Top o’ the mornin' to ye, our little leprechauns! Yes, it's Irish week all over the world and even the International Space Station is painted green this week!
This week’s guest is Sarah Boland from CHAT, Freedom Tech, and Saint John of God. Sarah will tell us about FreedomTech, which is dedicated to ensuring that everyone with any disability, at any age or stage of life, can access affordable, up-to-date, and appropriately helpful technology. CHAT (Community Hub for Accessible Technology) is a community of individuals and organisations passionate about the transformative effect of assistive technology, (AT). It facilitates peer learning and collaboration, using shared expertise. The next CHAT event will be on May 7th where the European Accessibility Act will be discussed.
You can learn more about CHAT and Freedom Tech here: https://freedomtech.ie/ https://freedomtech.ie/chat-community-hub-for-accessible-technology/ And you can mail Sarah Boland at [email protected]
So, sit yourself down in a soft, cosy bed of shamrock, stop drinking that green pint of the black stuff, and settle in for the best podcast this side of a pot of gold: Blind Guys Chat!
7 out of 10 leprechauns prefer it to being typecast as little people of Ireland.
Links for this episode: · Freedom Tech: https://freedomtech.ie/ · CHAT: https://freedomtech.ie/chat-community-hub-for-accessible-technology/ · AT passport: https://freedomtech.ie/assistivetechnologypaper/#_Toc467830788 · TEKenable: https://tekenable.com/ · [email protected]
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Hello, our little sand dunes, and welcome to episode 118. Jan is just back from building his own pyramid in Egypt for his new summer house, and will be giving tours for all who would like one. So please form a disorderly line behind Larry! Clodagh is very excited to hear that in Jan’s winter residence, there is an artificial ski slope called Snow World very nearby, and Óran is equally pleased that he can sit in a nice warm café, while Clodagh plays in the white stuff if they decide to visit. Do you own a Tesla? Have you purchased your Bumper Sticker which says “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy” yet? Seriously! It is a real thing! See it here: https://www.amazon.com/Tesla-Bumper-Sticker-Bought-Accessories/dp/B0C4KHKN4S We have no emails this week, but we do want to give a BGC shout out to Grant, in Scotland, and students in Towson University, Maryland, USA. Do email us if you can. Clodagh is very lonely. So, brush the sand out of your shoes, stop building sand castles, and settle in for a relaxing chat with a nice cuppa Jo, and Blind Guys Chat! 3 out of 5 Pyramids prefer it to standing in the sand. Email us at: [email protected]
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Hello our lovely movie stars, and welcome to another episode of “Jan, the movie star”. Yes we kinda sorta pick up where we left Jan last time, standing at the end of his massive driveway, waiting on his limo to take him to the premier of the film, ‘I will see”.
...well, he made it, and brought all the family, including Sjeff who was dressed up to the nines. Now the only question is, will there be a sequel, and will Jan be brought back for a reprieve of his role? (That’s two questions!)
Our guest this week is Karthik Mahadevan from Envision. Karthik is here to tell us all about Envision smart glasses. He describes all the functions and features such as reading short text or longer documents. These glasses can even summarise menus and they can tell you what bank note you are holding in your hand. They can even describe colours. Karthik also talks about the upcoming release of the 'Ally' app which Envision are calling a conversational assistant. It even has attitude! You can find out more about Envision at letsenvision.com and if you want to know more about Ally, or sign up for the beta program go to ally.me.
So, forget about that idiot in America for a while, stick some popcorn in the microwave, and settle down to the most listened to podcast this side of the Superbowl: Blind Guys Chat!
11 out of 15 American football fans prefer it to silly shoulder pads and ridiculously long breaks between play.
Links for this episode: Film: ‘I Will See’: https://iffr.com/nl/iffr/2025/films/ik-zal-zien Envision glasses and the Ally app: https://www.letsenvision.com/ The Ally app beta programme: https://www.ally.me/
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Hello, grips and best boys (and girls!), and welcome to episode 116. We are chatting to Mercedes Stalenhoef, the director of a new movie called ‘I Shall See’, the premier of which will be happening in Rotterdam on February 2nd 2025. Mercedes, traditionally a documentary maker, has written and directed this movie which tells the story of a young woman who has become blind after an accident. The film reveals how she copes with this massive change in her life. Our own Mr Jan Bloem also stars in this movie along with Sjeff, and from what we hear, Sjeff was a dream to work with, while Mr Bloem...? ...Well we will let Mercedes tell that story! Clodagh has emails from Nora Nagle regarding her Meta glasses and Blind Gordon has a list of the new names for the gritters and snow ploughs in Scotland. Óran wonders if there will be one called 'SnowPatrol'. So, make your way to the food truck, push your best boy into a nearby hedge, and settle in for the best drama, action, romantic comedy, period podcast this studio has ever produced: Blind Guys Chat! 8 out of 10 movie cameras prefer it to being on location.
