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 [email protected]

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected] 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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It’s that time of year again folks! Yes, it’s time for a World Cup final - ahem… …no, it’s our Christmas Show and this year we have a twist. The Blind Guys were all set to chat with Santa but it seems Santa has had a problem with his glasses and can’t make the show. However, Mrs Claus has come to the rescue and we get to chat to the woman behind the red suit, or does she wear a red suit also? Let’s find out. Yes, wonderful Mrs Claus is here to tell us all about what is happening up in the North Pole and we even get to guess what her first name might be. We also hear about how Mrs Claus and Santa prepare Christmas Day lunch for all the hard working elves and she even has some of her own jokes which leaves the Blind Guys in stitches. In other news, we hear how Óran and Clodagh took their first trip away with Larry. How did Larry get on in the plane and did he make some new foreign friends? Blind Gordon has sent a very detailed message on using Mastodon and is very pleased with the overall experience. Dave Nason gives us his views on Mastodon and The Crown. Dave also has news on a free 6 month subscription to Apple TV courtesy of Sky. So, throw your baubles in the fire, put more whiskey in that eggnog and prepare yourself for the best podcast this side of a meteor shower: Blind Guys Chat. (Oh, and happy Christmas to all our Blind Guys Chatters!)

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Hello our little hibernating bunny rabbits! We hope this week’s show finds you warm and cosy. Well, this week Stuart (wearing his man-pants) is back with us after his travels to northern Germany, and yes he has indeed been suffering from a hangover due to his consumption of shots. He claims some mornings he cannot lift his head, however, we think he is just lazy. Once we get Stuart in an upright position it’s time to kick off with the show. Jan and Óran are, to put it mildly, disappointed with the FIFA chairman and his recent comments during the current World Cup. Basically, he’s a spanner!! Have you been watching the new series of The Crown? What do you think? Stuart and Óran are less impressed with this series and especially with the lack of aristocratic-ness of the characters. Óran feels they are not posh enough while Stuart is largely unimpressed with the storylines. However, they have no such comments when it comes to their favourite audio describer Veronika Hyks. As usual she is doing a wonderful job in this series and Stuart is still very much in love. Have you started Tootin’? The Blind Guys are wondering if it is time to kick Twitter to touch in light of Mr Elon Musk’s shenanigans - escape the dark side and defect to Mastodon. Do you have a Mastodon account? Do you know much about how it works? In other words, the Blind Guys haven’t a clue and are looking for advice and user experiences of the social media client. We have actually set up a Mastodon account – it’s @[email protected]. Friend/follow/Toot us! Clodagh has received an email from Ms Panty Bliss who has with a very strange question for Stuart. It has something to do with boobage, so stay tuned for that one. So, take a break from decorating the Christmas tree, strip down to your “I heart Mrs Claus” briefs, and listen to the number one podcast, hosted by those most likely to fart in a space suit: Blind Guys Chat!

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It’s time for your favourite podcast again folks. We have a small change to the starting panel as Stuart has gone to Germany searching for gas to heat his massive penthouse in the sleepy suburbs of Kathmandu. So, wearing one of Stuart’s off the shoulder numbers is the wonderful Clodagh. Ooh la la… We kick off this week with Jan and his new video doorbell. Yes, it appears Jan’s wife is getting a bit sick and tired of Larry bursting through the front door for playtime with Sjef. So the Bloem household now features a First Security video doorbell which Jan thinks is the business. The great news is that it is not a subscription service but rather has an SD card for recording locally instead of on the cloud, like Ring doorbells. Check it out here: www.firstsecurityserviceinc.com/video-doorbell.html Now that the security is sorted, it’s time to move onto a great discussion on mental health. Clodagh is joined by Peter O’Toole, Head of Counselling, Wellbeing & Emotional Support with NCBI; Kathryn Sinnott, Senior Fundraising Executive and Insight Counselling Service Insight Groups Coordinator in Fighting Blindness; and Ken Walsh, who is visually impaired and is a guide dog owner. The panel talk about how to recognise when you might benefit from some support with your mental health, what support groups are available, and the difference between counselling and support groups, and much more besides. We have compiled a list of supports available from Fighting Blindness and NCBI which you can access here: tinyurl.com/BGCsupports. We will add to this list as time goes on. If you would like to add information about these kinds of services from your country, please send the info to [email protected]. So, throw caution to the wind, throw frisbees to the dog, and settle in for the number 1 podcast as voted by COP27 delegates: Blind Guys Chat. 27 out of 27 attendees prefer it to overpriced sandwiches and desalinated water.

