Hello our favourite tech geniuses! We start with some good news. Yes, Mali, the Bernese Mountain dog who was missing for 2 weeks, has been rescued from a 61-metre-high cliff edge on an island off the coast of Donegal. She ran off during a storm but now she has been reunited with her humans and went home for a big dinner and a snooze - yaaaay!!   Óran has had enough of the terrible Irish summer and has decided to move to The Netherlands where it always seems to be warm. Clodagh has her patient face on. Meanwhile, we've got news on Seeing AI's object detector. (Maybe it'll help Óran find the sun?) And Jan is looking forward to IOS 18. Will Siri be any better...? We sure hope so, cos she’s pretty useless right now!   Our guest this week is a talented young woman named Maura Moore-McCune from County Meath in Ireland. Maura is here to tell us about a mobile app she is developing called Vision Impaired Person's Moving Object Detector (VIPMOD) which can detect nearby moving vehicles. This will be especially handy if you want to check it's safe to cross at a junction, or if you are not sure if you can hear an approaching electric vehicle. Maura was invited to present her work on VIPMOD at the ‘MIT AI & Education Summit’ in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, where she won the top prize for Community Impact – congratulations Maura! If you would like to be a beta tester for this app, email: vipmod.info@gmail.com with your details. Maura would be delighted to have you involved when beta testing starts.   Clodagh has news on some calendar dates worth noting, like Colour Blindness Awareness Day on September 6th, and a 24-hour inclusive design event on September 12th.   So, enjoy hanging out in Belfast while your cruise ship gets serviced, don't tell that Russian spy whale where you hide the chocolate, and instead make your way safely to the sunny side of the street while listening to Blind Guys Chat. 17 out of 20 electric scooters prefer it to being in stealth mode.   Links in this show: Email to become a beta tester for the VIPMOD app: vipmod.info@gmail.com MIT App Inventor coding system: https://appinventor.mit.edu/ SciFest: https://scifest.ie/ CYTI at DCU: https://www.dcu.ie/ctyi Colour Blindness: http://www.colourblindnessawareness.org/

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Hello our Bermuda hurricanes and welcome to a blowy episode. We begin this episode reminiscing of cars long gone. Do you remember the Renault 4 or the Citroen BX or even the older Citroen DS? Yes, they might have been rust buckets and as unreliable as summer in Ireland but, at least they were quirky and fun to drive.

Speaking of quirky and unreliable things, have you watched ‘Clarkson's Farm’ on Amazon Prime? Give it a go. It has brought farmers to tears, not to mention the sheep!!

Óran has a question for Jan and our listeners who have guide dogs. Have you ever found your doggy a little reluctant to put on their harness? Well Larry is becoming a little uncooperative when Óran wants him to work. Is Larry faking because there are no couches on his walk? Or is he showing signs of wanting to retire with his feet up, smoking a pipe and watching old reruns of Oprah on the TV? We discuss.

We've got an email from Sarah in Brantford Ontario, Canada who is inviting BGC to come visit. Nora Nagle has been on to tell us that Donald Trumpy now has a 'Superstore' and if anyone knows what that is, please get in touch (blindguyschat@gmail.com). And speaking of that muppet, apparently, he now has his own winery! The guys would rather push a Fiat 500 up a 35-degree mountain than buy any of that stuff.

So, forget about Henry the hurricane for a while. Strip off your wind breaker, turn the volume up to 11, and get ready for the greatest podcast this side of an electric car parked at a petrol pump: Blind Guys Chat.

19 out of 20 grapes prefer it to being in a Trump wine bottle.

Clarkson's Farm promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k9NMbQe0C4

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Hello our little Galway girls and welcome to 'De Chat' as some of our listeners are calling it. We hope you are well, dry, and safe. This week it's a welcome back to Gordon Anthony aka Blind Gordon, who guest hosts again. Gordon has been a busy boy while not on the air - it seems he managed to break his arm from signing autographs on the way to see Dundee United lose another football match. But luckily, he had set up 'fall detection' on his Apple watch and the device proceeded to call the cops, ambulance service, his daughter, the pope, the prime minister of Japan and Dominos pizza. There was some good news from his accident however as Dundee United managed to win the game that day; in fact, they haven't lost a game since!! Sadly, Jan can't say the same for his local team "Ado Den Haag".   While Gordon was recuperating, he managed to find a new A.I. tool called “Pi” which apparently is very good and well worth a go.   Jan has been doing some research of his own and recently attended the Dutch version of ‘Sight Village’ - does that make it “Ziezo Villagen”? 😁 Anyway, he touched the “Crystal Skull” (Raiders of the Lost Ark reference, don’t ya know!), and he touched the new Emotion Braille display from HIMS, plus the Activator Braille display from Help Tech and even the Mantus Q40 from HumanWare. Phew, that’s a lot of touching, Jan!! He also spoke to the developers of a new AI app from Belgium company called  EMVI, whose tag is “EMpowering the Visually Impaired”. The EMVI developers say their technology “doesn’t just assist; it empowers”. Their “scene understanding” feature opens up “new dimensions of independence for the visually impaired. Navigate with confidence, explore with ease, and embrace a more connected and informed way of experiencing the world.” – sounds amazing – we might just try it out for the next episode!   In TV Corner, Gordon is recommending ‘Meet the Romans’ which you can find on the BBC iPlayer, and also a movie on Apple TV called ‘Adjile’. Óran is suggesting ‘Sugar’ on Apple TV and ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ on Paramount+.   Clodagh’s got a voice message from Mohamed Laachir as he responds to Nora Nagle’s query on the last podcast regarding guide dogs in Muslim communities. And speaking of Nora, she writes in with some additional information on turkeys and one in particular called Terrible Tom.   So, catch that blind turkey and stick it in the oven while you chillax with a nice cup of Joe and listen to the most informative podcast this side of a hen party: Blind Guys Chat   7 out of 10 fall detection watches prefer it to falling.   Links in this show:   ·        Pi, a new AI: https://pi.ai ·        HIMS Emotion: https://hims-inc.com/product/braille-emotion/ ·        Activator Braille display from Help Tech: Activator Braille display from Help Tech ·        Mantus Q40 from HumanWare: https://store.humanware.com/heu/mantis-q40.html ·        EMVI, a new AI app: https://www.emvi.ai/

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Welcome back and thank you for tuning into episode 7 of Blind Guys Chat.

Christmas is very definitely in the air on this week's show and the guys are thinking of gift ideas. Not sure if they're buying for each other, or just throwing out suggestions, but regardless, we hope you may find something of interest from their selection.

Jan recently invested in Sonos speakers and is very impressed. Stuart is exploring the world of Android accessibility and Oran loves his Apple TV.

Staying on an Apple-related topic, the recent launch of the iPhone 12 mini, 12 PRO and 12 PRO Max has stirred up a lot of interest as you might expect. We asked friends of the show, Brian Dalton and Derry Lawlor, who are the lucky owners of these devices, to join us and give us the lowdown.

The Blind Guys are loving 'The Crown' on Netflix, and everyone agrees that the audio description is particularly good.

Eric Damery is Vice President of Software Product Management at Vispero and something of a legend in his own lunchtime in the Assistive Technology industry. With a career spanning well over 25 years in the sector, Eric joins us to talk about some of the high points, and, Eric challenges the Blind Guys to a bit of fun in our "True or False" game!

Clodagh has returned with your emails and this time we've received more feedback on the Buymie service, Christmas gift ideas for Larry and Sjef and, what's this about Stuart having made contact with the North Pole?

Greetings Blind Guys Chatters! ..that's what we call you, our loyal and ever-growing band of listeners!

The Blind Guys are thrilled to release episode 6 of our little show and we've just under an hour's entertainment waiting for you.

Online shopping, or challenges around accessing it, is often a conversation that exercises many blind and low vision people. This week, Stuart is talking about a relatively new service on the scene called Buymie. It’s not all sweets and roses however, as the service, via its mobile app, has some serious accessibility issues. So if it’s that challenging, are the Blind Guys using it?

Clare Whelan returns for another Braille Bite, and if you've been confused about the use of brackets in UEB, then fear not, because Clare will put your world to right.

Stuart is immersing himself in season 4 of The Crown and is loving it thus far, and Óran is recommending a show called 'Little Fires Everywhere' on Amazon Prime, but is the audio description up to the job?

We meet Lenore Good, who is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime - she is preparing to climb Kilimanjaro, all to support the wonderful work of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Shine Centre for Autism and Sonas Junior Special Primary School. Please support Lenore by visiting her fundraising page.

Finally, Clodagh is back with more emails, and a particularly interesting query about whether paper or Refreshable Braille is easier to read as a Braille beginner.

Please don't forget to share this podcast with your friends, and we would love it if you'd submit a review on our podcast via your favourite podcasting platform. Thank you!

Contact the Blind Guys at BlindGuysChat@gmail.com, or find them on Twitter - @BlindGuysChat. You can also subscribe to their mailing list to find out about new and upcoming shows: tinyurl.com/BlindGuysChat.

This week, Óran regales us with the antics of his guide dog, Larry, who wanted to do his own bit of trick or treating for Halloween, and why not!

Stuart has a free and very powerful tool to keep all your passwords safe and secure for those who use any apple devices.

Clare Whelan is back to talk sequencing in UEB. If you don't what that is, don't worry, we didn't either!

We meet Otis Stroup from Baltimore, who talks amongst other things about accessible voting in the US, how music has been central in his life and how it’s not just guide dogs that are impacted by Halloween-related noises!

Stuart binge watched Netflix's Bly Manor and has completely reversed his opinion of that show since our last episode.

Clodagh is back to read more email, and the guys talk accessible emoji, stickers in messages, we give a big thumbs up to the Queen's Gambit on Netflix and, who wants some Blind Guys Chat Merchandise?

Please don't forget to share this podcast with your friends, and we would love it if you'd submit a review on our podcast via your favourite podcasting platform. Thank you!

Contact the Blind Guys at BlindGuysChat@gmail.com, or find them on Twitter - @BlindGuysChat. You can also subscribe to their mailing list to find out about new and upcoming shows: tinyurl.com/BlindGuysChat.