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Hello our fancy AI bots, and welcome to episode 115. This week we are talking about AI, and we have a fantastic panel of experts to bring us through the topic of AI and accessibility. We will be talking about Meta Ray Bans, Envision glasses, Apple Intelligence and even some existential questions.
The panel (Brian Dalton, David Renstrom, Jesse Weinholt, Josh O'Connor and Mohammed Laachir) are well-placed to give their own views on current products, future products, and you never know, you might get some ideas on dinner if we can work out how to get our smart glasses to read a menu.
So, strip down to your Cyborg inner self, and prepare for judgement day by listening to the number 1 podcast from the future: Blind Guys Chat!
11 out of 15 AI bots prefer it to a slap in the face.
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Hey folks! Don't worry, we'll be back on January 16th, when we will be talking about everything AI. In the meantime, stay warm!
The Blind Guys
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Happy Christmas to one and all! We hope you have an enjoyable break this Christmas holiday season.
This show is our annual, twice yearly, every 4 years BGC Christmas Quiz featuring some of our BGC listeners and guests. We have contestants from St. Louis, Boston, Scotland, Dublin and even County Clare in the West of Ireland.
So, put the leftover turkey in the fridge, throw away those yucky sprouts, and settle in for some festive mayhem on the show that keeps giving you Christmas all year round: Blind Guys Chat!
12 out of 16 Christmas movies prefer it to being Christmas movies!
Links in this show: Things Gay People Like Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/02N4vAlIPR6NWTrIM6iTAt?uid=null&uri=spotify:episode:2hRdnGHjgHQIcRfuRI3nyG
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Hello our favourite sight capitalists, and welcome to episode 112 of BGC. We are honoured to be joined by Mr David Renstrom who has kindly agreed to leave the comfort of his North Swedish igloo to chat about the newest craze everyone is talking about: Meta Smart Glasses! David takes us through the design and functions of the glasses, and even gives us a tour of his fridge. Are these the Christmas present you've been waiting for? Do you need to amend your letter to Santa? Stay tuned and find out.
We do have to issue a health warning and say that the A.I. part of 'Meta Glasses' may not work in your location straight out of the box. This is mainly an issue in Europe and is due to very strict EU data protection laws. However, there is a workaround: You can subscribe to a VPN service which means you can tell the 'Meta View App' your location is in the USA or Canada and then the A.I. will work fine. See links below to VPN services, some of which have very good subscription offers for the next few weeks.
It turns out that in between shows, Jan has also purchased these Meta glasses and is getting some "Looking cute and cool dad" comments from his daughter Rosalie. But is she trying to butter him up for a special request that only daughters can ask their dad!?! Sucker!!!
We've got an email from Blind Gordon which Mohamed will be pleased about as he was very worried about the weather in Scotland. We are delighted to say Gordon is all good, but we'd suggest staying away from Inverness; as it's feckin' FREEZIN' there!!
And now, for the most important bit: Would you like to be a contestant in the Annual BGC Christmas Quiz? It's on December 23rd and will be lots of fun – full of madness and mayhem! We may even have some special guests. Send us an email expressing your interest to [email protected]. Even if you just want to attend, and not take part in the quiz – let us know, and we’ll send you on the joining details.
So, stick your shades on; strip down to your Christmas reindeer socks; pour yourself a glass of eggnog (yuck!) and settle in to listen to the number 1 podcast as rated by Christmas films: Blind Guys Chat - 7 out of 8 Reindeers prefer it to falling off the roof!
Links for this show: Meta: https://www.meta.com/ie/smart-glasses/ VPNs: · SurfShark: https://surfshark.com/download/windows · ZoogVPN: https://zoogvpn.com/ · ExpressVPN: https://www.expressvpn.com/vpn-download/vpn-windows And don’t forget to email [email protected] if you want to join us for the BGC Christmas quiz!
