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.
354 Tennis Robot (Derogatory)
Just in time for Wimbledon, Listener Muhammad provides a “tennis robot” for us to judge. We issue a judgment, but we’re not particularly happy about it.
Previous Episodes
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June 29, 2026353 Stuffing/Dressing
Listener Wes has a Scotland-based observation about whether baked potatoes are stuffed or dressed. Seems straightforward, innit?
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June 22, 2026
352 ‘Wolf-Inspired’ Robot
Listener Santiago wonders if a ‘wolf-inspired’ vehicle from Kawasaki is a robot, a metal horse, or just a vehicle.
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June 15, 2026
351 Cobot
Listener Paul has heard the term “cobot” to refer to “collaborative robots,” but can a robot that requires a human to function really be a robot?
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June 8, 2026
350 Pasta Sauce
Listener Griffin wonders what you could put on pasta that would arguably make it a sauce. John probably considers this sacrilege, but here we are.
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June 1, 2026
349 Video Game
Listeners Mark and Matt wants to know if everything on a screen is a video game. Jason ponders the idea that a PDF printout of a crossword puzzle could be a video game. John says that he is being silly and he should take these questions more seriously.
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May 25, 2026
348 Colloquial Robot
Listener Matt has caught John in a trap, because once on ATP John referred to something as a robot that is not a robot. Does John use his own definitions in real life? Are podcasts real life? What is the meaning of this?!
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May 18, 2026
347 Official
Unofficial Fan of “Robot or Not” Alexander wants to know what makes something official. Why are David Smith’s transcripts of The Talk Show “unofficial” if John Gruber links to them?
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May 11, 2026
346 Pizza Wheel
Listener Ed doesn’t keep his pizza wheel in his knife, but it’s got a blade and cuts things. What makes a knife a knife?
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May 4, 2026
345 Wearable Robot
Listener Caleb saw an ergonomics assistance backpack at a trade show, advertised as a robot. Can you wear… a robot?
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April 27, 2026
344 Look-Up
Listener Jason used ChatGPT to find information that answered a colleague’s question. But did he “look it up?”