Welcome back to another hour of madness that is the Blind Guys Chat!

Just when you thought Stuart's fridge/freezer problems were finally sorted there's another twist in the tale. We meet Ulla Quayle, a guide dog user from Dublin, who shares how on-going disturbances caused by bangers and fireworks have had a detrimental impact on her dog. Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind want to hear your experiences of pre-Halloween bangers and the impact it has on your dog. Please complete their survey and have your voice heard.

The guys have a few recommendations for things to check out on Netflix and Apple TV, including 'The Haunting of Bly Manor' and 'Little Voice'.

Clare Whelan is back for another Braille Bite, and this week, we're talking about the removal of the dot 6 N and Y contractions, as well as discussing the recent ICEB 7th General assembly.

The Blind Guys want to visit the moon and we wonder if there's WiFi readily available; and do the guys think that it could be time to switch to Android?

Clodagh is back to read more emails, and we have feedback from contributors in Dublin and the United States of America!

Please don't forget to share this podcast with your friends, and we would love it if you'd submit a review on our podcast via your favourite podcasting platform. Thank you!

Contact the Blind Guys at BlindGuysChat@gmail.com, or find them on Twitter - @BlindGuysChat. You can also subscribe to their mailing list to find out about new and upcoming shows: tinyurl.com/BlindGuysChat.

Welcome to another instalment of Blind Guys Chat. The Blind Guys are in top form once again, and Jan loves the Autumnal weather!

On this episode we’re meeting Robbie Forde from Dublin, who amongst other things, has been doing stand-up comedy and motivational speaking, proving that while he may be blind, he most certainly has vision.

Stuart had an incident recently where his fridge freezer stopped working, and he tells the other Blind Guys all about it.

Clare Whelan is back to talk lower J and the old BLE sign in our Braille Bite, and we preview the 7th General Assembly of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB), which takes place later in the month.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Blind Guys Chat episode without Clodagh, who is back to read more emails this week, complete with her own brand new jingle!

Please don't forget to share this podcast with your friends, and we would love it if you'd submit a review on our podcast via your favourite podcasting platform. Thank you!

Contact the Blind Guys at BlindGuysChat@gmail.com, or find them on Twitter - @BlindGuysChat. You can also subscribe to their mailing list to find out about new and upcoming shows: tinyurl.com/BlindGuysChat.

Welcome back. The Blind Guys made it for their second show! This week, we're delighted to meet Danlami Bashru, from Nigeria. From falling into open drains, and jumping onto moving busses, Danlami shows us that life in Nigeria can be challenging when you're blind. Clare Whelan is back to introduce us to another couple of UEB contractions, and Óran, Stuart and Jan talk about fear of dogs, GPS and a few interesting observations about iOS 14. We got some nice emails, and Clodagh is here to read them out. Finally, what are you watching on TV these days? The Blind Guys have a few recommendations.

Please don't forget to share this podcast with your friends, and we would love it if you'd submit a review on our podcast via your favourite podcasting platform. Thank you!

Contact the Blind Guys at BlindGuysChat@gmail.com, or find them on Twitter - @BlindGuysChat. You can also subscribe to their mailing list to find out about new and upcoming shows: tinyurl.com/BlindGuysChat.

Welcome to the first Blind Guys Chat podcast! This week, the Blind Guys introduce themselves and the show. We talk Covid-19 and home working - how are the Blind Guys managing? Clare Whelan is here to talk about UEB (Unified English Braille) in the first of a regular series called Clare's Braille Bite. We meet Clodagh who will be reading our emails and making sure that the Blind Guys behave, and Óran and Stuart are rather frustrated with some features of the iPhone, can you help the boys to be more productive?

Please don't forget to share this podcast with your friends, and we would love it if you'd submit a review on our podcast via your favourite podcasting platform. Thank you!

Contact the Blind Guys at BlindGuysChat@gmail.com, or find them on Twitter - @BlindGuysChat. You can also subscribe to their mailing list to find out about new and upcoming shows: tinyurl.com/BlindGuysChat.

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Hello our little spring butterflies and welcome to episode 94 of BGC. Our guest host on this show is our good friend Nora Nagle, who joins us all the way from Boston, Massachusetts. Nora's retired guide dog, Larry, is also making an appearance every now and again with woofs and pleas for treats.

Nora has just returned from a world tour of Miami beach where her husband was able to give her a very detailed review of the local wildlife and their different coloured thongs. Jan and Óran may need a minute or two here for a short break.

We move swiftly onto this year’s CSUN conference which was in Anaheim, California. Óran is intrigued by 'JAWS Kiosk' which is already rolling out in the USA. This development allows blind and low vision customers to interact with the ordering stations in, for example a MacDonald's outlet, simply by plugging in their headset where a screen reader will provide feedback just like using an Apple or Android smartphone. Brilliant!

Jan is very interested in a prototype product called Glide, a self-guided mobility aid: the device uses "real-time data from an array of advanced sensors, and autonomously steers the way. It maps the best routes, identifies targets of interest, and avoids obstacles to get you safely to your destination." Apparently, it looks a little like a vacuum cleaner so you can vacuum up the pavements while you are walking to your location. Óran is also interested in the Orbit Q20 and Q40 Braille displays which offer 20 or 40 braille cells with a QWERTY keypad. Come on Vispero... get with the program!

Ever heard of "Birding by ear"? Ever wanted to know what birds are keeping you awake in the morning? Well then try this app Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University. Nora and Larry highly recommend it.

Our guest this week is Marcel Janssen from The Netherlands. Marcel is the Director of Education at Royal Visio, the Dutch centre of expertise for blind and low vision people. Marcel has been working in education for 40 years and is responsible for the education of 2500 visually impaired students and 5 schools in the Netherlands. Unfortunately for Marcel, he was responsible for looking after Jan during their 2 trips to Nigeria in the early and mid 2000's. Marcel is also involved with the organising of the tactile reading and graphics conference which is being held in Amsterdam in June 2025. The conference brings together people within the tactile reading field, academics, and practitioners, to share knowledge and ideas, and provides a forum for international collaboration. And if that wasn't enough, Marcel is also responsible for creating Braille chocolate letters in the Netherlands.

Nora has a tip for Mohamed regarding dates and Clodagh has emails from Olivia who is not very happy with Óran, and another email from " RuPatrick".

So strip down to your flooded thongs, throw your towel on a deckchair, and get ready to soak up the wonderful nontoxic rays of the coolest podcast this side of a jewel-encrusted Miami drug dealer’s wife: Blind Guys Chat

5 out of 10 turkeys prefer it to slamming into buildings. Gobble, gobble!

Links for items in this show: CSUM: https://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/sessions/ Glide: https://glidance.io/ Orbit Q20 & Q40: https://www.orbitresearch.com/product/orbit-reader-q40/#content Birding by ear: https://tinyurl.com/MerlinBirdID Tactile reading conference: https://tactilereading.yellenge.nl/ American Braille challenge: https://brailleinstitute.org/braille-challenge/ Braille chocolate: https://www.purdys.com/assorted-chocolate-braille-gift-box-18-pc

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Hello our bouncy little spring lambs and welcome to episode 93 of BGC. Unfortunately, Óran is not feeling too well this week as he has a pain in his hoop! Yes, he has had an altercation with a grocery collection and in particular with the bags the goods are packed in. Do you sympathise with him? Listen to his story and email us: blindguyschat@gmail.com.   Clodagh has ordered a cup of coffee and a cake from the local café and is awaiting its arrival via a drone. Jan and Óran are somewhat sceptical and decided traditional transport i.e. getting Sjef and Larry to collect it and bring it back home is a more sensible method. But if you want to give drone delivery a go, check to see if Manna drone delivery is available in your area. (www.manna.aero)   Our guests this week are Berni Warren and Melanie Prichard from The Braillists Foundation (www.braillists.org). Berni is responsible for setting up the Braillists Book Club (www.braillists.org/uncategorised/join-us-in-the-book-club) which Óran is potty about. Melanie runs the Braille for beginners course which also is an initiative of The Braillists Foundation. Jan and Óran have a great time talking to the ladies about Braille, sight loss, and everything in between. If you would like more information on the book club or Braille for beginners, then go to www.braillists.org and check out the site.   In TV Corner the guys are promoting, ‘Loudermilk’ and ‘The Gentlemen’ on Netflix. And before we go, Jan gives us a rendition of the Dutch entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Can he do it justice? Good question!   Clodagh has an email from Gary Hough who is not looking forward to the winter months heading his way. Also Mohammed Laachir has an audio message for the Blind Guys. Apparently, he is under a bus...   So, open up your Braille books to page 1 and settle in for the most thrilling of podcasts: Blind Guys Chat   33 out of 40 hardcopy Braille books prefer it to reading print.   Links for this episode: www.manna.aero www.braillists.org www.braillists.org/uncategorised/join-us-in-the-book-clubEpisode Notes

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Jan and Óran finally discover the answer to a burning question: if blind from birth, do you see in your dreams? Brian and one other have the answer. Have you ever experienced Non-24? Well, Brian has, and he's got some very strange tales to tell when he eventually falls asleep. Not on the show of course!!

Jan has a new addition to the household, or shall we say, he managed to open his wallet using a crowbar and spend the cash inside on a new vacuum cleaner called a Roomba. He can use his Google Home to set it off to do chores, and it can even go under his bed. Watch out little dust mites!

Our guest this week is Christopher Patnoe, Head of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion, EMEA @ Google. He tells us how he got started in accessibility and all about the Accessibility Discovery Center (ADC) in London. It's a cool place and open to the public; all you have to do is send an email to adclondon@gmail.com to make a booking.

Brian briefly shoves Óran off his soapbox as he wants to talk about the lack of audio description in cinemas. Are you experiencing this? Let us know at blindguyschat@gmail.com.

Clodagh's got an email from Darragh who is looking for some advice on kitchen accessories. Brian suggests a Cobalt air fryer, and Jan has a cool light meter that helps him when making coffee.

Finally, if you want to hear more from Brian, tune in to Team FM for his 'Welcome to the Weekend' radio show.

