Robot or Not?

342: Superhero Naming Conventions

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 R...

341: Life on the Moon (and Mars?)

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

340: Out of Pocket

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

339: Can

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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. John Siracusa and Jason Sne...

338: Facial Hair

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Justin tries to get us to stretch the definition of “facial hair” beyond the beard. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

337: Shirt

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Roy brings us into his debate with his teenage son about what makes a shirt a shirt. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

336: Building

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Jack wants to know if a few famous gates and statues are also buildings. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

335: Pop-Tart Pie

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Gregory thinks Pop-Tarts are pies. We have ratio questions. Also: We remember so many burned palates caused by calzones and McDonald’s frui...

334: Open-Faced Sandwiches and French Bread Pizzas

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

333: Scrolling

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Scott’s wife sure has a strange definition of which way is up. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

332: Basement

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

331: Supercars and Hypercars

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Host John Siracusa asks himself to discuss the difference between Supercars and Hypercars, while Jason looks on. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

330: Sleigh

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The difference between a slegh and a sled. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

329: Charger follow-up

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener William challenges our ruling about chargers and we get deep into the weeds of car charging. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

328: Hoodie

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Hackett has called us out and requests John’s ruling. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

327: Blogs

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s a blog, and what’s a news outlet? Are Jason and John bloggers? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

326: Spiders and Other Bugs

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Kev needs us to unpack John’s comment about “spiders and other bugs.” Does that mean spiders are bugs? And what are the other bugs? Spo...

325: Wire

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

324: Landscaper

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Who scapes the lands? Who gardens the gardens? Who mows and who blows? Not us! John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

323: Pasta Roundup

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

322: Vehicle

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

321: Glass

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can a drinking glass be made out of plastic? Or is it just a cup? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

320: Parasol

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

319: Market

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

318: Charger

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Eric really needs his kids to differentiate between charger blocks and charging cables. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

317: AI Hype

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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”,...

316: Spacesuits

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Lorne asks what makes a spacesuit a spacesuit, and it gets complicated in a hurry. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

315: 10th Anniversary Episode

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s get back to basics. We celebrate our improbable 10th anniversary with a letter from Listener Scott, who has a lot of questions about his son’...

314: Bay Leaf

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Paul doubts the efficacy of the Bay Leaf. Host John ponders the longevity of Spices. Host Jason admits to keeping spices 15 years past their ...

313: Tech

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Jason (not host Jason) wants to know if “non-tech items” are really tech items. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

312: Unanchored Buoys

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Ben asks: If a Buoy is unanchored and works hard to stay where it is, is it the Roomba of the seas? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

311: Mushroombot

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Jim wants John to weigh in on the story of the mushroom that was given a robot body, and while that does sound fascinating, the answer seems ...

310: Arc

22 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Victor brings us a question from another “or Not?” podcast about how many points are required to make something a story, episode, or char...

309: Flying

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listeners Joshua and Matthias want to know about flying in (or on) an airplane. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

308: Gibson Robot Guitar

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Jason (not that one) wants to know if the Gibson Robot Guitar is just trying to jump on the robot bandwagon as a form of fancy marketing. Joh...

307: Sandwich Legal Update II

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two listeners have requested that we revisit recent court and podcast rulings regarding the definition of a sandwich. Also, Jason details his meager h...

306: Roomba-like Items

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the end, the Grain Weevils and robot lawn mowers come for us all. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

305: Console

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is a Game Boy a game console? What about a Switch? Can a handheld gaming device also be a console? What makes something a console? John Siracusa and J...

304: Calendar Year

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Alexander has seen through the calendar’s deceptions and wants to know why any old day couldn’t be the start of a new year. When does the...

303: Tipping

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Ben and his sister-in-law have come up with a sophisticated system of rules for when and when not to leave a gratuity. But someone else may h...

302: Sandwich Legal Update

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many listeners are concerned about recent legal rulings that suggest tacos and burritos are sandwiches. But we all know who the real voice of authorit...

301: Fan/Light

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Patrick is concerned about taxonomy, most particularly involving fans that are also lights. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

300: Fast Food

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many different ways to define fast food. Is pizza fast food? Also, Jason has a story about the Shake Shake in the Minneapolis airport. Jo...

299: Window

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I can see clearly now. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

298: Henchman

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As so often happens with us, discussions of evil henchman end up becoming discussions of legal employment status. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

297: Relay Podcastathon Special 2024

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Live from the Relay Podcastathon, Jason and special guest Casey Liss ask John a bunch of questions from the Robot Or Not question list. Topics includ...

296: Catchphrase

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Oh, Listener Sean wants to know about catchphrases! Well, isn’t that special? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

295: Homepods and Other Robots (or Not)

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a rare timely episode, John and Jason discuss a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that Apple is designing a series of robots, including a “ro...

