 • 2 minutes • Bruce Schneier's metaphor • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

43

Daleks and Cybermen

Two enemies wrapped in metal shells from “Doctor Who” face their ultimate foe—the judgment of John Siracusa.

February 1, 2016 • 5 minutes • Doctor Who monsters • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

42

Prince Robot IV

It’s right there in the name of this character from the acclaimed comic book “Saga,” but as we’ve learned, names can be misleading.

January 25, 2016 • 2 minutes • "Saga" • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

41

Burritos

This one seems to have gotten in by mistake.

January 18, 2016 • 1 minute • Sandwich or Not? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

40

Swimming Pool Cleaners

Things that clean your swimming pool: are they Roombas or just dumb hoses? Also, if a toaster can’t be a robot, can a robot be a toaster?

January 11, 2016 • 3 minutes • C-3PO's toaster oven • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

39

Cars (from “Cars”)

If the cars in Pixar’s “Cars” movies aren’t cars, what are they, and where did they come from?

January 4, 2016 • 1 minute • So who made the cars? And where are they? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

38

Podcasts

Just in time for the holidays, some existential questions. Also, could a robot be on a podcast?

December 28, 2015 • 53 seconds • Are you listening to a robot? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

37

Clockwork Droids

Doctor Who’s clockwork repair droids (from the episodes “Girl in the Fireplace” and “Deep Breath”) come under scrutiny. Sure, they start out as robots, but do they become something else..?

December 21, 2015 • 3 minutes • The Reverse Cybog Posit • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

36

Iron Man, Ultron, and Vision

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and specifically “Iron Man 3” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” deep robot-or-not questions about Iron Man’s suits, Ultron, and the Vision.

December 14, 2015 • 4 minutes • Marvel movie robots or not • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

35

Herbie The Love Bug

A Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own!

December 7, 2015 • 2 minutes • Herbie is full of love • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

34

Aperture Science

GlaDOS, Wheatley, turrets, cubes, spheres and more.

November 30, 2015 • 4 minutes • Portal and Portal 2 • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

33

Vicki from “Small Wonder”

She’s a small wonder, pretty and bright with soft curls.
She’s a small wonder, a girl unlike other girls.
She’s a miracle, and I grant you
She’ll enchant you at her sight.
She’s a small wonder, and she’ll make your heart take flight.

She’s fantastic, made of plastic.
Microchips here and there.
She’s a small wonder, brings love and laughter everywhere.

November 23, 2015 • 2 minutes • "Small Wonder" • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

32

Lobot

Cloud City’s majordomo from “The Empire Strikes Back” is in the spotlight.

Lobot

November 16, 2015 • 1 minute • ...or not • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

31

robots.txt

It’s right there in the name, but what about the things that connect to it? And what about when Merlin talks about putting things “in the robot”? We need answers, John!

November 9, 2015 • 1 minute • What's in that Skype window? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

30

Twiki and Dr. Theopolis

We take you back to the days of “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” to debate the show’s two artificial sidekicks.

Twiki and Dr. Theopolis

November 2, 2015 • 6 minutes • Buck Rogers in the 25th Century • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

29

Johnny 5

That little guy from “Short Circuit.”

October 26, 2015 • 1 minute • He's alive! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

28

The TARDIS

The blue box from “Doctor Who” might be sentient, might be alive, but is it a robot?

October 19, 2015 • 4 minutes • They're not built, they're grown • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

27

V’ger

V’ger and the Ilia probe, both from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”. Also, John complains about fake skin on androids.

October 12, 2015 • 9 minutes • Star Trek: The Motion Picture • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

26

Cylons

The metal robots (and their fleshy successors) from the old and new “Battlestar Galactica.”

October 5, 2015 • 9 minutes • Battlestar Galactica • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

25

Home Appliances

What would a toaster have to do in order to be a robot? This episode introduces Siracusa’s Law, which somehow involves kitchen countertops.

September 28, 2015 • 3 minutes • Conceptual toaster questions • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

24

Sasquatch

The bigfoot/sasquatch from “The Six Million Dollar Man.”

