Episode 38

Stream Sports on TuneIn for $2.99 a Month

Alex is Getting Brief Mode is Coming

This is an experimental feature not available everywhere. Settings > Alexa Voice Response (at the very bottom)

Alexa Can Fart On Command

Just say, "Alexa Fart." Yep, this should be a big hit with the kids.

Taking Another Look At Alexa Routines
  1. Launch the Amazon Alexa app on your phone, tap the hamburger and select Routines.
  2. Routines can be triggered by a phrase, or set to turn on at a specific time (repeat options for multiple days are available). 
  3. Then you put in what you want her to do (so it's a big if this then that statement

For me I say, "Alexa, kill the lights," and all of my smart lights go out and she tells me the weather (as I plan on using this when I get ready to leave). I did find I couldn't use it with things that she already had built in. For example, "Alexa, I'm outa here" already had a built-in response. 

There are other ways I could do this. I could assign the lights to a room and ask her to turn of a room or scene. You can also have her tell you the traffic and news. 

Alexa Owners Get a Discount on TuneIn Live

Alexa customers in the U.S. TuneIn Live, as the premium live audio subscription is called, will offer play-by-play calls from thousands of live sporting events, plus access to premium news stations, talk shows and other content. The subscription content comes from TuneIn partners like MLB, NBA, NHL, and the NFL, as well as news stations like CNBC, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Newsy, and others. he broader TuneIn service also pulls in content from over 120,000 owned and operated as well as partner radio stations, and 5.7 million on-demand programs

The skill can be enabled on Alexa device with the command, “Alexa, open TuneIn Live.”

TuneIn Live is available as of today, Major League Baseball’s 2018 Opening Day.

This isn't the first time there has been a discount applied to Alexa users. The Amazon Music Unlimited Echo Plan lets Amazon Echo owners access all the benefits from Amazon’s on-demand music service on a single Echo device for $3.99 per month, instead of $7.99 per month for Prime members, or $9.99 per month for non-Prime members.

When you open the skill, try asking Alexa:
- Play the Yankees game
- What games are on?
- Listen to the Golden State Warriors
- Turn on MSNBC

Speaking of Discounts, there is a discounted version of Prime 

Amazon announced this morning it will offer a low-cost version of its Prime membership program to qualifying recipients of Medicaid. The program will bring the cost of Prime down from the usual $10.99 per month to about half that, at $5.99 per month, while still offering the full range of Prime perks, including free, two-day shipping on millions of products, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos, Prime Reading, Prime Now, Audible Channels, and more.


The new program is an expansion on Amazon’s discounted Prime service for customers on government assistance, launched in June 2017. For the same price of $5.99 per month, Amazon offers Prime memberships to any U.S. customer with a valid EBT card – the card that’s used to disburse funds for assistance programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC).

 

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About the Podcast

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Alexa Cast | An Unofficial Journey of an Amazon Echo User
Follow the journey of using the Amazon Echo and get power tips and get more out of your Amazon Echo

About your host

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Dave Jackson

Dave Jackson began podcasting in 2005 and launched the School of Podcasting (schoolofpodcasting.com). His School of Podcasting show has over 4.0 million downloads. He has helped hundreds of people plan, launch, and grow their podcasts. He is the author of the book Profit from your podcast and is a featured speaker at events. In 2016 Dave joined Libsyn (the largest podcast hosting company) as part of their tech support team.  In 2018 he was inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame.

Find all his shows at www.powerofpodcasting.com