So, put your rabbit on the Hoover and watch it spin round and round with excitement. Tell Google Home to make you a coffee and settle down to be mystified by Blind Guys Chat.

19 out of 20 robots on the moon prefer it to lying on their sides after landing.

Links in this show: Google ADC: adclondon@google.com Roomba: https://www.amazon.co.uk/iRobot%C2%AE-j7-connected-Automatic-Disposal/dp/B09CCNQDJS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1ZYLWGKRNIHNY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dZFfpBUuN1qX49gI85jcLNgkvAbdiY1-fFLaORdXyvEgwyRZ5KcqPZ_WZZo-pqK5ESTSjEj4wxomDI3LEqhdxfm2AkJm-uHuGKnQ4s_Isy6uWv1YeY96iSlWpM3NpJALP-cVYJlIeOoVdcHgZ26e2lJPt9Q3x9Y50PirUiX3b66XDA6LT7zNl1QFAbhu4Zu5kI-J6yWsQz3goLvwnYd30qEKRWLKUgk4KSfCl29lBkw.VFNFqtWmd9L3KWDZ1Ck8NuysIQc9qRxFQ8ONRWbCu3g&dib_tag=se&keywords=roomba&qid=1709802700&sprefix=roomba%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-2-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.d7e5a2de-8759-4da3-993c-d11b6e3d217f&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 Non 24: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/non-24hour-sleep-wake-disorder Cobalt: https://cobolt.co.uk/products/talking-air-fryer Team FM: https://www.team-fm.com/briandalton

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Hello our newborn Robins. We hope you are well and ready for another exciting and delightful episode of your favourite podcast. On this show our guest host is Mohammed Laachir. Mohammed lives in the Netherlands, and is one of the people in Vispero who brought us the fantastic split sound feature in JAWS, and also worked on the split Braille function for Braille displays.

Have you ever tried skiing? Well Jan has, but apparently, he has problems hearing his instructors and has ended up in the trees a few times. No such issues for Mohammed as he snowboards on the baby slopes, ahem… indoors!!

Have you ever lost your balls? No; not those balls! The roller ball from your cane? Well, Mohammed has, and apparently not even a Jesus-loving preacher could find it for him. Oh, and Mo has a cool cane called the All-Terrain Cane (ATC) from AwareWolfGear.com. Do you have one? Let us know what you think: email us on blindguyschat@gmail.com.

Mohammed is also doing great things for our demographic as he is down with the kids. Yes, he has played video games and also uses dating apps like Bumble. But the poor fella has had some bad experiences. Can you believe this - sometimes his date leaves because they realise he is blind. How rude! However, Jan and Óran come to the rescue; they suggest he gets a guide dog because that'll get him into a relationship quicker than a formula 1 car on 3 wheels trying to get into the pit lane.

Have you heard of the Google Accessible Discovery Centre? Well Jan has been to London recently to visit the Centre. It's a space where engineers, researchers, product teams and partners can build new kinds of accessible technologies to help remove barriers that people with disabilities face every day. We are going to be chatting to Christopher Patnoe from Google in a couple of weeks, so keep your ears peeled for that, but in the meantime let's find out from Jan what it's all about.

Clodagh's got an email from Etta who is informing the guys that it's snowdrops that are white and beginning to blossom and that daffodils are yellow. Get it right lads! And we have an audio message from some bloke called Stuart. Then Clodagh has a bone to pick with her husband. Oh nohhhhh, duck for cover!

So why not take a city break this weekend in Alaska, and as you sit snuggled in your igloo, let the warm and sultry voices of Blind Guys Chat distract you from the wolves trying to eat your face off. Blind Guys Chat: 7 and a half out of 10 skiers prefer it to slamming into trees.

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Hello our refreshing Braille cells, and welcome to another episode of BGC: the show everyone is talking about. Our guest host this week is Marc Wijnhoven, who lives in the Netherlands not too far from our Jan. Marc is chomping at the bit to get going and of course his favourite topic, just like Jan and Óran, is the weather. Marc has a lot of strings to his bow - he is a fluent Norwegian speaker which might be handy as he tries to decipher what Jan and Óran talk about.   Marc has recently bought a Google Chromebook and he talks us through its capabilities when connecting a Braille display. Do you have a Chromebook, or are you considering purchasing one? Let us know at blindguyschat@gmail.com. Also, Óran asks the guys if they are finding the new “split Braille” option with JAWS and Braille displays useful? Speaking of Braille, Óran has joined the Braillists Book Club and is loving it. You can find out more about the Braillists Book Club here: https://www.braillists.org/testevents/book-club-143/   In TV Corner, Jan has gossip on a new Dutch version of 'The Crown'. Will it have juicy storylines? Maybe...   Clodagh has an email praising the last episode’s guest host, and another all the way from Slovakia, apparently a listener there is using the podcast to learn English! Cool! …though it may lead to an odd balance of vocabulary on weather and assistive technology, and very little else. Be warned Bruno!   So, if you are looking for a moment of pure relaxation that’s as smooth as a bar of Swiss chocolate; then look no further than your favourite podcast: Blind Guys Chat. 16 out of 20 Norwegians prefer it to the Norwegian language.   Links for this podcast: Braillists Book Club: https://www.braillists.org/testevents/book-club-143/

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Hello our little windswept listeners and welcome to episode 89. This is an exciting show for Jan, Óran and Clodagh as we welcome our first guest host to the podcast. Let's say hello to Gordon Anthony, aka Blind Gordon who joins us all the way from Livingston in Scotland. Gordon, a former Miss World (who knew!) is literally taking this one lying down. Wait until Mrs Blind Gordon finds out!   Have you ever used Aira? (Yes, that’s the correct spelling – we double-checked!) Aira is a visual interpreting service for people who are blind or have low vision. Well Gordon has used it, and he thinks it is great, especially when he is heading to a football match. Unfortunately Aira can't help Dundee United win matches, but at least it can get Gordon home safely afterwards.   Our guest this week is Maeve McCluskey from Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Maeve is the Breeding Programme Supervisor and Jan and Óran have a great conversation with her all about how to breed super guide dogs.   Gordon has a TV Corner tip: he has been watching Criminal Record on Apple TV and thinks it is great. Clodagh has fallen for the Scottish fleet of gritting trucks, and we have an email from Ciara Mac. You know how much we love hearing from our listeners so keep your emails coming in: BlindGuysChat@gmail.com.   So, hop into your favourite cozy pyjamas, tuck yourself into your snuggly bed, and get ready to be soothed by the only guys worth listening to: Blind Guys Chat. 6 out of 10 storms prefer it to being fierce windy.   Links for this podcast: Aira: https://aira.io/ Scottish gritters truck names: https://swtrunkroads.scot/winter-service/meet-our-gritter-fleet/

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Hello our little frozen hibernating hedgehogs and welcome to episode 88 of the podcast. What is the weather like in your part of the world? Well, it's feckin' freezin' here in Europe and the Blind Guys cannot wait for spring.   Have you heard of 11 Labs? It's a text to speech and AI voice generator and Stuart has been playing around with it to try to clone his voice. Does it work? Hmmmm... yes and no, we'll hear more from Stuart on it. (Link: elevenlabs.io/)   Óran is asking the guys if it is time to think about a qwerty refreshable Braille display. He reckons his typing on a qwerty keyboard is faster than typing on a Perkins-style keyboard but Stuart is not too sure, what do you think? perhaps you have a Humanware Mantis Q40 or a Helptek Activator display. Let us know what you think at blindguyschat@gmail.com.   Our guest is the lovely Nora Nagle from Boston; south Boston to be precise. Nora talks to us about what it’s like having a guide dog in the US and she shares lots of stories including one about an unpleasant experience when a security guard tried to remove her and her guide dog out of a building. It's a great interview so do have a listen.   We have information on events you might like to sign up for: ·       The first is happening this evening, January 11th at 5pm (Irish) 6pm (CET) or 12pm (EST) and is called ‘Celebrate Braille Literacy with Focus’. This webinar hosted by Freedom Scientific will demonstrate how to set up "split braille'" on Focus Braille displays, how to connect more than 1 device to your display, and how to improve braille literacy with a refreshable braille display. Register here for this event: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XoFHxDqWTQ6jkWuiWy-LVg#/registration ·       If you are interested in joining a Braille book club, then look no further than the Braillists Foundation. The book club happens every Thursday and caters for all levels of braille reading including speed and which braille code you prefer to read in. More information about the Braillists Foundation book club is available here: www.braillists.org/uncategorised/join-us-in-the-book-club/ or you can register for it directly here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ucuqqrDsjHtMzH4ytq2NPV0rUpYAGRXEm   Clodagh has an email from Anna Cody who is as succinct as ever! And we finish up with an announcement from Stuart.   So, strip down to your thermals, and bathe yourself in the revitalising warm, silky-smooth, dulcet tones of a Blind Guys Chat podcast.   4 out of 6 newborn puppies prefer it to play-fighting!

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Welcome to another of our BGC bites. In this podcast we are talking to some more service providers who had stands at Sight Village Southeast recently.

You will hear from Greg Hargraves from Paige Braille who will talk about Paige Connect, a Bluetooth circuit board that connects to old-school Perkins Braillers allowing the text to be displayed on a PC, which is a pretty cool trick.

