We have some nostalgia on the show this week as we are interviewing the legendary Adam Curry. Yes, the PodFather – co-inventor of podcasting.

Jan and Sjeff are beside themselves with excitement because Adam is their favourite DJ/MTV VJ. Adam talks to us about his life growing up in the Netherlands, his new life in Texas and all about Podcasting 2.0 and his No Agenda podcast.

We asked Jade McCormack to give us a demo of Microsoft Soundscape. Perhaps she can help Stuart find his way home so he can get to that piano for the email jingle. (Boo to the new jingle - Óran)

We have news on a new podcast from HIMS called Sensecast and we’ve got an email question asking the Blind Guys about their favourite music. Does Jan really dislike Run DMC?! And as for Stuart, The Lighthouse Family, really Stuart?!!

We've also got info on the Greenwich Docklands International Festival

So come on - kick off your shoes, whip off your bra, put on a pot of coffee, and give Blind Guys Chat a whirl!

Episode Notes

The day has finally arrived! The Blind Guys get to meet the new Director of Human Resources, Hector; and there are some new promotions and developments coming down the road. Will Stuart be happy? Let's wait and see...

The lads chat about the weather as usual, and Óran tells us that his guide dog Larry has been unwell lately.

Jan is about to head off on his holidays, but before he goes a WhatsApp for desktop demo is in order.

We have an interview with Dr Judy Dixon, who is Head of Consumer Relations at the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Washington DC. Judy has written a new book on audio description, which, as you all know, is our constant obsession.

The Microsoft Soundscape app is now available in Ireland. Stuart chats about it, and tells us how he managed to get lost while using it. We've asked him to do a demo for the next podcast, and hope he finds his way back home in time!

Clodagh is here with your emails about airport travel and politically correct language. Please keep the emails and voice messages coming - send them to [email protected]. Clodagh will be so happy!

All this and more in this episode. We hope you enjoy it.

Welcome to another fun-lovin' episode of BGC. We begin the show with some disruption as the builders are in to construct our new Director of HR's office complete with jacuzzi. Guess who is not happy about this...?

We have an interview with Mohammed Laachir who tells us about his life and how he got started working at Vispero. We have a big surprise for Stuart, as we bring on a guest he has a little bit of a crush on. Needless to say, he’s a bit shell shocked. Who could it be…? It's only the lovely Veronika Hyks, audio describer on The Crown and many other shows!

Clodagh is here with emails from Gary in Capetown, Derry from Dublin, Otis Mac Stroupy-Stroup and the guys are even asked for advice on how to follow the ball when watching soccer.

Jan gives us a weather update, Stuart is still complaining about his desk, and Óran is whinging about the lack of sing-ability of the new email jingle. Clodagh has a lot to put up with!

So, sit back, relax, and have a chuckle with the Blind Guys for a little while.

On this week's show the Blind Guys get political as we are delighted to be joined by Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth: Roderic O'Gorman. We talk about how life has changed for him since the Irish general election at the beginning of 2020. We chat about improving the lives of people living with disabilities, and after our chat we learn about a very important vote that took place in the Dáil (our Irish Parliament) during our chat with Minister O'Gorman.

Jan is worried about his house being flooded due to global warming, but Stuart and Óran remind him that he can find sanctuary here in Ireland, all he needs to do is grab hold of that Zipline we installed earlier this year between Jan's house and Stuart's apartment.

The guys are still arguing about Clodagh's new email jingle, but Stuart much like Maggie Thatcher, he's not for turning. We have email messages from Jade (of Ulysses fame), Gary in Cape Town, and from Saleem in Dublin. We talk briefly about Windows 11 and of course, the show would not be complete if we didn't talk about Stuart's counter top dishwasher.

So sit back, cool the jets, and chill out for an hour - let Blind Guys Chat help you relax as if you were in a bath full of puppies.

Huh....?

Welcome to episode 21 of the Blind Guys Chat podcast. That's right, our show has turned 21 and had a huge party last week, breaching all sorts of COVID guidelines.

Whoever said that the Blind Guys don't know their James Joyce? Well, actually maybe we don't know that much, which is why friend of the show Jade McCormack joins us to talk a little about one of Joyce's most famous works 'Ulysses', which she has read in full not once, but twice. Jade is also an avid and fluent Irish speaker and we asked her to bring Jan up to speed on a few Gaeilge basics.

One guest isn't enough for our 21st episode, so we were privileged and very honoured to be joined by Glen Gordon, Software Fellow at Vispero. There's not much about JAWS or its history that Glen hasn't been involved in, and he's also the voice of the hugely successful FS Cast podcast and FS Open Line.

Speaking of technology, Stuart has news about the first face-to-face Sight Village exhibition, which is taking place this year on August 17th and 18th. Please make sure you pre-register if you plan to attend, as places are very limited.

Clodagh is back to read emails and this time we are unveiling her brand new email jingle, which she loves, but it looks as though not everyone is happy with it. News of a recently appointed Director of HR in the Blind Guys Chat office means that some industrial relations issues may well be brewing...

Finally, make sure you stick around to the very end of our show, because Jade popped back into read a short excerpt from 'Ulysses', Stuart and Jan give us the details of their next Clubhouse event, and we've a very special report live from Washington D.C. about U.S. Independence Day, which is being renamed this year, apparently.

As always, we love to hear from you, so please get in touch on Twitter @BlindGuysChat or by email to [email protected].

The Blind Guys are feeling energetic this week as they are talking to Clare and Alex Whelan about blind tennis. What's it all about? How do you play the game? And, is Óran really that competitive?

Yes, of course he is!

Stuart chats to the guys about the World Wide Developers Conference but Óran can find nothing to get excited about. However, he is delighted that everyone on the team has now been vaccinated.

We've got emails from the U.S., the only blind Gordon from Scotland, and India, and we even talk about Bloom's Day.

Stuart has a gripe this week about Netflix and the BBC, oh yeah, and of course Che Martin has to get a mention. That was soooo 2 weeks ago Stuart... get over it!

Finally, Jan & Stuart tell us about a Clubhouse event they are running this coming Friday, June 18th.

So, why not put the laundry to one side, stop cleaning the gutters and mowing the grass, and instead get a glass of Pimm’s, some strawberries, & cream, and chillout with Blind Guys Chat for a little while?

Whether it's too sunny in Miami or you are riding your bicycle topless on a stage in Rotterdam, this week's show has everything. So, sit back, relax and let Blind Guys Chat entertain you. Yes! Stuart has seen the error of his ways and is asking the gang if he can come back to the show. But wait! Is there someone new sitting at his desk? Jan kicks off this week's show by telling us about live audio description on The Eurovision Song Contest and how some moments were a little too hot to handle. Stuart eventually stops sulking and joins in, giving us a little insight into his school days and in particular his Italian teacher. Apparently, she was a wagon. We have a fantastic interview with Dara Ó Cinnéide & Lara Lenehan which you won't want to miss. Stuart is also giving us a demo of the Virgin 360 TV app. We've got news about Clubhouse, emails from Miami, Dublin, Scotland and South Africa and we tell you about the WebAim survey for screen readers. Also we tell you where you can get a Braille Chess set. What a show!

This week's show is kind of a Eurovision special, but don't worry we still have the fun, especially with Stuart and his love for a certain Eurovision dance song. We are talking with Audrey Tormey who was Óran's Braille teacher. The lads question how many contractions Óran can remember. Stuart gives us a montage of previous Eurovision songs while Óran has an issue with trying to submit a new podcast to Apple Podcasts. Stuart is also talking to us about Virgin Media 360 TV, and Dave Nason writes in to correct a mistake Óran made on the last show about Sky Voice Guidance.

Jan is reminiscing about DJ Adam Curry, the founder of podcasting. And if all that wasn't enough, we've got audio messages from Derry Lawlor and Che Martin, and Clodagh asks our low vision listeners about the readability of five new Microsoft fonts. Oh yes - the guys also have a special ending to the show. Plus, this show has chapter marks – check them out! Phew!!!

From one night in Bangkok to blind tennis, this week’s podcast has it all. We speak to Che Martin whose podcast The Dark Squares is all about chess. Che also talks to us about his accessible card gaming site - Blind Adrenaline. After the BuyMie saga, Jan and Óran thought Stuart’s frustrations were done & dusted. But no - Stuart now has a gripe with Netflix! …will the sagas ever end?

Jan gives us an update on his new energy producing solar panels, and Óran & Stuart wonder if the BlindGuys could go into the energy supply business. also we ask the question do our guide dogs like a trip to the vet. There's a lot more on this week’s show including an audio message from our number one listener, Derry Lawlor.

Don’t forget you can contact the blind guys by emailing [email protected] or tweet us @BlindGuysChat.

Enjoy the show.

Hello lovely listener, and welcome to 67 minutes of fun, as the Blind Guys, Clodagh and their lovely guests are back to entertain you!

On the last show, you'll remember that we had a great chat with Dave Nason from Sky. At the time, Jan and Stuart set Óran a little bit of homework, so has he done it? We get straight down to business and find out!

The Blind Guys like to check in and talk about the weather - sure why not, doesn't everyone! Anyway, we're feeling Spring in the air and Jan has only gone and had solar panels installed on his roof. The question now is could he share some of his newly acquired solar power with the other guys so they could all benefit from cheaper energy bills?

Stuart came across a great story on Twitter recently about a model railway museum in Hamburg Germany. While the museum was closed during the Covid-19 restrictions, they were busy creating something truly unique. Have a look at the video that accompanies the news piece and hear for yourselves.

If you're a regular listener to the show you'll know that accessibility on the BuyMie shopping service has been something of a talking point, especially for Stuart, who uses it every week. Well, the ongoing conversations with BuyMie are bearing fruit and Stuart has a quick demo to show us how accessibility has improved with the most recent app update. Well done to all at BuyMie for their very hard work.

We mentioned Óran's homework earlier on, and his promise to review Sky's new accessibility solution. Well he didn't just review it, but did a really super Job and it appears that Jan and Stuart are a bit jealous! Sky have brought accessibility to a whole new level and are to be highly commended for the work they have done to date. Jan's kids would love a feature where they could watch a programme with their dad, and while Jan is enjoying the show with audio description, his kids can watch the regular version. Good news from Óran is that this could be in the works in the future.

Robin Christopherson and Shaun Preece are two aficionados of the podcasting world. They can be found on podcasts including RNIB Tech Talk and Doubletap Canada, but they also have their own Echo Show podcast, and, Robin has been running the hugely successful Dot to Dot for the last few years. We were delighted to hang out with the guys and find out about their shows and all the cool things they've been doing with their echo devices, as well as some other chat too.

After all that talking, and there's a lot of it, Clodagh is along to read our emails, or should we say read an email. We've only time for one this week but it is an hilarious blind travel story.

We'd love to hear yours, and indeed anything else that you want to tell us about by emailing [email protected] or on Twitter to @BlindGuysChat. Don't forget that we'd love you to record an audio message and send it to us. We might even play it on the next show!