Robot or Not?

By John Siracusa and Jason Snell

What's Robot or Not? about?

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 [email protected].

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Robot or Not? episodes:

04.15.2024
285: Theme Songs / Skip Intro
We follow up on some feedback about our theme songs, and theme songs in general, while taking on whether we use the Skip Intro button when we should be listening to TV theme songs. To become a member and hear...
03.28.2024
284: ⚾️ Robot Umps ⚾️
It’s baseball’s Opening Day, so here’s our discussion of automated balls and strikes, also known as “Robot Umps,” how they relate to automated Hawk-Eye tennis calls, and why we won’t ever know how good human umpires could actually be....
03.14.2024
283: (Pizza) Pie
Fresh out of the oven for Pi Day, here’s a discussion of who exactly thinks pizza is a pie....
03.04.2024
282: Places You've Been
Do you have to leave the airport or get out of the car to claim you’ve been somewhere? (And are you under oath?)...
02.19.2024
281: Killer Robot
Listener Kent is building actual killer robots....
02.05.2024
280: Hat
What makes a hat a hat?...
01.22.2024
279: Streets
I want to run, I want to hide, I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside. Sometimes the streets have no name, but other times they are named roads, or avenues, or boulevards, or drives. What does...
01.08.2024
278: Spatula
Spatulas, scrapers, flippers, and home economics....
12.25.2023
277: Coffee
A question about cold brew coffee makes us question everything about coffee. Is everything coffee? Probably not....
12.11.2023
276: Italian Ice
A perfectly normal discussion of Italian Ice takes a left turn and goes into outer space, where other ices are available....
11.27.2023
275: Musician
When is someone a musician? Are DJs musicians? And more importantly, are John and Jason musicians?...
11.13.2023
274: Avoid All Robots
Some timely news regarding a university warning its community members to “avoid all robots.”...
10.30.2023
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.)...
10.16.2023
272: Spoiler Policy
Listener Nick wonders what John’s policy on spoilers is. (Spoilers for “Romeo and Juliet” and “Citizen Kane.”)...
10.02.2023
271: Nachos
Hold on, John, Jason’s got this one....
09.26.2023
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...
09.18.2023
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....
09.04.2023
269: The Worst
Listener Andrew is worried that things we say are “the worst” are really just bad....
08.22.2023
267: Hiatus
Listener Magnus is concerned that his favorite podcast is on hiatus. When is something on hiatus and when is it cancelled?...
08.07.2023
266: AI Camerabot
Finally we talk about robots again. If a robot controls a camera, is it a camera robot?...
07.24.2023
265: Frown
☹️...
07.07.2023
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.)...
06.26.2023
263: Shade
This time we’re throwing shade. But do sunglasses?...
06.12.2023
262: Keys
If any device can open a door, is every device a key?...
05.29.2023
261: Buildings
A chair is not a house and house is not a home, but is a house a building? And what about gazebos?...
05.15.2023
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....
05.01.2023
259: Ports
Don’t anthromorphize ports. They hate that....
04.17.2023
258: Beach
Where do beaches exist? And what materials do they need to be comprised of?...
04.03.2023
257: Island
The difference between islands and continents, and also why Pluto can be a planet if you want to lower your standards....
03.20.2023
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?...
03.06.2023
255: Ice
Listener Chris clues us into an important ice safety campaign....
02.20.2023
254: Shoes
Shoes, socks, sandals, boots. Footwear is complicated....
02.06.2023
253: University
What makes a university? Is it the buildings, or the people, or the big hole you throw money into?...
01.23.2023
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....
01.09.2023
251: Happy New Year
Are we too late to say it?...
12.26.2022
250: Roomba Update
Some deeper questions about whether certain Roomba behavior makes it more or less of a robot....
12.12.2022
249: Blaine the Mono
Blaine is a pain, and that is the truth....
11.28.2022
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....
11.14.2022
247: Garlic
Is garlic a vegetable, an herb, a spice, or what?...
10.31.2022
246: Undead Zombie Spider Robots
Spooky!...
10.17.2022
245: Werewolves
If you’re a werewolf, are you a werewolf all the time?...
10.03.2022
244: House or Boat?
It’s a house, but it floats....
09.19.2022
243: Wheels and Doors
Sometimes, everyone on the Internet wants John’s opinion....
09.05.2022
242: A Group of Robots
When robots flock together naturally, will humans give them a name? Or will we be too busy dying?...
08.22.2022
241: Voltron
Many robots, one robot, or no robots?...
08.08.2022
240: Holes in a Straw
Topology can be tricky....
07.25.2022
239: Monolith
It’s a big thing in the middle of nowhere. Does it need to be a rock to be a monolith?...
07.11.2022
238: Electronic vs. Electric
When is something electronic, and when is it electric?...
06.27.2022
237: Cameos
Is that just a really short acting part, or is it only a cameo?...
06.13.2022
236: Stay-at-Home Moms
We salute all Moms, no matter their classification....

What's Robot or Not? about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Robot or Not? episodes:

285: Theme Songs / Skip Intro

284: ⚾️ Robot Umps ⚾️

283: (Pizza) Pie

282: Places You've Been

281: Killer Robot

280: Hat

279: Streets

278: Spatula

277: Coffee

276: Italian Ice

275: Musician

274: Avoid All Robots

273: Lies

272: Spoiler Policy

271: Nachos

270: Relay FM Podcastathon Special

268: Sigh

269: The Worst

267: Hiatus

266: AI Camerabot

265: Frown

264: Cookie Dough

263: Shade

262: Keys

261: Buildings

260: Dish v. Plate (revisited)

259: Ports

258: Beach

257: Island

256: Stepmom

255: Ice

254: Shoes

253: University

252: Friend of the Show

251: Happy New Year

250: Roomba Update

249: Blaine the Mono

248: The Follow-Up Episode

247: Garlic

246: Undead Zombie Spider Robots

245: Werewolves

244: House or Boat?

243: Wheels and Doors

242: A Group of Robots

241: Voltron

240: Holes in a Straw

239: Monolith

238: Electronic vs. Electric

237: Cameos

236: Stay-at-Home Moms