294: Double Space

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Daniel would like John’s blessing for his practice of putting two spaces after every sentence he types. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

293: Severe Weather

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Arne received a severe weather alert for a fire. Fires are very bad, but are they weather? Are some natural disasters weather, and others not...

292: Tea

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is “truffle mushroom tea” just a soup? Did a fancy New York restaurant play a trick on Listener David and his wife? And what is tea, really? John ...

291: Hawaiian Shirts

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are Hawaiian shirts just fun to wear, or are they cultural appropriation? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

290: Airport Wheelchair

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Erik sent us this video of self-navigating wheelchairs in the Miami Airport. Does the Roomba Rule apply? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

289: Vending Machine

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Friend of the show Frank is seeking to delineate when something is a “vending machine” and when it’s just a machine that vends. John Siracusa an...

288: El Camino

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to Friend of the Show Casey, we’re talking about weird cars and car classes again. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

287: Autonomous Excavator

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Ivan sent in a link to an autonomous excavator that assembled a six-foot wall out of rocks. Is it the Roomba of construction materials?! John...

286: Dishwashing Methods

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A tale of dishwashers and large sinks. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

285: Theme Songs / Skip Intro

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

284: ⚾️ Robot Umps ⚾️

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 automat...

283: (Pizza) Pie

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh out of the oven for Pi Day, here’s a discussion of who exactly thinks pizza is a pie. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

282: Places You've Been

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have to leave the airport or get out of the car to claim you’ve been somewhere? (And are you under oath?) John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

281: Killer Robot

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Kent is building actual killer robots. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

280: Hat

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a hat a hat? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

279: Streets

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 r...

278: Spatula

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Spatulas, scrapers, flippers, and home economics. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

277: Coffee

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A question about cold brew coffee makes us question everything about coffee. Is everything coffee? Probably not. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

276: Italian Ice

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A perfectly normal discussion of Italian Ice takes a left turn and goes into outer space, where other ices are available. John Siracusa and Jason Snel...

275: Musician

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When is someone a musician? Are DJs musicians? And more importantly, are John and Jason musicians? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

274: Avoid All Robots

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some timely news regarding a university warning its community members to “avoid all robots.” John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

273: Lies

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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.) Jo...

272: Spoiler Policy

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Nick wonders what John’s policy on spoilers is. (Spoilers for “Romeo and Juliet” and “Citizen Kane.”) John Siracusa and Jason Snell...

271: Nachos

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hold on, John, Jason’s got this one. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

270: Relay FM Podcastathon Special

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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. Topic...

268: Sigh

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

269: The Worst

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Andrew is worried that things we say are “the worst” are really just bad. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

267: Hiatus

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Magnus is concerned that his favorite podcast is on hiatus. When is something on hiatus and when is it cancelled? John Siracusa and Jason Sne...

266: AI Camerabot

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Finally we talk about robots again. If a robot controls a camera, is it a camera robot? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

265: Frown

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

☹️ John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

264: Cookie Dough

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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.) Jo...

263: Shade

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This time we’re throwing shade. But do sunglasses? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

262: Keys

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If any device can open a door, is every device a key? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

261: Buildings

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A chair is not a house and house is not a home, but is a house a building? And what about gazebos? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

260: Dish v. Plate (revisited)

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 relat...

259: Ports

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Don’t anthromorphize ports. They hate that. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

258: Beach

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where do beaches exist? And what materials do they need to be comprised of? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

257: Island

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The difference between islands and continents, and also why Pluto can be a planet if you want to lower your standards. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

256: Stepmom

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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? John Siracusa...

255: Ice

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Chris clues us into an important ice safety campaign. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

254: Shoes

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shoes, socks, sandals, boots. Footwear is complicated. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

253: University

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a university? Is it the buildings, or the people, or the big hole you throw money into? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

252: Friend of the Show

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Rob and Listener Reiner, who are not Director Rob Reiner, want to know if they are Friends of the Show. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

251: Happy New Year

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are we too late to say it? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

250: Roomba Update

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some deeper questions about whether certain Roomba behavior makes it more or less of a robot. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

249: Blaine the Mono

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Blaine is a pain, and that is the truth. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

248: The Follow-Up Episode

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the very first time, we do some housekeeping about holes, Russian robots, salad, genocide, Voltron, and available sales leads. John Siracusa and J...

247: Garlic

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is garlic a vegetable, an herb, a spice, or what? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

246: Undead Zombie Spider Robots

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Spooky! John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

245: Werewolves

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a werewolf, are you a werewolf all the time? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

244: House or Boat?

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a house, but it floats. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

243: Wheels and Doors

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, everyone on the Internet wants John’s opinion. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.