Clodagh is busy on this podcast as she is talking with Andy Farrell from Guide Dogs UK, Richard Black from the Talking News Federation, and Rose Woodall from Queen Alexander College

So, forget about the long dark nights for a moment and tune in for some relaxed chat from Sight Village 2023.   Links to organisations in this podcast:   Paige Braille: https://paigebraille.com/buy Guide Dogs UK: https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/about-us/ Talking News Federation: tnf.org.uk Queen Alexander College: https://www.queenalex.co.uk/

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Welcome to our BGC bites. In this podcast we are talking to some more service providers who had stands at Sight Village Southeast in London during November.   Óran talks with Michelle Young from The Braillists Foundation about all its services. Then Clodagh chats with Kate Arkell from Retina UK which, to quote Kate, is "a charity supporting people affected by inherited sight loss and investing in medical research to help make their challenges a thing of the past."   So, take a quick break from building that bridge across the Indian Ocean and chill out with Blind Guys Chat for a few minutes.   Links to organisations in this podcast:   The Braillists Foundation: https://www.braillists.org/ Retina UK: https://retinauk.org.uk/

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Hello our fast and furious Olympians, and welcome to ep 103 of BGC. We have a full house this week as Jan is back from his 11th holiday of the year, and Mohammed Laachir is back with us again fresh from NFB in Florida, having enjoyed their all you can eat buffet.   Yes, Jan handed the car keys over to Tycho while he, Chantal and Princess Rosalie sat in the back seat of their lovely electric vehicle. After a 63-hour trip taking in the Norwegian fjords, St Paul's Cathedral and the Brandenburg Gate, they eventually arrived in Camp Nou, Barcelona’s famous stadium, where fistfuls of money changed hands in order to purchase a Barca t-shirt and a can of coke. Oh, and Princess Rosalie bought some rather expensive makeup in a big international cosmetics and skincare store, or at least that's what Jan said.   Mohammed has just returned from NFB 2024 where he was demonstrating the new Picture Smart AI with JAWS. This is a cool new feature built right into JAWS allowing a user to scan a picture and hear what its contents are. Fair play to Mo for helping with the development of this feature.   While he was at NFB, Mohammed took the opportunity to take his hoover for a walk. Ahem... sorry, we mean the new Glide guide dog thingy from Glidance. Will Mohammed be purchasing? Tune in to find out!   So, jump off your pommel horse with a perfect 10; stay away from the Olympic cauldron – it’s not a BBQ! Put down that shotput before your do yourself some damage, and get ready to listen to the best podcast in the world: Blind Guys Chat - 10 out of 15 boxing gloves prefer it to boxing.   Links for this show:   ·       National Federation of the Blind (NFB): https://nfb.org/ ·       NFB National Convention: https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention ·       Picture Smart AI with Jaws: https://www.freedomscientific.com/training/jaws/new-and-improved-features/

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Hello our tired little elves, and welcome to the BGC Christmas Quiz 2023 Extravaganza Special! We hope you are managing to get through the festive season unscathed, and are enjoying lots of time to relax, play, walk, run, jog, swim, or just lay about the house and chill.   This show is devoted to our Christmas Quiz which we recorded with some of our most loyal listeners just before Santa started delivering goodies around the world. We have teams from as far west as Saint Louis and as far east as Italy. Who will win the coveted prize of a pre-loved 1982 BMW 3 Series complete with fluffy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror? Listen to find out!

So, why not strip down to your sleigh bells in front of the roaring fire, cuddle into your purring pussy, polish off your second box of chocolates, and settle in for the only quiz worth listening to this crimbo: The Blind Guys Chat Christmas Quiz 2023 Extravaganza Special!   9 out of 10 New Year’s resolutions prefer it to turning over a new leaf.

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Hello our little blown away leaves and welcome to episode 86 of the show. Are you sorted for Christmas? Well, in case you’re not, we've got the perfect festive gift for you. Why not join us for the Blind Guys Chat Christmas Quiz which we are broadcasting live on December 21st at 8pm Irish time? That's 3pm in the EST, 10pm in South Africa and 11am in the North Pole!

If you want to be part of a quiz team and answer some easy but fun questions, then let us know by no later than end of day on Monday December 18th. (Clodagh says that deadline is too tight, so you can tell us by end of day on Tuesday December 19th!) Click on this link which will take you to a simple Microsoft form to fill out: http://tinyurl.com/BGC-Quiz-2022-entry-form. Even if you just want to listen to the show live, but not compete, please complete the form, otherwise you won’t get a special link for the show.

Go on - give it a go!! You never know, you might win a prize and be crowned Quiziest Blind Guys Chatter 2023!

Our guest this week is the wonderful Veronika Hyks. Veronika is here to talk to us about her 7 years of audio describing Netflix's The Crown. It has been a mammoth task and an admirable body of work that Veronika has created, so why not sit back and listen to her story. She might even divulge some secrets.

Has Jan gone over to the Dark Side? Has he just purchased an Android device!! Let's fine out, eh?

It seems Sky Stream is not going to well for Stuart and for blindies in general. It looks like a software update has broken audio description playout. Is this an action for Dave Nason?

Óran is not wild about the AI service Microsoft are now providing within Be My Eyes app. Have you used it? What do you think? Also, what do you think of Chat GPT Voice? Let us know: send an email to blindguyschat@gmail.com.

Have you been watching All The Light We Cannot See on Netflix? Well Veronika Hyks and the Blind Guys would like to hear from you if you have. What is your view on the audio description for the show, and what do you think of Aria Mia Loberti’s introduction to the show? Have a listen here: https://web-anycast.prod.ftl.netflix.com/tudum/articles/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-aria-mia-lorbeti-audio-introduction We also want to know what you think of the AD level on the show Obliterated, which is also on Netflix. And it seems Óran has gone potty for the 2 cockney brothers on Amazon Prime's 007 Road to a Million, not to mention Gary Oldman in the new series of Slow Horses on Apple TV.

So, put down that bottle of Baileys. Throw your Android phones in the fire, start brushing up on your general knowledge and don't forget to sign up to the Christmas quiz for the best podcast this side of cold turkey: Blind Guys Chat.

7 out of 10 Squid game viewers prefer it to Jeopardy

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Hello our little frozen icicles, and welcome to Part 2 of Sight Village South East. This week we have more interviews with product manufacturers and developers from the recent Sight Village event which took place in London a few weeks ago.

We are talking to: Bruno Vollmer from biped.ai who tells us about his great product that straps over your shoulders and helps detect obstacles in the area so you can avoid collisions. The harness uses autonomous driving technology to detect obstacles in the wearer's path. You can read more about the product here: https://www.biped.ai/

Ben Andrews tells us about his book “Nicky and Candy's Street (Better Places)”. Ben wrote this book to highlight the issues disabled people currently face so that children, parents and educators can raise awareness of these issues while providing an outlet to take positive action. Ben believes introducing these concepts at an early age will increase these children’s understanding of the difficulties encountered by people with vision impairments so that they grow into adults who are better able to build a more accessible and inclusive future. You can read more about Ben’s book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nicky-Candys-Street-Better-Places/dp/1913230325

Daniel from Sensotec talks to us about their magnification tool for smartboards in the classroom. Read more about this product here: https://www.pro.sensotec.com/my-board-buddy-air.

Óran catches up with Mike Page from Touchpoint Vision to talk about the latest developments in OrCam and OrCam Read. These wireless smart cameras which, when attached outside eyeglass frames, can read and verbalize text, and also product barcodes. This information is converted to spoken words and entered " into the user’s ear". Face-recognition is also part of OrCam's feature set. You can read more about OrCam here:  https://touchpointvision.co.uk/

Clodagh chats with Alex Ward from Seeing Solutions who tells her about MiniGuide, a smart navigation aid and also an update to the wearable headset Mercury ViewPoint SmartVisor which you can use for magnification or text to speech. Read more about Seeing Solutions products here: https://pamtrad.co.uk/seeing-solutions/.

Alan Davis from Humanware talks to Óran about Annie, a new product for teaching young children Braille in a fun way. Humanware also have the Monarch coming out in 2024. This is a multi-line Braille display. Is this the future of Braille displays? We discuss. You can read more about Humanware products here: https://www.humanware.com, and watch a video about the Monarch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=I5JLDkWGkF0&ab_channel=HumanWare.

Julie Davis and Geoff Madge talk to us about the Ultracane, which uses ultrasound to detect obstacles in your path, enabling you to navigate around them. Find out more about Ultracane here: https://www.ultracane.com

..and finally we speak to 2 of the sighted guide volunteers about their experiences at the event.

It's a packed show folks, so load some paper into your Perkins, type in that email address and start writing your letter to Santa, cos we have no doubt there is something here for everyone’s list.

Blind Guys Chat: 12 out of 14 British royals prefer it to The Crown TV series

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Hello our little winter snowflakes and welcome to a very special show. The Blind Guys have just returned from London where 2 major events happened... well, 3 if you count the King opening parliament! Yes, all 3 Blind Guys were in the same room for the first time since the dinosaurs walked the earth. Ironically, Jan, Stuart and Óran lined up their wormholes to coincide with the opening day (only day really) of Sight Village South East. It was a momentous occasion with streamers, fireworks, a 29-gun salute, and cake, although it seems only Jan knew about the cake 😮.

Anyway, on with the show. We wanted to provide our listeners with as much information on Sight Village as we could, and because we can't count; have decided to spend the next 335 shows on the event in London. So, settle in folks.

You are going to hear from: Glenn Tookey (Sight and Sound Technologies) https://www.sightandsoundtechnology.ie/.

Ellis Ellis from Vision Aid https://www.visionaid.co.uk/ who will be speaking about magnifiers and Braille displays, including products from Help Tech and Sightcare.

Jean Marc from WeWalk https://wewalk.io/en/ talks to us about the WeWalk cane.

Adi Kushnir from AccessMind https://accessmind.io/optima.php who shows us the new Optima - the all-in-one Braille laptop computer.

Clodagh speaks to Molemisi Kono of Visual Eyes Africa International https://www.facebook.com/people/Visual-EYES-Afrika-international/100079083263922/, and Brad Pilkington from the official Turn a Blind Eye TikTok channel: @theofficialturnablindeye

Then the Guys will give their views on Sight Village South East Part 1.

So strip off your cloaking device, check the warp core is online, set shields to maximum, enhance the deflector array and engage to the fantastic world of Blind Guys Chat

19 out of 25 town halls prefer it to town hall meetings.

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Hello our little hibernating hedgehogs. We hope you are well and remembered to put the clocks back last Sunday.   We start this week's show off with some exercise, as after the recording our own Jonas Vingegaard A.K.A., Jan was setting off cycling in preparation for his participation in the first ever Tour de Underwater Volcanos. Let's hope he can find Nemo, eh?!   Stuart has news about the new Windows 11 update. Apparently one of the cool new things will be the ability to set audio levels per application and there is also a new feature called Windows co-pilot. It seems this pilot can fly you anywhere it wants to go. Sadly, that might not be the location where you actually want to go, but hey, it's the thought that counts.   Also, there’s a new update to Chat GPT which means that it should be capable of integration into Siri, which could mean you can pretty much replace Siri on iPhone if you desire. You can read more about it by clicking on this link: https://bgr.com/tech/you-can-replace-siri-with-chatgpt-on-your-iphone-heres-how/   Will you be upgrading to JAWS 2024? Jan has news on the latest version which includes a new cool feature called "Face in View" which means people will no longer see your bald patch or the dirty laundry behind you during an online meeting. To activate Face in View (only for Jaws 2024 users), press the layered keystroke, INSERT+SPACEBAR, followed by F, and then O.   We continue our series on guide dogs this week and are joined by Cliodhna Ni Laoghaire from Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Cliodhna (pronounced Cliona) has been a guide dog instructor and trainer in IGD for 17 years so there is very little she doesn't know about training guide dogs. Cliodhna talks us through the process of training these little superheroes from puppies through to adulthood. Sjef & Larry, listen up: Cliodhna might have some tips for you. No TIPS not TREATS silly billies!   ..and don't forget you can make a donation here: https://www.guidedogs.ie/ways-to-help/donate and find out more about guide dogs at : https://www.guidedogs.ie/   In TV corner we are recommending ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ on Apple TV, and Clodagh has become rather fond of 'Bodies' on Netflix. And in a change to our scheduled programming, Mr Jan Bloem is recommending 'Beckham'. Can you believe that! Jan actually watched a TV programme! We also have news on the upcoming last series of ‘The Crown’, part 1 of season 6 will air on Netflix on November 16 with part 2 publishing on December 14.   Finally, if you are heading to Sight Village South East on November 7, keep a lookout, or should that be an ear out!?! for Blind Guys Chat – the whole cast will be there, and Óran or Clodagh might point a microphone in your general direction for a quick word.   So, finish up your bath and shake yourself off like a wet dog of a Thursday evening. Head down to the fire and get nice and toastie - ready for the number one podcast on Wimbledon Common: Blind Guys Chat. 38 out of 40 chopper bikes prefer it to wheelies.

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Hello, our favourite little squirrels, and welcome to Episode 82 of Blind Guys Chat. We begin this week with tales from Nairobi. Our own travelling wilbury, Jan, has just returned from South Africa where he was introduced to every person living on the continent - because he's so famous don't ya know! Yes, Jan has been in the region for the last week selling his wares and wearables, and is very impressed with how much knowledge blind and low vision people in Nairobi have about assistive technology, especially compared to 15 years ago. But it wasn't all work and no play for Jan. No, no, folks. He managed a little play time with some of the local pets in the surrounding areas of this modern city.

Do you take taxis? It appears that Óran has had some trouble recently with taxis refusing to collect himself and Larry (the very best guide dog in the world ever). And before you say it’s because Óran is so grumpy, it isn’t that, we promise. We want to hear from you: have you had any bad experiences recently and more importantly, did you report the incident to your local taxi regulator? Let us know: blindguyschat@gmail.com. Tell us all your taxi-related stories!

Before Clodagh gets readin' those emails, she wants to tell you about RNIB's campaign. It's called ‘See the person not the sightloss’, and apparently it is very good. You can check it out here: https://www.rnib.org.uk/our-campaigns/see-differently-see-the-person/.

In emails this week, it appears that Dave Nason and Sky are potty for Stuart’s latest parody song, much to Jan and Óran's astonishment. Dave also wants to know if you can help him with his upcoming trip to London. The Blind Guys are recommending he avails himself of an Access Card which, among other things, offers discounts on some of the main attractions in London. You can check it out here: www.accesscard.online. You can even skip some queues if you have one of these – yay!

We have an audio message from Tim Dixon. Tim has recorded a wonderful report on navigating Sight Village where he recently met Stuart and lived to tell the tale.

So, stop lighting fireworks and bangers. Strip down to your "I hate halloween sox, Throw on your "I got married in Vegas" dressing gown and settle in for the best entertainment this side of a bread roll: Blind Guys Chat. 12 out of 16 Unicorns prefer it to being imaginary!

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Hello our little autumn leaves and welcome to the show. Have you been watching or listening to the Rugby World Cup matches? Óran is delighted that Ireland managed to win victory over South Africa, aka The Springboks (sorry Gary Hough like cough). Óran is also hoping that the Scots cry like little girls once Ireland trash them this coming Saturday (sorry Blind Gordon).

…Anyway on with the show:

U2 are back on the scene folks! And instead of losing their money on the slots in Las Vegas like normal people they apparently found a huge football, called it The Sphere, set up the band gear and started playing some of their ancient songs. But! Here is Óran’s question: did they even think about accessibility? Or read his guidelines for sign language and audio description at rock events? Well let’s find out.

Our guest this week is Jakoline from the Netherlands. Jakoline is a guide dog puppy raiser and was the first person to introduce Jan to a guide dog. She talks to us about the puppy raising process in The Netherlands and why she does it. Perhaps after listening to Deirdre from episode 79 and Jakoline on this show, some of you might consider puppy raising a guide dog, even if just for a short while.

Clodagh’s email inbox is full to the brim and this week she has pulled out some gems for us. We have a query from Patty Murphy about accessing the podcast now that Google podcasts are shutting up shop; Pete Torkington has some lovely comments about the show (thanks Pete!) and he even gets a special blessing from Fr Stuart; Dave Nason has some comments and corrections about the new iPhone 15 and Sky Stream; and we find out if Derry Lawlor has written to Santa asking for a new iPhone.

Finally, Stuart has a little treat he would like to share with the whole world and he can find no better way, literally no better way 😢 to communicate this with the world other than through the medium of song, so stay tuned until the end.

So, put away the suntan lotion because summer is definitely gone. Take your thermals out of the airing cupboard, find a snuggle buddy to cling onto as the nights draw in, and hit play on the most ultimatish, supremeness, bigliest podcast this side of a bird dropping: Blind Guys Chat. 12 out of 16 gas stoves prefer it to electricity.

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Hello our little ducklings and welcome. First things first: Some of you did not believe that Stuart did in fact climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Well... we have proof! For those of you who have not seen this picture of Stuart standing at the top click on this link and you will have your proof. (Before you scold us – there is alt text, don’t worry!)   Now, on with the show. Yes, it is number 80 which in numerology terms is a symbol of abundance and prosperity. “If you have been working hard towards your goals, the universe is letting you know that your efforts will be rewarded.” So that means the Blind Guys are stuffed, because as you know, we’re a bunch of slackers.   Jan and Óran have recently experienced some issues with taxis - we want to know if there is government legislation in your country which prevents a taxi driver from refusing you and your guide dog? Let us know: blindguyschat@gmail.com   Do you look forward to autumn? Well, someone on the team thinks Óran is too cynical, and especially about autumn. Yes he hates autumn and winter almost as much as he hates the fact that iPhones have the best screen reader available for smartphones. Talking about poxy iPhones, will you be purchasing a new iPhone 15 or are you like the Blind Guys and are completely fed up with the lack of innovation from Apple lately?   Stuart has ordered a Sky Stream box, but will it live up to all the hype? And how does Stuart feel about not being able to record content? Mr Cynical is querying if Stuart will be able to watch the content he wants with audio description via the 'on demand' section. Stuart has also hinted that he might record a demo of setting up the box etc but Jan and Óran reckon he will make some excuse for not doing this for the next show, probably something like having to sack his pool boy for not cleaning the pool correctly...   BTW, don't forget that you can now use the Be My Eyes app to get in direct contact with a Sky rep to get real time video assistance if you ever need help.   Our guests this week are Peter O'Toole and Eleanor Martha Burke who are here to talk about “forest bathing”. Peter is Head of Counselling at NCBI and has recently started this “Role of Nature in Health and Wellbeing Series” so that people with vision impairments can get the benefits of being outdoors and bonding with nature. Eleanor gives us her views on a recent event that Peter hosted in Co. Wicklow. Mr Cynical-pants was not overly enthusiastic, but Clodagh highly recommends it. If you are interested in attending the next event in October you can find out more, and register your place here: www.ncbi.ie/event/the-role-of-nature-in-health-and-wellbeing-series-final-in-person-event-for-2023/   We have emails from Ana Cody who thinks our guest from ep 73 has a yummy voice and also has strong opinions on beer slushies at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. We have Axel in Sweden (cool name, Axel!) who liked our chat with Tim Dixon, and would like to know about any upcoming assistive technology events. Well Axel, you can check out www.qac.ac.uk - you can find all the info within the “exhibitions” and “news/events” sections; and you never know, you might see the Blind Guys at some of these events. Also, Ms Cavendish sends in a request/threat to spank Óran. Ooh la la!   So, strip down to your birthday suit and lie on the forest bath floor, ignore the swarm of midges going to town on your nether regions, and bask in the petrichor that is: Blind Guys Chat.   4 out of 5 trees prefer it to bark.  

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Hello our little sweltering lemmings and welcome to this episode of the podcast. We begin this week’s show with very special birthday wishes to Rosalie Bloem; Jan’s wonderful princess daughter, which is swiftly followed by a hook up with Sherpa Radi, one of the 2 very patient Sherpas who helped Stuart to summit Mount Kilimanjaro recently. Radi gives us a blow-by-blow account of his journey and explains the extreme difficulties in not only carrying Mr “big-bottomed” Lawler, but also his beer. Jan and Óran were not afraid to ask the hard questions, which included:

1. How do you open a bottle of beer when the temperature is 5 gazillion degrees below freezing?
2. Did Stuart eat the yellow snow?
3. Did Stuart make the yellow snow?
4. Were Stuart and Radi snuggle buddies?

After hearing these answers, Jan and Óran visited their psychiatrist and hypnotist to erase those images from their brains, we continued with the show. It seems here in Ireland we are experiencing a heatwave but not so much in The Netherlands, but fear not dear Jan, we are sure very soon the cold weather will bite our butts.

Have you subscribed to the JAWS beta program? Jan is telling us about a nice new feature called “Face in View” which should help all of us ensure your laptop camera is not pointing at the ceiling when you are in an online meeting. This new feature tells you about key visual details like: Is my face centred in the view? Am I looking directly at the camera? Is the lighting adequate? Are there additional people or items in the picture? Unfortunately, it won’t tell you if you’ve spinach in your teeth.

