John Siracusa and Jason Snell

Robot or Not?

Society EN ↓ 356 episodes

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.

Author

John Siracusa and Jason Snell

Category

Society

Podcast website

www.theincomparable.com

Latest episode

Jul 7, 2026

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Episodes

30: Twiki and Dr. Theopolis 02.11.2015

We take you back to the days of “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” to debate the show’s two artificial sidekicks.

29: Johnny 5 26.10.2015

That little guy from “Short Circuit.”

28: The TARDIS 19.10.2015

The blue box from “Doctor Who” might be sentient, might be alive, but is it a robot?

27: V'ger 12.10.2015

V’ger and the Ilia probe, both from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”. Also, John complains about fake skin on androids.

26: Cylons 05.10.2015

The metal robots (and their fleshy successors) from the old and new “Battlestar Galactica.”

25: Home Appliances 28.09.2015

What would a toaster have to do in order to be a robot? This episode introduces Siracusa’s Law, which somehow involves kitchen countertops.

24: Sasquatch 21.09.2015

The bigfoot/sasquatch from “The Six Million Dollar Man.”

23: Space Probes 14.09.2015

From golf carts on Mars to New Horizons flying past Pluto, these are impressive machines, but are they robots?

22: Hitchbot 07.09.2015

He tried to hitch his way across the country, but was dismembered in Philadelphia. Image by archier on Flickr.

21: Droids 31.08.2015

Are droids robots? Do they have rights? Is the Empire based on a robo-slave economy?

20: Pinocchio 24.08.2015

Are we seriously talking about magic here?

19: Marvin the Paranoid Android 17.08.2015

Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with!

18: Commander Data 11.08.2015

Is an android a robot?

17: The Terminator 03.08.2015

I know now why you humans cry.

16: Siri 27.07.2015

So-called intelligent agents.

15: The Major 20.07.2015

From “Ghost in the Shell,” a human brain in a mechanical body. And what about uploaded brains and bodies?

14: Jaegers 13.07.2015

Big robots with people inside, as seen in “Shogun Warriors” and “Pacific Rim.”

13: Transformers 07.07.2015

Like the song says.

12: USS Enterprise 02.07.2015

The main computer of the USS Enterprise.

11: KITT 29.06.2015

The “Knight Rider” car is cool, but is it a robot? What about KITT’s evil twin, KARR? Also, the dark pre-history of Pixar’s “Cars.”

10: ASIMO 25.06.2015

Honda’s ASIMO, Sony’s AIBO, and other cute things that can do The Robot dance. Also, our Radio Shack memories.

9: Assembly-Line Robots 22.06.2015

Look for the union label.

8: Roomba 19.06.2015

Does a self-guided vacuum cleaner cross John’s minimum bar for a robot? And what does that have to do with ants and dogs?

7: Telepresence Robots 15.06.2015

They’re funny, but are they robots?

6: Self-Driving Cars 10.06.2015

Pondering sentient Google cars, Johnny Cab, and autopilots.

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