Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Now That’s Alarming!"

Date: March 11, 2026
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty explores the peculiar world of alarm clocks—past, present, and future. The hosts dive into the pitfalls and quirks of waking technology, ranging from high-tech and physically demanding alarm apps to old-fashioned mechanical clocks. With their signature blend of humor and candid personal anecdotes, they examine not only how alarms shape our mornings but what our habits say about us—and why society is so bad at spelling and grammar in the digital age.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Alarm Clock Fails & AM/PM Mix-ups

• Seinfeld's classic alarm clock mistake: The hosts recall the perennial blunder of setting alarms for the wrong time of day.

  • C: "The number one mistake you make with the alarm clock is you get the AM/PM thing wrong, right?" (03:15)
  • C: Suggests smarter alarms: "Surely I can get involved...Why can't it now on my iPhone say you're taking a nap for 14 hours?” (03:26)
  • F: “Are you really intending to sleep from 3pm to, you know, 4:15 tomorrow morning? Really?” (03:54)

• Desire for smarter, more intuitive alarms: The hosts wish for alarms that prompt users about unlikely time choices.

2. Voice Tech, Siri, and Texting Gripes

• Tech complaints: Frustrations with Siri’s reliability, especially with text input and autocorrect.

  • F: “They can't even get like periods and commas right or spelling...Siri needs a hearing test.” (04:31)
  • C: “I'll voice text...it gets it right the first time, then changes it into gibberish.” (04:40)

• Hyphenation pet peeve:

  • F: “Apple, stop hyphenating so much. It's a thing. You don't want to hyphenate words unless you absolutely have to, especially names…” (04:56)

• Decline in grammar and spelling:

  • The group references a Wall Street Journal piece about elites’ poor writing habits.

  • F: “The global elite have given up on spelling and grammar...nobody bothers to capitalize anymore.” (06:04)

  • C: “In academia and science, I did notice that. That the punctuation sucks.” (06:06)

• Personal standards for grammar in text:

  • F: “I cannot send a text with a grammatical error.”
  • D: “Oh, I'm the same way.” (06:24)

• On refusing to capitalize:

  • C: “I don't see any reason to capitalize anything ever again in my [texts].”
  • F: “Why don't you just run around on all fours grunting, huh? Gonna abandon your humanity, civilization.” (06:45–06:54)

3. High-Tech and Extreme Alarm Clocks

• Alternative Alarm Clocks:

  • F: Discusses the Sonic Bomb, “for the deepest sleepers,” boasting “flashing lights, screaming sirens, and a bed vibrator.”
    (10:46–11:32)

  • Pavlok Shock Clock:

    • Delivers electric shock to wake users—“about 300 volts to her right wrist.” (11:38)
    • “It's a six or seven on the pain scale. She said it's somebody pinching you and not softly.” (12:09)
    • C: “I would wet myself for one thing...I wouldn't call anything that's a 7 on the pain scale, minor.” (11:58–12:17)

  • Alarmy app:

    • Gives users “missions” (squats, shake phone, type motivational quotes) to disable the alarm. (14:22)
    • “Make sure you're awake.” (14:22)
    • User story: “Kinsey Small… First thing she does in the morning is give her phone 30 vigorous shakes...The shaking somehow gets me to that point where I'm awake. I really do think this is the reason I still have a job.” (18:53)

  • Donation alarm:

    • Alarm only turns off after scanning a barcode or completing a task, otherwise it donates the user’s money to charity.
    • F: “Man, I want to sleep in, but I don't want to sleep in $25 worth.” (13:05)

  • Clocky:

    • Alarm clock that jumps off the nightstand and runs around; user must catch it to turn it off.
    • D: “It was awful...it goes in between your legs...the amount of times I almost chucked that thing.” (18:24)

4. The History of Alarm Clocks

• Mechanical beginnings:
  • F: “Demand for alarm clocks took off in the late 19th century. Early models were named the Rattler, the Slumber Stopper, and the Tornado.” (16:11–16:14)
  • Snooze-alarm innovation: “The Westclox Siesta was advertised in the 1930s as having a second, more insistent alarm…” (16:34)
  • Some vintage alarms would “lit a flame or made a pot of coffee.” (16:49)

5. Science & Psychology of Waking Up

• Snooze button—Good or Bad?

