Dot to Dot - the daily 5min Alexa demo show

Opened with "100 pushups" this skill will get you pumping those pecks (or whatever body part you substitute) over the next six weeks. Will you join me on the challenge? Seriously. If you want to commit with me then you can tweet to #DTDPod or email me at [email protected] (or just promise yourself) but we *will* be checking in mid-Feb so please do come along with me on the journey.

Happy new year everyone!! Both enabled and opened with "Five minute workout," today's skill is for everyone who wants to trim down in the mid-section, drive up their fitness and start their year off with a bang. It isn't at all for any of those people out there who are weak-willed, lilly-livered, yellow-bellied wimps of the first order who don't want to make any improvements at all in 2019. Is that what they call 'trash talk'? Here's hoping it helps liven up any of you lazy cats that are still on the fence.

First Phillip Chalker shows us how the A-lady Down Under so deftly counts in the new year, then we get a quick insight into what that sweet but mysterious annual song could possibly mean from 'When Harry Met Sally'.

Happy episode 700 guys! It's new year's eve and time to think about starting 2019 with some really stunning resolutions. Bob's back to help us ring in the new with some hot hints for habits that'll make the year to come a real corker.

OK - want to be insulted every which way from now till next Christmas? Yes? Well today's two skills should come in handy. The first is invoked with "Start being mean" and the second simply "Insult Bot". Big thanks to Patrick Steggle ([email protected]) for bringing us such superb slights from the A-lady.

Some built-in top tips today. "What can I say?" gives general tips on useful things to ask. "Teach me something," serves up fact-related skills. "Help me workout," will help burn off those Christmas calories. (actually, saying that will probably only burn off around a thousandth of a calory - you'll have to actually use the skills it suggests to see a marked difference). And finally, " What’s up?" gives you the latest weather, your upcoming calendar entries and a trending story in a single response.

Now you can ask the A-lady anything from "How can I treat a burnt tongue?" to "How can I remove carpet beetles?" (whatever they are) and the new built-in WikiHow cleverness will come to the rescue.

A fab demo from Shaun Williams ([email protected]) today, showing us the brilliant new built-in features of location-based reminders and email direct to your A-lady. US-only (boo) but hopefully coming to us all at some point before next Christmas…

Bonza Boxing day mates! In this additional episode Phillip Chalker shows us how beautifully backed the A-lady is when she sings her Christmas songs in the land down under, where women glow and men have evidently eaten too many mince pies.

This is a superb skill that's brought to us by the brilliant Patrick Steggle ([email protected]). It really does sound like Christmas with all the nice Noel noises that this skill first gives us, then grills us on.