Robot or Not?

Listener Matt can’t stand it when someone calls a USB cable a wire. But what does John think?

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Who scapes the lands? Who gardens the gardens? Who mows and who blows? Not us!

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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John fields some important questions about pasta from listeners Connor, Joshua, and Lee, including the definition of Al Dente and noodles versus pasta.

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Listener Eric asks if vehicles are only motorized, and we ponder how small a thing can be before it’s not a vehicle anymore.

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Can a drinking glass be made out of plastic? Or is it just a cup?

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Summer is in full swing, so Listener Ken has asked us to differentiate between umbrellas and parasols.

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Listener Marc ponders the “VR headset market” and wants to know what makes a market a market.

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Listener Eric really needs his kids to differentiate between charger blocks and charging cables.

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Listener Christian, your time has come. Is an AI Lock the same as a Smart Lock? Or a Fuzzy Logic Lock? When bicycle gear shifters are called “AI”, how do we define what any of this means? I know—let’s ask John.

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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Listener Lorne asks what makes a spacesuit a spacesuit, and it gets complicated in a hurry.

Hosts John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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