We’ve decided we’re going to devote some shows over the next few months to learning more about guide dogs. We’ll talk to a variety of guests about the whole process which might help you understand more about being a guide dog user, and maybe help you decide if you would like a guide dog. Our first guest for this series is the wonderful Deirdre Fahy. Deirdre has puppy raised more than 10 dogs for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, and is also a brood holder. We’re big fans of Deirdre around here. Listen to find out why. We reckon you’ll love her too after listening to our chat.

Clodagh has emails from Roisin Lenehan who has a question for Jan about trains in the Netherlands, and Blind Gordon has raised a complaint for which the Blind Guys need to apologise, but not Clodagh for some reason…

So, strip down to your odd socks, slather on your out-of-date suntan lotion and let yourself melt into that wobbly plastic garden chair while listening to the only podcast still audible after a nuclear attack: Blind Guys Chat. 6.8 out of 10 guide dog puppies prefer it to going to the vets.

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Hello our little butterflies and thank you for tuning into this week’s show. At long last we are a family again as Stuart managed to bribe his sherpas to come back up the mountain and rescue him from the flagpole. They then drop kicked him all the way over to the BGC studio just in time to record this episode with us.   As usual the guys are talking about the weather and in particular storm ‘Betty’ which roared through Ireland over the weekend. Have you any weather stories? Let us know by emailing blindguyschat@gmail.com.   Stuart has purchased a new iPhone 12 SE and is loving the return of a home button. But is it an upgrade or downgrade and is Jan tempted to make a purchase also?   Are passwords about to become a thing of the past? Apparently, Microsoft, Apple and Google are all working together on an alternative to pesky passwords. What do you think? Will it ever happen? Óran really hopes so, cos he hates Microsoft Authenticator for its lack of proper accessibility.   Does your guide doggy get distracted? Well Jade McCormack, Jan and Óran have a chat about this topic and would be very interested to hear from anyone who is having similar problems. It would be great to hear any good ideas around how to deal with distracted doggies, and the people/things who distract them. Share your stories here: blindguyschat@gmail.com.   In TV corner, Stuart and Óran are talking about ‘Hijack’ on Apple TV and ‘The 6th Commandment’ on BBC.   Clodagh has news on Braille gift cards available from Marks and Spencers: https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/media/press-releases/ms-rolls-out-braille-range-including-industry-first-gift-card.   The guys are in trouble with a new listener, as we forgot to post the link to Nora Casey’s Van de Graaff yokey in the last episode’s show notes, so here it is: https://www.mos.org/live-presentations/lightning. Sorry listeners, but better late than never, right?!   Kevin Farrell is wondering if the Blind Guys are being head hunted by RTÉ? In case you didn’t hear there was a bit of trouble recently involving a presenter and it seems the Blind Guys could be taking over a radio slot, and maybe even a major chat show -  woohoo!   Finally, do you want a laugh? Have a listen to this very funny air traffic controller’s after dinner speech that Óran mentioned during the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqm73DLtwD0&ab_channel=twan1945   So, strip off your radioactive suit; stop pumping plutonium into the Yellow Sea; and get ready for the most listened to podcast on the moon: Blind Guys Chat!   17 out of 20 Russian space probes prefer it to crashing and burning on the moon’s surface.  

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Hello our favourite funny people, and welcome to episode 102 of BGC.

Since Jan is off on another holiday (we’re not at all jealous!) we devote the entire episode to our wonderful guest, Sydney May. Sydney lives in Brighton and works for the Thomas Pocklington Trust. But that's not all! Sydney is also a comedian and plays bass in her band - Torrid (A love affair). Check them out on Spotify (link here). Sydney is also an accessibility tester, and an inspirational speaker, and will be giving presentations around the UK during all the Sight Village events this year. And if all that is not enough, she’s also a football fan and a big supporter of Arsenal. It's a fun interview and Óran and Clodagh thoroughly enjoyed their chat with Sydney.   So, forget about stripping down to your diving trunks for now, and instead have a listen to the only Olympic gold medal event worth shouting for: Blind Guys Chat.   8 and a half out of 10 Olympic judo doers prefer it to two judo dojos.     Links mentioned in this show: The Thomas Pocklington Trust: https://www.pocklington.org.uk/ SeeingAI: https://www.seeingai.com/ Be my AI: https://www.bemyeyes.com/blog/introducing-be-my-ai InVideo AI: https://invideo.io/ Torrid (A love affair) on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/TorridAloveAffair Torrid (A love affair)’s album 'Poems from Mars': https://tinyurl.com/PoemsFromMars Sydney's social handle is @sydmaycoach on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sydmaycoach/; on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/sydmaycoach; and on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW7n-Il5BR4PbDGIZ8u3BEA

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Read transcript

Hello our little hatchlings and welcome to a shiny new episode of Blind Guys Chat. We begin our show this week with some almost-but-not-really upsetting news: It appears that Stuart’s adventure to Mount Kilimanjaro has hit a little bump in the road; apparently his sherpas have had enough of lugging his beer supply up the mountain, so instead of raising the Blind Guys Chat flag at the summit, they decided to mount Stuart on the flagpole, possibly by his very attractive thermal underjocks. But don’t despair - Jan, Óran, and Clodagh are considering the possibility of creating a crowd-funding site where you can donate to get Stu down again. Unfortunately, our next management meeting is not until December 4th, so Stuart will have to wait for that decision to be made. However, Jan and Óran have realised there is a bright side to this. Since they retrofitted lightbulbs into Stuart’s prosthetic eyes, he has now effectively become a beacon for aircraft flying in the area, warning them to steer away from the high mountains and thus Jan and Óran are actually saving lives, So, as you can see, it’s not all bad news.

But , Clodagh brought up the fact that they won’t work when Stuart has his eyes closed. We may need to rethink this...

Jan is back from his sixth holiday of the year. He has been fighting the French in Normandy. We say French but really we mean fighting his deck chair because he has been spending his time visiting World War 2 historic sites with his family while camping in a forest and living the life of a well-mannered Frenchman, (is that an oxymoron?). Yes, the Bloem family jumped into the Tesla and took a spin to France. Apparently, their campsite even has a treehouse you can stay in. And the Bloem family were not alone - oh no! There were loads of Irish campers there too: sorry about that Jan. Jan also shares some other recent dramas – be sure to listen out for that scary story.

Talking about the Irish, Óran has a story from a work colleague who has just come back from Greece, a place where you could fry an egg on a stone at the moment.

Clodagh has an email from Nora Casey who in the interests of science has taken one for the team and entered a big science yoki-thingymajig in order to experience lightning. Did it smell like barbecue chicken? Nora explains all…

Aaron Linson also emailed in to tell us about his new job. We wish you the very best Aaron.

So, strip down to your furry outer coat, dump the wet gear in a stinky pile inside the door, and get ready to be a hero on the beaches of Normandy, cos it’s time for the French to get used to the sound of Blind Guys Chat - 8 out of 10 Frenchmen prefer it to having a bad attitude.

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Hello dear listeners and welcome to the most funlyest podcast in the world ever (and yes, we know that’s not a real word. We make up our own words around here. Don't you?). In a change to our regular programme schedule and because the 2 messers (Jan & Stuart) are on holiday, we have had to invoke the “wheel of stand-ins” to help us fairly select a listener who has offered to guest-host, so let’s give it a whirl and see who comes out a winner!  

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Hello dear listeners. Well, with the fall of the Dutch government being a direct result of Jan and Sjef's influence, we begin the show looking for an account of the events that have led the people of the Netherlands into another election. We bring you the full facts and the reasons that brought about this historic event.(Spoiler alert. We don't really!!)   Stuart has news about Sight Village which is happening in Birmingham shortly and he an Jan did a webinar recently for Sight and Sound on the evolution of the screen reader JAWS but they didn’t get this approved by their line manager/producer/Óran. …not that he is bitter or anything about being left out of this fantastic event. Anyway, let’s move on. Harrumph.   In other news: Stuart and Jan have both found an issue with what seems to be the latest version of Zoom. It looks like the “Share computer sound option” when sharing your screen has gone missing. Have you found the same issue? In other news, Óran seems to have lost all his saved emails in Outlook; do Jan and Stuart have any solutions?   Professor John Sweeney makes a welcome return to the podcast. As you will be aware the Very Reverend Professor John knows absolutely everything about climate and climate change and his chat with the guys was so good that we decided to make it a two-parter, so this week you will hear part #1. Tune in on the 27th July for the second part.   In TV Corner, we are recommending ‘Hijack’ on Apple TV and Clodagh’s favourite show, not really, Suits on Netflix. Jan is also wondering if there is AD available on the movie End of Days. He is heading off to Normandy and wants to watch the movie before he “fights them on the beaches”. We also have great news about ‘The Crown’ Season 5.   In a new departure, the guys are going back to basics. We are talking about keyboards and if they use any bumpons to quickly navigate a qwerty keyboard?   Derry Lawler is on the email machine and has done some research for the Blind Guys regarding the smell of lightening. He also has some advice for those of us who have a Netflix subscription.  

