BJ & Bill The Podcast

This week: BJ is being over-run with guest requests for his organ transplant podcast, The Gift of Life. Guess he's becoming a real "influencer."

Other chats: Football, of course. There was a ton of great action this past weekend. Along wth the NFL, the baseball playoffs are in full swing, and Bill is quite (extremely) torn about who to cheer or the the ALCS - American League Championship Series. It's between his new team, the Tampa Bay Rays, and his old team, the Cleveland Guardians, so you can imagine his issue.

Ai is of course becoming a bigger and bigger part of everyday life... but there's a lot of work yet to be done. Both the guys comments - complained, mostly - about fast-food ordering apps... and how to get the best deals, eateries make you order on the app. Frustrating, especially when some of the restaurant apps out there are - in Bill's words - practically unuseable.

As always, thanks for listening!

Important health updates this week: BJ shared that his wife Susan is recovering from arm surgery, while his son (and our podcast boss) recently spent a few days in the hospital for stomach issues and was diagnosed with a tumor involving his small intestines.

Thankfully, Gentry (the son) is on his road to recovery, but there's gong to be some work involved, for sure. Keep the prayers coming! There's also a "Go Fund Me" campaign to help cover medical costs. 

Meanwhile, the news goes from bad to worse for BJ and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are currently 0-4. This has got BJ announcing he's "done with sports" and will only be watching the Hallmark Channel from now on... hahahha.

Bill shared details about his recent trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee. There's even talk of a move to the area, out of Florida for the first time in 40+ years. Interesting! 

As always, thanks for listening!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For BJ and Bill and their football fandom, that is. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 0-3 to start to the season, but Bill's Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-1.

College football was bit this week, too. The Florida Gators are absolutely making a (renewed) name for themselves in the college game. 

Speaking of football, BJ talked about visiting his brother-in-laws house in Fort Myers, and learning first hand what life in front of the TV is like, when someone else is in charge of the TV "clicker."

Lastly, Bill has some travel plans, with a quick road trip to Blue Ridge, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee coming up. 

As always, thanks for listening!

Disapointment... that's all there is to say about football this past weekend for BJ and Bill. The only winner over the past weekend was the University of Florida Gators. Tampa Bay Bucs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dophins all lost... and of yeah, FSU Seminoles, too.

Medical news, BJ talked about his wife's scheduled surgery to repair a badly broken arm this week.

The conversation also covered Bill's new Tech Made Friendly newsletter and the use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Eleven Labs for content creation and voice work. 

Opening weekend for the NFL! Normally, a very exciting time of year. This time... lelt's just say it was a mixed bag. With the Bucs losing and the Jags winning here in Florida, the boys had plenty to talk about.

Even bigger news... BJ shared the story of his wife having a slip-and-fall accident, leading to a broken arm and other injuries, and a night in the hospital. Not fun, but she's on the road to recovery. 

That led to a bigger talk on health, aging, and taking care of oursevles in our- shall we say - later years. 

That and lots more... it was a busy week! 

We talked about it a week ago, this week, BJ is on the case, finding out in person just what all the fuss is over a "dirty soda." On a recent trip to Sea World with family, our man got to try on for his very own. Verdict? Tune in and find out!

Also this week, plenty of reminiscing about past radio interviews and other guests on their old show, such as Peter Noon, Clint Black, and Randy Wayne White.

BJ mentioned the sales of his book and the possibility of an audiobook. The conversation also covered topics like Hallmark movies, county fairs, and potential places to live, with both expressing a preference for warmer climates. 

It's Episode 202 - on this week's show, BJ and Bill talk about Caitlin Clark of the WNBA and her record-breaking 45-point game this past week. In more sporting news, Spain won the world FIFA soccer championship (or as the Europeans say, "football").

Ai news: BJ shared his new voice-over work on 11 Labs platform, earning his first payment of $12.14. Impressive!

Have you heard of "dirty soda?" Apparently, it's a new thing, and the boys also talked about that... to the point where Bill had to go online and look it up, just to be sure. Yes, it is indeed "a thing." 

Thanks for joining us! 

Wow! Episode 200 of BJ and Bill - The Podcast. Who would have thought it would go this far? Join us for a celebration of (almost) four years of the show. 

Learn how and why it all got started, how the show has matured over the years (Hint: it hasn't), and lots more on days of radio past, the Ai-powered audio future and more.

It's true: Buc-ee's has a competitor! At least one. On the show, the boys talk about Dolly Parton's giant-sized truckstop and travel center in, of course, Tennessee.

As always, a bit of sports, a bit of BJ health and rehab news, and more, including BJ's upcoming 41st wedding anniversary.

Remember, your five-star reviews and comments are always welcome and appreciated. Post your review wherever you get your podcast, and visit us on Facebook. Just do a search for "BJandBillthePodcast" and you'll find us. See you next week! 

Nearing a milestone, for sure! This week, BJ and Bill - The Podcast reached episode number 199! 

Big this week: a couple of rants about the state of the WNBA...and yes, we're talking about our favs, Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. They discussed how the WNBA appears to be damaging its star player relationships and potentially losing fans due to poor officiating and handling of incidents.

The conversation also covered the decline of local radio stations, with BJ reporting that Clear Channel/iHeartRadio had fired the morning show at their Fort Myers station just a month after signing a new contract, highlighting the trend toward voice-tracking and centralized programming. 

