Robot or Not?

Эпизоды

• 353: Stuffing/Dressing 29.06.2026 4мин

  Listener Wes has a Scotland-based observation about whether baked potatoes are stuffed or dressed. Seems straightforward, innit?...
• 352: 'Wolf-Inspired' Robot 22.06.2026 3мин

  Listener Santiago wonders if a ‘wolf-inspired’ vehicle from Kawasaki is a robot, a metal horse, or just a vehicle....
• 351: Cobot 15.06.2026 3мин

  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?...
• 350: Pasta Sauce 08.06.2026 5мин

  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....
• 349: Video Game 01.06.2026 5мин

  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....
• 348: Colloquial Robot 25.05.2026 2мин

  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?!...
• 347: Official 18.05.2026 5мин

  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?...
• 346: Pizza Wheel 11.05.2026 1мин

  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?...
• 345: Wearable Robot 04.05.2026 1мин

  Listener Caleb saw an ergonomics assistance backpack at a trade show, advertised as a robot. Can you wear… a robot?...
• 344: Look-Up 27.04.2026 3мин

  Listener Jason used ChatGPT to find information that answered a colleague’s question. But did he “look it up?”...
• 343: Pizza Robot 20.04.2026 7мин

  Live from Estes Park, Colorado, listener Kyle has eaten at a pizza place where his food was delivered via a robot! But… is it a robot, or not? After a swift verdict, John and Jason then spend far more time digging deep on Antonio’s Pizza and what sort of pizza it provides to the people of Colorado....
• 342: Superhero Naming Conventions 13.04.2026 4мин

  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?...
• 341: Life on the Moon (and Mars?) 07.04.2026 2мин

  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?...
• 340: Out of Pocket 23.03.2026 3мин

  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....
• 339: Can 16.03.2026 4мин

  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....
• 338: Facial Hair 09.03.2026 1мин

  Listener Justin tries to get us to stretch the definition of “facial hair” beyond the beard....
• 337: Shirt 02.03.2026 2мин

  Listener Roy brings us into his debate with his teenage son about what makes a shirt a shirt....
• 336: Building 23.02.2026 2мин

  Listener Jack wants to know if a few famous gates and statues are also buildings....
• 335: Pop-Tart Pie 16.02.2026 4мин

  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....
• 334: Open-Faced Sandwiches and French Bread Pizzas 09.02.2026 6мин

  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....