I actually paid for some timer recording software so that I could use my computer to record Stern every morning. That software, Total Recorder, was lost when my hard drive went down. So when the Dell arrived yesterday, I was afraid that I would have to buy the software again. Much to my surprise I went to the software website and found that a newer version was available, with a free upgrade for people who had already registered! Great, but I lost the registration number with the hard drive. No problem, as I would receive a new number anyway by giving them my email address. Success! And it is a major upgrade over the previous version, all without spending another dollar. If only all software companies were this friendly to the user.
Speaking of recording Stern, I am glad that I have Sirius (thanks Christy). With the longer driving trip into work since we moved, it has helped me to keep my sanity. Stern's show is run 4 times a day, so it is always on when I am in the car. The shows are 5 hours+, which makes up for the four day work weeks that he often takes. And sidekick Artie Lange has become the star of the show thanks to the lack of censorship restrictions. His first year on the show was really shaky. I was hoping that Jackie "the comedy punching bag" Martling would return, if only because it was so funny when everyone would goof on him. But Artie's stories about his quadraplegic dad, his Mad Tv period when he was strung out on coke and took a swing at a cop, and his on again/off-again relationship with his girlfriend who gave him an ultimatum that he see a shrink (he didn't), and his current feud with the long ago washed up Dice Clay over not getting paid for a comedy show have made the show not only great but compelling. And with Artie, none of this is an act.
The one big negative with the show this year was the re-recording of a few old Stern bits that were lost when Stern moved to satellite radio---Stern did not have the right to play any of his old tapes at the new place. These new recordings just weren't the same. Hopefully they will never be played again, since recently Stern aquired the rights to all his old tapes, making the new recordings unnecessary. He really should start another channel now that plays the old shows, but he seems resistant to this. He was also resistant to the idea of the day's show playing 24 hours and gave in (and now admits it was a good idea), so maybe he'll give in on this too.
