Robot Or Not?

Listener Beth seeks enlightenment about what makes something a photo. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Listener Isaac wants us to judge if a certain “floating bridge” is actually a ferry. This leads, of course, to a discussion of infinite bridges and whether a fairy is a ferry in California. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

If robots at a grocery-store warehouse works in tandem, are they robots? If they have a hive mind, are they still robots? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Singular or plural? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

When you see an org chart and money changes hands, your spirituality has become something else. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Should we really spring forward and fall back? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

When do you run the dishwasher? Do you rinse the dishes first? And wouldn’t it be nice if our dishwashers were robots? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Do you always start watching at the beginning? And do you have to watch till the end? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

The strange case of the burrito sandwich. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

What is the shape of a dog? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Tim Cook thinks that self-driving cars are robots. Does John want to revisit his opinion? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Has the pandemic made John reconsider some of his previous rulings? (One guess.) John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Not all pickles are pickles, and not all relish is pickle relish. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

What divides pots from pans? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Chances are pretty good that the peanut butter you eat is terrible. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

A very unfortunate bagel on either side of the Atlantic. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

Is a book a bound, printed collection of pages, or is it something more? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the robot, happy stuff: When does the apocalypse start, and when do we reach post-apocalyptic times? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

We celebrate our 200th episode by going back to where it all started—news about whether something is a robot or not. Also, we may have inadvertently started a religion. (Congratulations, Listener Eric!) John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

In the spirit of the season, we discuss when a Christmas tree is dead. (Thanks to Listener Darran.) John Siracusa and Jason Snell.