September 21, 2015 • 6 minutes • The Six Million Dollar Man • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

23

Space Probes

From golf carts on Mars to New Horizons flying past Pluto, these are impressive machines, but are they robots?

September 14, 2015 • 3 minutes • Doubles! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

22

Hitchbot

He tried to hitch his way across the country, but was dismembered in Philadelphia.

Hitchbot

Image by archier on Flickr.

September 7, 2015 • 1 minute • Dressed up like a ghost • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

21

Droids

Are droids robots? Do they have rights? Is the Empire based on a robo-slave economy?

August 31, 2015 • 6 minutes • The ethics of Star Wars sentience • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

20

Pinocchio

Are we seriously talking about magic here?

August 24, 2015 • 4 minutes • Robots versus magic • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

19

Marvin the Paranoid Android

Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with!

August 17, 2015 • 2 minutes • Life... don't talk to me about life • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

18

Commander Data

Is an android a robot?

August 10, 2015 • 6 minutes • Androids and Robots • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

17

The Terminator

I know now why you humans cry.

August 3, 2015 • 3 minutes • I'll be back • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

16

Siri

So-called intelligent agents.

July 27, 2015 • 57 seconds • What about Jason's iPhone? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

15

The Major

From “Ghost in the Shell,” a human brain in a mechanical body. And what about uploaded brains and bodies?

July 20, 2015 • 2 minutes • Human brains, mechanical bodies • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

14

Jaegers

Big robots with people inside, as seen in “Shogun Warriors” and “Pacific Rim.”

July 13, 2015 • 4 minutes • Big robots with little people inside • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

13

Transformers

Like the song says.

July 7, 2015 • 3 minutes • Robots in disguise? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

12

USS Enterprise

The main computer of the USS Enterprise.

July 2, 2015 • 3 minutes • Hello, Computer! • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

11

KITT

The “Knight Rider” car is cool, but is it a robot? What about KITT’s evil twin, KARR? Also, the dark pre-history of Pixar’s “Cars.”

June 29, 2015 • 6 minutes • Knight Rider • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

10

ASIMO

Honda’s ASIMO, Sony’s AIBO, and other cute things that can do The Robot dance. Also, our Radio Shack memories.

June 25, 2015 • 2 minutes • Toy robots • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

9

Assembly-Line Robots

Look for the union label.

June 22, 2015 • 3 minutes • Titans of industry • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

8

Roomba

Does a self-guided vacuum cleaner cross John’s minimum bar for a robot? And what does that have to do with ants and dogs?

June 19, 2015 • 3 minutes • The lowest possible form of robot? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

7

Telepresence Robots

They’re funny, but are they robots?

June 15, 2015 • 53 seconds • Skype isn't a robot • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

6

Self-Driving Cars

Pondering sentient Google cars, Johnny Cab, and autopilots.

June 10, 2015 • 5 minutes • Are they robots or marketing? • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

5

Emotions

The greatest prog rock album ever made.

June 4, 2015 • 48 seconds • Love and other robots • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

4

K-9

John and Jason try to understand robot dogs. Plus, a trip through old “Doctor Who” episodes.

June 2, 2015 • 2 minutes • Tin dogs • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

3

Darth Vader

Cyborgs and robots and humans—how do we tell these things apart?

May 29, 2015 • 2 minutes • Cyborgs and Sith Lords • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

2

Service Kiosks

John’s position on supermarket self-checkout machines, Jason’s need for beer when he visits his in-laws, and whether attaching arms to things makes them robots.

May 25, 2015 • 4 minutes • Supermarket self check-out and ATMs • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

1

Mr. Roboto

We explain why we’re here, and then discuss the protagonist of Styx’s 1983 album “Kilroy Was Here.”

May 22, 2015 • 5 minutes • Domo Arigato • John Siracusa and Jason Snell

0

Origin

A flashback to past podcasts, as a way of explaining why this podcast exists.

April 7, 2015 • 6 minutes • How it all started. • John Siracusa and Jason Snell