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Hello, our lovely election canvassers and welcome to Episode 111. Did you manage to survive Storm Bert last weekend? And did you know the storm was named by our weather colleagues in The Netherlands? Lucky it wasn't called Storm 'Sjef' - Woof!! Mohammed Laachir is back with us again and it appears he has been on a kind of holiday since he was last on the show. Yes, he is just back from pilgrimage to Medina and Mecca, and managed to survive in 34 degree Celsius heat (92 point something Fahrenheit) by availing of a very clever piece of clothing.
It's election time here in Ireland. Are you ready to vote on Friday November 29 (the day after we publish this episode)? Vote early and often as Óran exclaims!! And if you need information on accessible voting, visit here: https://www.electoralcommission.ie/accessible-voting/
Clodagh has a great email from Patty Murphy. It has 2 images, and Patty wants to know how an AI engine will describe them. So Óran decides to put Jan and Mo to a test and see if they can work out which one is using “Picture Smart AI for JAWS”, and which one is using the “Describe with Be My Eyes” function. A little tip: Don't forget if you want Picture Smart AI for JAWS to give you more detail of an image you can use the keystroke 'Shift + applications key' and then select "Picture Smart with JAWS. And you can even ask questions about the image after the description is complete.
The results of our AI descriptions were interesting. Also, the pictures are interesting - one of them features a 1957 BMW Isetta which is a really cool car. (Clodagh was wrong – there were 3-wheel versions built. Also 2 people could fit in the front. The back was for stowage.) You can read more about the BMW Isetta: here: https://journal.classiccars.com/2024/03/30/pick-of-the-day-1957-bmw-isetta/
So, chuck away your voting cards, take off your shoes and kneel to pay homage to the only podcast worth listening to this side of a force 12 gale: Blind Guys Chat. 8 out of 10 hibernating squirrels prefer it to sleeping.
• Accessible voting: https://www.electoralcommission.ie/accessible-voting/ • 1957 BMW Isetta: https://journal.classiccars.com/2024/03/30/pick-of-the-day-1957-bmw-isetta/
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
Hello our wobbly hospital trolleys, and welcome to Episode 110 of BGC. It's a welcome back to Óran, fresh from his travels to the nearby hospital, all of 5 minutes away. Yes, it seems Óran is maintaining his hobby of having near death experiences every few years, much to Clodagh’s distress. But anyway, all is good now and he is back steering the HMS BGC directly into a cliff!
Poor Jan is in bed and on the tablets again as he can't believe the US presidential election result, but then again neither can Clodagh, Óran, or most of the world for that matter.
Our guest this week is Fanny Bui. Fanny is here to chat about a fantastic blind and visually impaired event happening in Chemnitz, Germany next year. Chemnitz is the European Capital of Culture 2025. The organising team are blind people who live in Chemnitz who want to introduce you to their city. You can stay in a blind host family, who will guide from arrival to departure. You really don’t need to bring a sighted person if you don't want to – you know how pesky they can be! The program includes a sound and touch city tour, a visit to the museum of archaeology, a visit to the blind school and training centre. There is also an option of a small hike in the nearby forest, climbing, or tandem biking. You can also try ‘Showdown’ (we don’t know – it’s some kind of game), and the highlight of the weekend will be a concert organised by the ‘Low Vision Charts’. For more details visit: tinyurl.com/BGCchemnitz or email [email protected].
In TV Corner we are talking about two shows on Netflix: ‘The Lincoln Lawyer season 3’ and season 2 of ‘The Diplomat’. Check them out.
Clodagh has an email from Laurent, who writes from Belgium asking about the pros and cons of travelling through Europe as a blind individual. If any of you lovely listeners would like to share your positive and negative European travel experiences, you know who to email – Ghostbu… no, [email protected]. It will help us plan our holidays for next year – keep the stories coming!
So, pull off that oxygen mask, don't worry about your collapsed lung, and throw caution to the wind as you walk up the hospital corridor listening to BGC, forgetting that your rear end is fully exposed for all to admire!!
Blind Guys Chat: 16 out of 20 saline drips prefer it to being in someone’s arm.
Links for this episode: • Chemnitz, European Capital of Culture 2025: https://tinyurl.com/BGCchemnitz, or email [email protected].
• Email us about your European travel experiences, good, bad and ugly, to [email protected].
• The Access Card – for cheaper access to various venues when travelling in the UK and parts of the rest of the world: https://www.thenationalcareline.org/Lifestyle/AccessCard.
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat