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.
342 Superhero Naming Conventions
Listener Joshua is really focused on the grammar of Superhero and Supervillain names. Is Batman a bat? Does Doctor Doom have an advanced degree? Can Rogue keep her name while joining the X-Men? Are there any rules at all?
Previous Episodes
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April 7, 2026341 Life on the Moon (and Mars?)
Listener Jack seeks a true definition of what it means when we say “humans will live on the Moon (or Mars).” Does a brief visit count? Do you need to grow your own potatoes?
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March 23, 2026
340 Out of Pocket
Listener Tom really wants us to explain what it means if someone is “out of pocket.” This leads to some existential questions about the pocket and the people who may not be in it.
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March 16, 2026
339 Can
Listener Niels follows on from the logical question of if a glass can be made of plastic to ponder what makes a can a can.
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March 9, 2026
338 Facial Hair
Listener Justin tries to get us to stretch the definition of “facial hair” beyond the beard.
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March 2, 2026
337 Shirt
Listener Roy brings us into his debate with his teenage son about what makes a shirt a shirt.
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February 23, 2026
336 Building
Listener Jack wants to know if a few famous gates and statues are also buildings.
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February 16, 2026
335 Pop-Tart Pie
Listener Gregory thinks Pop-Tarts are pies. We have ratio questions. Also: We remember so many burned palates caused by calzones and McDonald’s fruit pies.
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February 9, 2026
334 Open-Faced Sandwiches and French Bread Pizzas
Listener Gregory tries to confuse us with a question about open-faced sandwiches and pizza. We largely ignore him and talk about different ways to eat things that are like pizza, but aren’t quite pizza.
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February 2, 2026
333 Scrolling
Listener Scott’s wife sure has a strange definition of which way is up.
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January 26, 2026
332 Basement
Listener Joel has discovered some Canadians referring to the first floor of a two-story house as a “basement.” Does this defy all reason? How low must you go to be a basement?