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Hello you little rascals, are you hot enough? Have you been enjoying the good weather? Well Jan is roasting in his attic studio with 31 degrees of boiling heat and the producer won’t let him leave the fan on during recording, so he’s melting.   Speaking of boiling, do you have one of those boiling water taps or a One cup kettle? Check it out here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breville-HotCup-Dispenser-Variable-Dispense/dp/B078L3WJWM. Well, Óran thinks the kettle is great but Stuart is not too sure if the water will be hot enough for his needs… he has a lot of needs ya know!   Have you ever been hit by lightning? What did it smell like? Jan is desperate to know. Tell us all about it on BlindGuysChat@gmail.com.   Our guests this week are Dr Rachel Bermingham and Dr Ellen Moran from the research department in Fighting Blindness. They’re chatting to us about the research that Fighting Blindness supports, and about the upcoming Retina International World Congress 2024. This was a highly informative interview – thanks to the two doctors for chatting with us. And if you want more information on what they talked to us about, see these links below:   https://www.fightingblindness.ie/how-we-can-help-research-patient-and-public-involvement-in-research-and-development-ppi-for-people-living-with-sight-loss-vip-network/   https://www.fightingblindness.ie/how-we-can-help/research/meet-your-researchers/ ** ** https://www.fightingblindness.ie/news/save-the-date-for-riwc-2024-5-8-june-in-dublin/   And finally, in case you are interested, here’s the list of mental health supports that Fighting Blindness offers: https://tinyurl.com/BGCsupports. This list was collated from the mental health panel discussion in Episode 57 of Blind Guys Chat, which you can listen back to here: https://tinyurl.com/BlindGuysChatEp57.     In TV corner we are talking about: ‘Best Interest’: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10714820/ ‘Silo’: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14688458/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 and ‘Wonders of the World I Can't See’: (with blind UK comedian Chris McCausland) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28078974/ And by the way, if you want a quick laugh, check out Chris McCausland and Lee Mack presenting at the BAFTA’S this year here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLhy0Zq95HU&ab_channel=BBC   Clodagh and Óran’s friend Antonia Gunko Karelina was featured on RTÉ Radio One’s programme ‘Sunday Miscellany’ on Sunday 25 June 2023. She spoke about how dancing the tango helped her cope with the trauma of having to abandon her home because of the war in Ukraine, and how she feels embraced by the people of Ireland. It’s a beautiful piece and is very moving – you can listen to it here: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22266657/     Stuart has news about a webinar he is hosting with Jan next week, see details here: https://www.sightandsound.co.uk/event/webinar-wednesday-catching-up-with-vispero-software-enhancements/   We have emails from Nora from Boston, Blind Gordon from Scotland (with a lovely voice message), another lovely voice message from Suave Saleem, and a final email from Aaron Linson in the USA. Poor Clodagh was feeling the pressure!   So, forget about slush funds, jump into that paddling pool, and get ready to listen to one of the sweatiest and most awe-inspiring podcasts in the known universe: Blind Guys Chat… 8 out of 10 CFO’s prefer it to a slap on the wrist.

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Hello dear Blind Guys Chatters - it’s time for your favourite podcast. We begin the show with some very sad news. Our friend Danlami Bashru from Nigeria has sadly passed away. Danlami was our first guest on the podcast back in September 2020, and we would like to dedicate this week’s show to him. Danlami was an erudite, highly educated man, and a great advocate for blind and vision impaired people throughout his beloved Nigeria. The Blind Guys were honoured that he agreed to come onto the show and chat with us. After a little reminiscing about our friend Danlami, we move on with the show to discuss our favourite topic - the weather. Poor Jan has been melting away in 30 degree heat - that's Celsius of course. There are no flies on Sjef though; he’s in the bathroom lounging in a bath of ice. Stuart has actually spent some money - he handed over his chauffeur’s yearly salary for a months subscription to Chat GPT. Was it worth it? Spoiler alert - no, not really, but he does give the new Chat GPT IOS app the thumbs up. Our guest this week is Oleg Shevkun. Oleg grew up in Leningrad and Moscow before taking a pitstop in Dallas before finally settling in Germany. He works as a tester at Vispero and is here to tell us all about his life and how he ended up working there. Clodagh has an email from our friend Gary in South Africa. Gary has taken the time to do a great demo of the Seeing AI app. In his demo we get to see what is in his fridge, and before you guess, Stuart, it's not beer! Finally, we end where we began, and have put together a little montage of our interview with Danlami Bashru from episode 2 of Blind Guys Chat. If you would like to listen to the full episode again, you'll find it here: : https://pnc.st/s/blind-guys-chat/3ffab55fc9c24603/002-dogs-drains-and-the-dreaded-double-d- We would like to offer our sincere sympathies to Danlami's family. May he rest in peace.  

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It’s time for another fun-filled 60 minutes with the blind guys, and this week we welcome back part-time co-host and part-time sunbather - Stuart Lawler. Yes Stuart is gracing us with his presence so he can tell Óran and Jan all about his latest holiday - smiling pile of poo emoji.

This week in a change to our normal programming i.e Óran moaning about something, we instead have Jan standing on his soapbox giving out about trying to pay a restaurant bill using a touch screen credit card machine. Have you ever been forced to give your pin number to a stranger? Well we think enough is enough, and action is required.

Stuart has recorded a demo using his very best friend, Chat GPT.

Clodagh’s got emails from Gary Hough like cough, and an audio message from Dave Nason, who has news about Sky support being available via the Be My Eyes app.

So, chill out on your deck chair. Have the pool boy dredge the pool for toenail clippings, and get settled in for episode 72 of the number one podcast in the omniverse: Blind Guys Chat! 8 out of 11 field mice prefer it to a big chunk of emmental.

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Hello dear Blind Guys Chatters - it’s time for your favourite podcast – hurray! This week we are devoting most  of the show to the final Eurovision Song Contest report from Kevin Sherwin. Yes, even though Kevin is jet-lagged from all the dancin’ and singin’ in Liverpool, he finds time to chat to us about the Song Contest last Saturday night. Did you vote for Sweden or Finland to win? What were the other options? Do you even care? Tell us on blindguyschat@gmail.com. We want to know!   Guess what? Stuart is missing in action again but does manage to take time out of his busy sunbathing  schedule to tell us about an assistive technology event taking place next week in ChildVision, Dublin.   Jan is just back from SightCity in Frankfurt, and he tells us how he got on in the new location for this event.   Clodagh has an email from Blind Gordon, who gives us his review of the Seeing AI app. Kevin Farrell is writing to ask if we can keep Donald Trump in Ireland, spoiler alert: No way Jose!   So, step off the waffle iron, pour yourself a glass of champers in the green room, and settle into another scintillating episode of Blind Guys Chat.   16 out of 20 Germans prefer it to their own Eurovision entry.

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Hello dear listeners, are you ready for another Eurovision preview? Well Kevin Sherwin is back to share his views on last Tuesday night's semi final and also to chat about the acts on tonight. Don't forget to watch it tonight at 8pm (Irish time).

Enjoy!!

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Hey folks, wanna know how the Eurovision song contest 2023 from Liverpool is going? Well here is the first report from our good friend Kevin Sherwin. Kevin has all the info on the preview show prior to the semi final tonight. It's a great report so go on and give it a listen before you settle down with a nice cuppa and watch the semi final.

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Episode 68 is all about surprises. The first surprise is that Óran, Jan and Clodagh are all unavailable, (no, we’re not joking) and they’ve left Stuart holding the baby, or the podcast on his own! Will he come out of it the other end? It just so happens that he might, but its not because of Stuart’s podcasting skills, its thanks to our lovely friend Veronica Hyks, who has produced a series of short audio described commentaries called Countdown to the coronation. We couldn’t have inflicted Stuart’s rambling on our listeners for a full hour because we’d really like to keep some of you tuning in to future episodes, so, instead, we pulled together all Veronica’s great work and have popped them in this episode for your listening pleasure. And, fear not, the guys minus Stuart, who’s on yet another holiday, will return in a fortnight.

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Hello our favourite A.I. bots! We hope you are well, and are looking forward to another fantastic episode of Blind Guys Chat. We begin this week’s show with a health warning, or should that be a sandwich warning!?! Yes, it seems that Sjef was a bit of a bold doggy during the week, as he managed to get his mouth around a sandwich belonging to one of Jan's colleagues. However, it looks like Sjef won’t be imprisoned any time soon as there was no evidence of a crime having been committed. Yes, Sjef is keeping his mouth shut on this mystery. Clever boy! Not even Sherlock Holmes could solve this one!

Our guest this week is Jesse Wienholts. Jesse works for Royal Dutch Visio in the Netherlands. He brings the Guys up to speed on upcoming innovations for blind and vision impaired people. He has tested out many new products, including 'Glidance' a prototype guide dog; this one doesn't eat sandwiches apparently! He also talks about the multiline braille display 'Monarch', as well as the upcoming Envision Assistant and a new GPS app called 'Voice Vision'. He has also been playing a game called 'Top Speed' and we ask, are video games for blind players really just about pressing buttons with no real sense of immersion?

It's a welcome return to our former co-host Mr Stuart Lawler who is back on the show fresh from his bed because he has been burning the candle at both ends due to the International Conference on English Braille being held in New Zealand. Thanks for staying up late Stuart, now give us the skinny on this year’s ICEB.

And for those of you looking for an assistive tech bargain - Humanware and Sight and Sound currently have a sale on.

So, forget about the fact the longest day of the year is behind us. Forget that fact that you still don't have a holiday booked, and instead remember all you really need is to sit down with a cuppa joe and listen to the most informative podcast this side of a polar bear sliding down a glacier: Blind Guys Chat. 6 out of 10 robot guide dogs prefer it to eating electrodes!

Links for this show: · Royal Dutch Visio: https://enviter.eu/members/royal-dutch-visio/ · Glidance: https://glidance.io/ · Monarch: https://www.humanware.com/en-usa/monarch · Envision Assistant: https://envision-assistant.com/ · Voice Vision in Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/voicevista/id6450388413 · Top Speed: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tbegames.and.top_speed_racing&hl=en_IE&pli=1

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Read transcript

Hello our dear subjects! Before we start the show proper, we have a little treat. The wonderful Veronika Hyks is recording a series of descriptions leading up to the royal coronation of King Charles III called ‘Countdown to the Coronation’, and she has very kindly given us permission to share the first one with you. So please sit back and enjoy. And do let us know what you think!   Stuart and Óran are delighted that, at long last, the warm weather has come to Ireland, and they can now take off their thermals. Not so for poor Jan, who with his family are still suffering cold damp conditions in the land of windmills.   We left discussion of the Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference until Stuart came back, mostly because Óran and Jan were too lazy to do any research, but as it turns out there wasn’t much going on at the event, even though it was well attended.   Stuart has come up with an interesting way of using ChatGPT: Do you ever get long meandering emails? Well, why not put the text into ChatGPT and ask it to summarise the mail! Great tip, eh?!   Have you heard of “Seeing AI” from Microsoft? It appears they have a new channel called “World” which allows users to map a route and then play it back to navigate to that location. But Óran wants to know how it all works, and why oh why are these apps not pairing with camera-glasses so you don’t have to hold your phone out in the middle of a street and risk having it stolen?   Stuart has a callout for those of you who use WinAmp. They have launched a new version of this geeky application, but Stuart can’t find a download option on the WinAmp website. Can you help?   In TV corner, we are talking about Unstable (not Unbalanced, Óran!). Also, Colin from Accounts, The Night Agent, Beef, Transatlantic, Succession, Ted Lasso, and The Last Thing He Told Me. Phew – that’s a lot of couch time!   Clodagh has emails and a tweet. Someone was not happy about us talking about electric cars, someone else thinks Jan is a stud, and Jenny thinks we are doing a great job with the show and the show titles and notes.   So, clean off the garden furniture, charge up your phone, pour yourself a nice glass of Pimms, and listen to the number 1 podcast as voted by happy summer honeybees: Blind Guys Chat. (8 out of 10 U.S. Presidents prefer it to being president.)          

