programmable remote controls??

Yes, with a small connector to your PC's parallel port. I made the connector myself with about $15 worth of radio shack parts.

See, some of the remotes that were made by the "One-For-All" company (and their licensees such as Radio Shack) have upgrade connectors on them. These connectors are meant for the remotes to be upgraded at the factory.

But the connector electronics and the communication protocols have been reverse-engineered, and now you can use the PC's parallel port to mess with them. So, on the net, there is a group of "JP1 hackers" who can reprogram these things in any way you want. You're no longer limited to the features the manufacturers included.

In my case, this was with a remote that cost me only $39.00 new.

More info here.