Robot Or Not?

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

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 must you go to be a basement? John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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

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

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

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

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

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? Spooky! John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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

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

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

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 Snell.

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

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

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

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

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”, how do we define what any of this means? I know—let’s ask John. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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

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’s book “Science Comics: Robots and Drones.” John Siracusa and Jason Snell.

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 expiration dates. John Siracusa and Jason Snell.