Notes go here

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Guess who’s sick again!?! No, not Larry, although he has been a little sick. No, it’s Stuart. Poor fella has spent more time in bed than the bed bugs. So since we couldn’t get the pope on the phone, we asked Clodagh to step into Stuart’s wonder woman outfit and play his part for this week’s show.

Jan, or Mr Megastar tells us what it is like to be on a film set as he is playing a pivotal role in a movie being shot in The Netherlands. How long is he in makeup? Does he get free food? All these questions and more will be answered. Clodagh and Jan also talk about their recent move to electric motoring. Do they miss engine noise? Do they get range anxiety?

We have emails from Aaron in Kentucky, and a Blindie Tip from Blind Gordon.

So, hold off on buying those bunny rabbit easter eggs, they’ll be cheaper in the sales. Settle into your favourite chair, turn off your phone and get ready for the most entertaining podcast this side of a new born lamb: Blind Guys Chat

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Ever considered wood turning? Well if you have, stay tuned, cos we are talking to Mr John Furniss, 'The Blind Woodsman' who lives all the way over in Washington State, USA. That's in America you know! John is here to tell us all about this craft that he loves. It's a fantastic chat and it might even inspire you to pick up a lump of wood and a chisel.

Big News. Jan and Sjef are going to be in a movie!! Yes, he is starring in the new marvel sequel 'SuperDog, Below Sea Level'. No seriously, Jan and Sjef are going to be in a movie, for real, totally!

Stuart has news about his favourite app, Chat GPT. Apparently some guys in China have programmed it to work with Siri on IOS.

Talking about IOS, are you having any problems with dictation when writing a text or email on your iPhone? Well Óran is, and he is looking for answers, because Jan and Stuart don't have a clue.

Clodagh has emails from Aaron, Saleem and Anna. Are Saleem and Anna offering themselves up as replacements for Stuart? Stay tuned until the end and you will find out.

So, brush the sawdust off the couch, strip yourself down to the fine grain, throw nextdoor's treehouse onto the fire to keep warm, and listen to the number 1 podcast this side of a mahogany dining table: Blind Guys Chat.

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Welcome back Stuart. Yes, Clodagh has washed, ironed, and pressed Stuarts favourite off the shoulder number so he can wear it for this week’s show. After a bout of pneumonia remedied by beer and crisps, he is back with tons of information for you, dear listeners.    Óran, Clodagh, and Larry have returned from a recent trip to London (that’s in the UK you know), and while they did have a lovely time, Óran has some stories to share about the London underground and also being refused from some establishments. He is thinking about writing a strongly worded letter to the King.   Will you be purchasing an iPhone 15? Well Jan has some news about the lack of buttons on the upcoming release that might change your mind. Stuart has news on Windows 11 and how it will support Apple i-message amongst other things and also how Microsoft have now integrated Chat GPT into Skype.   Clodagh has lots of emails to get through, most of which seem to be offering alternative presenters to replace Stuart.   So, forget about the fact it’s cold, wet, and feckin’ miserable; warm up some hot chocolate; open a packet of milk duds and settle back and listen to the number one podcast this side of a conscious mind: Blind Guys Chat.

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We have a proper star on this week’s show: Bonnie, a wonderful young Irish actress and singer, along with producers Colm and Aidan, are here to tell us all about their fantastic podcast ‘Maddie and Triggs’. The show’s main character, Maddie, is visually impaired, and together with her dog Triggs, they get up to all sorts of adventures. This brilliant children’s podcast may be making its debut on TV soon. We certainly hope so, being toddlers at heart!   Jan is on cloud nine because his local football team haven’t lost a match so far this year. But hang on – it’s only February and they’ve only played a few games so far - isn’t it a bit too early for loud cheers and celebrations!?!   Have you heard of the Access Card? Óran was delighted when he was approved for a shiny new Access Card recently. The Access Card (sometimes referred to as a CredAbility Card or a Nimbus Card) is like no other. It indicates your disability/impairment with subtle symbols that help service providers understand the barriers you face and the additional needs you might have. Some providers may also give you access to discounts, concessionary ticket prices, or free sighted guide/helper monkey tickets. And you might get to skip the odd queue (“line” for our American friends!). Think of it as a “disability passport”. You can use it in the UK, and parts of the USA, New Zealand, and other countries that support it. Go to accesscard.online to read more about the card and how to apply.   Clodagh’s got an email from Aaron Linson who among other things is offering his presenting services if Stuart becomes sick again.  

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It seems to be all about tech this week. We kick off the show wondering what that Chinese balloon was doing flying over the USA. Was it looking for a birthday party and if yes, can the Blind Guys come along? Jan is refusing to sell anymore microchips to the Chinese until the balloon is shot down by Donald Trump.   Stuart has news about Microsoft. Apparently, they have announced the official end of supporting Windows 10 as of January 31 2023. Can we go back to Windows 95 please? Also, Google are integrating 'Google Meet' into Gmail. Have you used Google Meet? What was your experience of this communication application? Sticking with Google, seemingly they are also running scared of Chat GPT - the Blind Guys have been experimenting with this AI application and they share their thoughts.   Microsoft have also announced that the popular mobility app Soundscape is no longer available for download and existing downloads will only run until June 2023. Will someone try to keep it alive via open source or is that the end of the road for Soundscape?   It's a welcome return to friend-of-the-show, Kevin Sherwin. Kevin is here to give us his take on last Friday’s ‘Song for Europe’, which is a contest to decide who will fly the flag for Ireland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool? Will it be Father Ted and Father Dougal with their catchy melody 'My Lovely Horse'? Tune in to find out...   Derry Lawlor has sent in an email with his details of his favourite holidays. Is it the Guinness brewery? And Blind Gordon is on the email machine to tell us that the Spring twitter app is no longer working. Major bummer!!   So, forget about the Grammys, throw those Richard Clayderman audio cassettes into the fire. Stub out that vape, and get ready for the most techie-licious and awe-inspiring podcast this side of a big pile of party balloons: Blind Guys Chat! 16 out of 22 newborn lambs prefer it to chicken nuggets. 😂

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Hey folks, it's time for another rip roaring episode of BGC and this week the holiday maker Mr Juicy bits (aka Stuart) is gracing us with his presence. Yes, fresh from waxing his juicy bits in the Maldives, he returns to the show and is already moaning about how messy Clodagh made his marble and gold lined desk.

We kick off the show with a request from Óran asking if Blind Gordon knows how to populate twitter addresses when using Spring. Then we talk about our second favourite topic, holidays. Have you ever used Traveleyes or Seeability for your holiday? Let us know - the email is blindguyschat@gmail.com

Stuart has sacked his driver and is wondering if you lovely people have used Uber or Bolt taxi services, and what you think of the app and service in general. We also learn that Jan has his own personal taxi driver and it's not his wife Chantal.

Stuart tells the guys about ChatGPT (well, there was some confusion about the name!). It's an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that can generate text on almost any topic or theme. It's so good that people are using it to write their essays for school and university!

In TV corner we talk about 'Treason', 'Kaleidoscope' and 'The Rig', and Óran thinks it's high time we had awards for audio description (AD) - he would like you to send BAFTA an email suggesting that they create an award for "excellence in the field of audio description". The email address is reception@bafta.org.uk for the attention of Sarah Pitt and Jane Millichip.

Propped up in her sick bed, Clodagh has emails from Gary Hough and Aaron Linson, and an audio message from Blind Gordon.

So, grab your cough bottle, call an Uber to take you to to the kitchen where you can make yourself a nice hot chocolate and listen to the greatest showstopping podcast this side of the flu vaccine: Blind Guys Chat.

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Happy new year to all our listeners. We hope Santa brought you lots of gifts and you are ready to embrace 2023 with vigour and hot chocolate, which is what one of our crew is doing this week. Yes, Stuart is skiing in the Maldives, or that’s what he told us. Is there snow in the Maldives? Jan and Óran are not so sure. So stepping in again, at great expense we might add, is Clodagh.   We start off this week with an ask: The Blind Guys would love to know what holidays you have been on that you really enjoyed, whether it be because the accessibility was great or the public transport was fantastic, or the people were very helpful, etc. Maybe you have been on a cruise with your guide dog? Drop us a line and tell us how you got on. We’d love to hear about your travel tips also, like don’t forget your long cane, as Jan did! The email is blindguyschat@gmail.com. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.   Our guest this week is Mark Pollock. Mark is a blind paraplegic adventurer, and he was a lot of fun to interview. We hope you enjoy hearing about his exploits.   In email corner, Clodagh turned the tables and wrote to one of our regulars. She heard a rumour that Scottish people can’t say a particular phrase and she wanted to find out if it’s true. Our Scottish correspondent tells us all, which triggers a rather confusing side chat about Smurfs. And then Clare McLoughlin of “Seen Unseen” got in touch to tell us about their new 2023 schedule, which is available at https://tinyurl.com/SeenUnseenschedule. All “Seen Unseen” events are free! You can get more info and book your place by emailing Clare at claremclaughlinemail@gmail.com   So put on your wind breaker, take the curlers out of your hair and have a listen to the best podcast this side of a drunken crab on steroids.   Blind Guys Chat.

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