Octojuiced

Have we seen the last of this Red Wings tradition?

Honda's Silent Sunday Sale!

So, for all of our Windsor Now listeners, it's no secret that i've been looking to purchase/lease a new or used vehicle. And like many of us, my next vehicle will most definitely be more economical then my 95 Ford Mustang. The question thus far has been WHAT vehicle fits in my budget and gets the BEST fuel economy.

Up until now, i've been absolutely crazy about the Toyota Prius, ever since Toyota had it's Cross Canada Hybrid Test Drive Tour this past summer. Niki and I had gone to the Devonshire Mall parking lot where Toyota had the hybrid test drive outlet all set up. I test drove the Prius, and fell head over heals for it...it's a super cool car. I actually like the design and look of the car. Only downfall........ the price of the vehicle is hard to swallow. I'm not crazy about spending 500+ on a vehicle every month. I do work in radio after all ;)

I'm not really in a rush to get a new vehicle, but if the right deal did come around...I think I would jump at the opportunity.

So this brings me to todays blog!

Let me first say that i'm not a big fan of car shopping (who is)...I always feel pressured by sales people, uncomfortable.... and you always leave wondering if you could have bargained a better deal.

Driving around yesterday (Sunday) on a day when car dealerships are typically closed. Niki and I were heading out for our first rollerblading trip of the season (that's a topic for a whole other blog) and drove by Windsor Honda on Tecumseh Rd East at Lauzon Parkway.

We notice a big sign by the road reading "SILENT SUNDAY SALE".....well, naturally, I get curious ....turn the car around and pull into the Windsor Honda parking lot. Well it turns out Windsor Honda's "SILENT SUNDAY SALE" means there are absolutely no sales staff on site.....but all the cars are unlocked for anyone interested in taking a peak inside the actual vehicles!

Now tell me this isn't the SMARTEST idea you've ever heard! You can take your time, browse, sit inside the actual vehicles, all without needing to worry about sales people peskering over your shoulder!

For someone like me, that was pretty much dead set on a Toyota Prius, Windsor Honda's 'SILENT SUNDAY SALE' may have actually changed my mind! After having checked out the inside of a Honda Civic, and having seen that it gets 50 MPG....and costs nearly $10,000 less then a Prius............

To the folks over at Windsor Honda.....BRILLIANT idea! I drive by your dealership on a daily basis, and if it wasn't for your Silent Sunday Sale, I would have never stopped in :) To all the dealerships...maybe you should consider something similar! It might work out well for everyone.

Now if only I could get a lease for under $200/mth.......TO BE CONTINUED!

Goodbye Cable DVR......HELLO TiVo Canada!!!

Well folks...i've gone and done it! After months of frustrating trouble with my digital cable DVR box, i've turned it in for a TiVo! And HECK am I happy I did!

Before I go any further, let me explain the trouble i've been having with my cable DVR (Digital Video Recorder). As many of my friends and family members can relate, and because i've heard the grumblings from many of you over the past few months. Not to mention i've done my homework and research quite heavily on this topic, i'm not the only one having trouble!

So anyways, i'll cut to the chase. My DVR was not recording many of the shows i'd scheduled, it would clip the start and end of shows, it would just not record scheduled shows...the list goes on and on. Until finally, this past week....2 of the 'Big Brother' (on CBS) shows didn't record....in fact, one of them did "record" but when it came time to sit down and watch, it ended up being an episode of '60 Minutes', although the link read "Big Brother". Anyone who knows me....knows not to mess with my 'Big Brother' LOL

As I mentioned before, i've been doing my homework the past couple months, when after years and years of pent-up demand...TiVo finally came to Canada! As you can imagine, it made the headlines back in late 07. And being the news junky that I am...had to look into it further.

After doing so, I had discovered 2 things......

#1 - TiVo is only releasing the Series2 Box in Canada....which does not support HD (High Def) recording. The reason for this is simple. In order for the TiVo boxes to record in HD, they must be able to read something called a "CableCARD". And at the present time, none of the Canadian cable companies support this technology.

#2 - This TiVo box has a Dual Tuner just like most of our current Canadian Cable DVR boxes do....but it can only record 1 Digital channel and 1 analog channel at once...it can however record 2 analog cable channels at the same time.

Now for many of you, one of these two things (or both) will deter you from even considering TiVo at this time...I can tell you that it did for me at first....but the more and more trouble I was having with my current cable box (which i've had over a year now) the more I kept looking at the TiVo alternative. Until this past week...when I cracked and went out and bought a TiVo!

I know everyone is wondering what I did about the 2 things I had discovered in the previous paragraphs. Well, as for #1 - and the TiVo box not having HD...well upon inquiring with my cable company...I've learned that even though my current DVR was HD compatible....none of the channels I had were in HD..in fact, I would have to pay more for only a select number of available HD channels. So the HD issue did not effect me regardless...that took care of that issue!