  • C: “Is there settled science…is sleeping to the maximum time you can get up the best way? Or is cutting 10 to 15 minutes out...better?” (17:02)
  • F: “I've heard scientists say…you're better off not using the snooze.” (17:29)

• The emotional barrier:

  • F: “It's not a question of sleep, it's a question of, like, emotionally — I’ve got to ease into the idea of getting out of my nice warm bed…” (17:44)

• Physical/trick alarms:

  • Devices that require solving math problems, doing squats, or even shooting a toy gun to stop the alarm abound.

6. Sleep Hygiene & Consistency

• Regular wake/sleep times matter most:

  • C: “One of the number one things they said for good sleep is to go to bed and get up at the same time every day...I’ve never done that.” (19:53)
  • F: “Yeah, I'm practically religious about it...I don't like the feeling of being sleep deprived.” (20:31)

• Anecdotes about sleep deprivation and aging:

  • The team shares their personal habits, sleep struggles, and differences with age and “missing the days of being able to sleep like that."

7. Outrageous (and Hypothetical) Alarm Concepts

• Joke alarm ideas:
  • C: “If you said it, it will booty call an ex-girlfriend if you don't get out of bed.” (13:11)
  • F: “How's this for an idea for an alarm clock? You hire somebody with an ice bucket and at 3am they just dump that water.” (21:12)
  • C: “If I don't die, we're fighting.” (21:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AM/PM Blunders:
  • C: “You've never gotten up at 6:30 p.m. before, so it seems unlikely…”
• Low-bar for Capitalization:
  • C: “I don't see any reason to capitalize anything ever again in my [texts].” (06:45)
  • F: “Why don't you just run around on all fours grunting, huh?” (06:54)
• Crazy Alarm Clocks:
  • F: “Sonic Bomb...It's flashing lights, screaming sirens and your bed being shaken like it's the Blitz in 1941.” (11:32)
  • F: “There are alarms that turn off when the would-be snoozers shoot a fake gun at a target or curl a small dumbbell.” (18:02)
  • User review (of Sonic Bomb): “I have a heart attack every morning, but it really wakes me up.” (18:53)
• On Sleep Consistency:
  • C: “I don't know if I've ever not been sleep deprived. So I don't know what that would feel like.” (20:47)

Segment Timestamps

• Alarm clock mistakes & smarter tech: 03:10–04:00
• AI and tech griping: 04:31–06:54
• Punctuation & grammar wars: 06:11–07:13
• Crazy alarm inventions (Sonic Bomb, Pavlok, Alarmy, etc.): 10:46–14:57
• History of alarm clocks: 15:16–16:51
• Snooze button debate: 17:02–17:44
• Physical alarm innovations (Clocky, fake guns, puzzles, etc.): 18:02–18:56
• Sleep hygiene advice: 19:53–20:47
• Over-the-top joke alarm suggestions: 21:12–21:32

Tone and Style

• Conversational, irreverent, humorous
• Mingling of genuine frustration with modern life and playful banter
• Both personal anecdotes and references to wider social/technological trends

For New Listeners: Takeaways

• If you want a mix of comedy, cultural commentary, and a surprising amount of alarm clock history, "Now That’s Alarming!" is classic Armstrong & Getty—bouncing from Seinfeld jokes to rigorous anti-hyphenation rants to deep thoughts on why so many people (and devices) don’t spell well.
• Whether you're a “get up on the first ring” or a multiple-snooze-user, you’ll find your habits dissected, ridiculed, and, ultimately, affirmed by the crew’s frank takes and laugh-out-loud hypotheticals.
• And if you routinely wake up angry, perhaps avoid the Pavlok. Or ice buckets.