There's more, of course. You'll just have to tune in to hear it all... 

BJ and Bill recorded their 198th podcast episode, discussing various personal and professional topics including health updates, family stories, and technology trends. BJ shared that his wife had been sick with a stomach virus and had recovered after eating a Happy Meal, Weird, we kow. History stuff: BJ recounted how he met his second wife while she worked as a receptionist at the radio station, and Bill sharing how he got his first radio job in Fort Myers after being recruited from Ohio University.  A bit of talk about AI, too. How BJ is posting his "voice" (computer generatred) on a website where others can use it for anything they need, and he gets paid for the process. Nice!

In episode 197 of BJ and Bill the Podcast, Bill and BJ discussed recent sports events including the Stanley Cup Finals won by the Carolina Hurricanes, the New York Knicks winning their first NBA championship in 53 years, and Denny Hamlin's NASCAR victory at Pocono.

BJ shared updates about his health challenges, including having three different cardiologists (transplant, stent, and electrical) who don't fully agree on his cardiac rehab, leading him to decide to stop the exercise program due to concerns about low blood pressure and potential bleeding risks.

The conversation then shifted to AI technology, with BJ revealing he had created a new podcast called "The Story Vault" using an AI voice clone of himself, which he had developed through Eleven Labs to potentially continue his organ donation advocacy podcast after his passing. 

Interesting show! After a bit of (the usual) latest news on BJ's health and related issues, there's quite an interesting talk on communication (or lack of it) within families. Seems BJ and Bill had very different experiences growing up, and even into adult life when it came to having open, honest communications with family.

Parents - how often do you communicate with your kids? Yet another big difference berween BJ and Bill. Of course Bill doesn't have any children, so that's not a true comparison, but BJ had quite a bit to say about staying in touch with his kids. Heck, he and his wife moved to the Orlando area to be nearer one his their children.

There was also a good story from Bill about a the "working relationship" he's created with his ChatGPT Ai. Together, the two of them (Bill and the Ai) solved a pesky website issue that had been bugging Bill for quite some time. 

This episode of BJ and Bill the Podcast marked their 195th episode, where the hosts discussed various personal and technical topics.

Bill shared his experience using AI to solve HTML coding problems, while BJ discussed his recent visit to his son's home in Fort Myers - in time to attend his granddaughter's high school graduation.

That led to a bit of a discussion on the merits of higher education, to use the cliche. When BJ and Bill graduated from high school, the college "thing" was pretty important. Is it still? Good question!

Other stuff: BJ discovered one drawback of using the Tesla charging station for his Ionic 5. The boys also talked a bit of sports (as always), and more. 

On the show this week: BJ talks about this fancy "cardiac rehab" he's going through... but how old grandmotherly-types are kicking his butt in the exercise department. Good for physical health, not so much for mental health (grin).

There's a bit of talk and rememberance for NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who died tragically last week after a fast-developing illness. The boys talked about the emotional tribute held during the Coca-Cola 600 race, including how the racing community honored his family with a trackside ceremony.

Have you seen BJ's AI-art creations for the podcast? Check out our Facebook page! Just do a search for "BJ and Bill the Podcast" on FB. And yes, you have to type it all out... there are imposters out there!

It's been a good week (sports-wise) for Bill... hopefully it still is as you read this Bill's Cleveland Cavaleirs of the NBA won their series with the Detroit Pistons, and now face the New York Knicks for the Eastern division title, and the chance to go to the NBA Finals. Exciting! 

BJ recently celebrated birthday #71... at a Disney-themed town called Celebration. How appropriate!

Both talked about summer vacation plans. Nothing carved in stone just yet... stay tuned.

The real fun came when BJ talked about asking some Ai chatbot about "famous" radio DJ's from Florida. Guess who came up on the list! Guess you'll have to hear for yourself...

So.. it's been a while since we had a "medical" show, so we're making up for it now. BJ takes soem time to talk about his latest medical adventure. Yes, there's some surgery, but also something new - his medical team's decision that our man needs to be doing some phyical therapy, in the form of daily exercises.

Consumer note: If you see pictures of BJ working out on the social media outlets, rest assured they are (all of them, we're sure) Ai - generated.

Other notes: Talk of (again) electric cars, and the question of how much do those roadside plug-in places made (dollars and cents) selling electricity, rather than gas. Inquiring minds want to know!

After some time away from the subject, this week's exciting episode was chock-full of BJ medical stuff... he recently had (yet another) heart stent check, followed by cardiac rehabilitation exercises and dietary recommendations.

Closer to home and computer, BJ shared his experience with new UV protection glasses and his electric car, which still is getting Bill's attention and consideration (the electric car, that is, not the glasses).

The conversation also touched on various topics including insurance savings, self-driving cars, and dietary restrictions recommended by BJ's doctor, particularly regarding egg consumption. Crazy, we know. 

Great news! BJ has finally - FINALLY - taken delivery of his new car. If you've been following the show, you know the long and winding road he's been on to get his shiny new wheels. Well, it's finally done. Not exactly as planned - nowhere near as planned, to be honest - but at least the drama is over.

Also this week, Bill discovers and immediately falls in love with WalMart Home Delivery. One of those things - like a backup camera in a car - that you didn't know you needed until you got it... and now you can't live without it.

Lastly, Bill and his partner are now a singe-car family. Bill is considering an electric bike to get him too and from pickleball, when his partner Mary is working. Stay tuned!