And as for the #2 issue - I could have done one of 2 things, I could have kept my digital box and just added on the TiVo box, which would allow me to record 1 analog and 1 digital station at the same time (most of the stations under 80 are analog) OR I could just get rid of the Digital box and downgrade to the standard cable. My plan all this weekend, was to keep the digital box and just add on the TiVo box. BUT!!! after having used the TiVo all weekend without a digital box, i've decided to simply keep the standard cable package and return the digital box all together!!!

YES, I know EVERYONE is asking "Dan what the heck is so special with this TiVo box?.....isn't it basically the same thing?" and..well, the answer is YES! AND NO! Let me explain :)

First of all, the first thing you'll notice with TiVo is the outstanding layout...I really can't explain just how fantastic it is...I can't say enough great things about it. It's so very simple to use, all at the same time, it does TONS more then any other cable or satellite DVR will do. And it does it quickly, easily AND correctly.

One of my favorite features with TiVo is the Online Scheduling! Unlike any other DVR...with TiVo, I can log in online from anywhere and schedule a recording...so if in the middle of our entertainment news, Melanie mentions that 'Shrek' is airing on CTV tonight at 8...I can log in online and schedule it to record automatically! I'll then get an email confirming that my TiVo has received and processed the request!

Another really cool feature with TiVo is the Search feature....with it, you can literally search for any show, actor, director etc... and it will bring anything showing those results up on the screen....furthermore...i'm a huge Martin Sheen fan for example...I can tell TiVo to record absolutely anything with Martin Sheen....so if Martin is scheduled to appear on Letterman, it records it...if he appears on the 'Today Show' it records it......Oprah...it's there! You get the point i'm sure?

Another feature is the 'Thumbs Up' and 'Thumbs Down' buttons on the TiVo remote. As i'm flipping through various shows...if it's a show I really like..I can click on the 'Thumbs Up' button up to 3 times....this tells TiVo that I like this type of show....and on the contrary, if I stumble upon an episode of The Simpsons, which I really don't like...I can click on the 'Thumbs Down' button...to indicate that i'm not crazy about this show. After a while, TiVo learns what I like...and dislike, and it will start taping shows that it thinks i'll really like for me! By the way, any of the features i've mentioned can easily be turned off if the user wishes to do so.

One more thing I forgot to mention, TiVo connects to the internet...this is needed so it can get show guide info....take my online scheduling requests etc.. etc... and because of this, the TiVo guide has the TV schedule for the upcoming 14 days as opposed to the normal 3 or so days with the regular cable/satellite companies.

The internet connection also allows tons of opportunities and features using your computer....my computer and TiVo are networked together...so if I have music, videos, pictures etc.. on my computer, I can easily have them downloaded to my TV via the TiVo menu screen so they can be viewed in the living room!

Another great feature is the 'Season Pass' which the cable/satellite companies offer a simular service (just not as good as TiVo's)....if you know you want to watch every episode of a certain show, you simply click on "Season Pass" and it records every single episode throughout the season...best part of TiVo's 'Season Pass' is unlike the cable/sat companies season recording features, TiVo's Season Pass knows if a network changes the time slot of a show and records the show no matter what time slot it airs....I know a big problem with my old DVR unit was when it wouldn't record the correct show because it was just recording whatever was on at 8pm even though the show had changed to 9pm.

As you can see, I could go ON AND ON AND ON about my new TiVo....to give you a little better understanding of how it works and what it offers, I found a small video on YouTube that gives you a small idea of what TiVo can offer.

And before I finish off this blog (or TiVo infomercial LOLOL) you may be curious about pricing. Well unlike our cable/sat companies boxes which normally cost over $500 to purchase...i've seen some as high as $800. The TiVo box is $199 here in Canada (to own). And there is a monthly fee of $12.95. Which allows you access to the web features, online scheduling, 14 day listing guide etc...and includes the TiVo service upgrades. In my opinion..it's WELL worth the few bucks per month. I personally was paying $20/mth to RENT the cable companies DVR box...so i'm saving a few bucks per month AND I own my TiVo.

Anyone wanting to find more info can visit TiVo's website at http://www.tivo.com/ or the Canadian portion of the site HERE.

Amazing Dog Video

Here's the video Mel mentioned on today's show with regards to the dog with only 2 legs.

April Fools! 'AM800X'

I was astounded by the amount of emails, voicemails and calls we received with regards to our 4 hour format change to AM800X on Monday! You must admit, that was good.....after having heard from many of you throughout the day, it's clear that AM800 CKLW is a truly loved station. I was getting calls past 6pm from people inquiring about why we had changed formats. Some of you even called to apologize for having yelled at our poor morning show producer Shawn earlier in the morning. All in all it was a great April Fool's joke. I hope all of you enjoyed the REST of your day.

Thanks again from all of us here at AM800X - where we have 'Less Talk, More Rock' LOL

Oh and by the way, some of you called yesterday after having heard rumours that Kingsville had officially changed it's name to 'Hockeyville'. I unfortunately don't have any updates for you as of this moment.....keep it tuned to Windsor Now for up to the minute updates on this story ;)