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Hello dear listeners and welcome to episode 56 of BGC. This week we get straight into chatting with our special guest who has won the hearts and minds of all the Blind Guys, even Sjef & Larry. Yes it’s a huge welcome back to Veronika Hyks, audio describer extraordinaire!! We get the low-down on some of the storylines from the new series of The Crown which will be available from November 9. We also talk to Veronika about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the state of politics in the UK, and the work she has been doing updating the way in which audio description should be written and more importantly, the Who, What, Where & Why of AD. It’s a fantastic interview and we are so grateful that Veronika took the time to speak with us. We also have emails from Clodagh, where we hear about Blind Gordon’s Excel sheet of shortcut key commands, hmmmm… could the Blind Guys pass this off as their own?!! and an email from Fiona commenting on the discrepancy between the cost of a digital stamp compared to a real stamp. So, loosen your suspenders, stick on a pot of coffee, light up those remaining fireworks, and get ready for the number 1 audio described podcast this side of an articulated truck … Blind Guys Chat! 16 out of 21 koala bears prefer it to returning boomerangs.

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Quack Quack Quack listeners (hello, in duck language) and welcome to another episode of the best podcast in the world. It’s a funny auld show this week as we experienced some technical difficulties - more about this later. We begin this week with Stuart having just come back from yet another holiday, is this his sixth of the year? He has been living it up in Lanzarote. Well at least living it up to his knees in the sea! But we are glad to have him back in the BGC office, …. Well, someone needs to make the tea. Jan is looking for some help from you lovely people. He wants to get a doorbell camera system something like the “Ring doorbell” so he doesn’t have to go to the door each time it rings. Is Jan just being lazy? Maybe. Oh, and he doesn’t want to pay any subscription for a cloudy hosting service either. Yep, he’s too cheap as well. Do you have any ideas for him? Send your thoughts into [email protected]. Óran is on another rant. (When will he stop?) This time it’s about the Irish postal service introducing a new digital stamp which uses a code you write on the envelope. While we all agree this is a great idea, how are we blindies meant to write down the code? Is this a potential breach of the European Accessibility Act? Well, Óran seems to think so. We have no guest this week, but we do have emails from Blind Gordon and Derry Lawlor, and that is where we had the worst of our technical issues. We thought Jan had decided to leave early but actually we lost his recording late in the podcast. Perhaps it’s behind the couch? Apologies for the bad audio quality. We are hanging our heads in shame over here. However, don’t worry, our chief technicians guide dogs Sjef and Larry are on the case and hope to have all sorted for episode 56. 🤞 So dry out your soaking wet underpants (cos it’s raining! We’re not suggesting you’re incontinent!), shake yourself dry like a wet dog, and settle down to listen to the most brilliantist and bigglyist podcast this side of an iceberg - Blind Guys Chat!

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Hello our little petit filous. We hope you are well and are looking forward to this week’s show. It’s a bit of a strange one again because for the second time in as many shows Jan decides to walk away from recording without a whisper to anyone and Stuart and Óran are left home alone to host the show for a while. However, things do get back on track when Jan returns and we get down to important topics such as: the weather, Santa’s latest invoice, IOS 16 (again!), and our increasing energy bills. Óran is wondering if it is possible to submit his electricity bill to BGC accounts as an expense. Hmmm… Our guest this week is that well renowned Scottish royal family fan, Gordon Anthony, more commonly known on the show as Blind Gordon. The Blind Guys were not previously aware that Gordon has written more than 20 novels and has won the Booker Prize 16 times, and the Nobel Peace Prize twice. We may have fabricated some of those details, but that shouldn’t stop you heading over to Amazon and purchasing one of his fantastic books. Clodagh is looking for listeners to participate in a recording for Blind Guys Chat on the evening of October 17 or 18. She is doing a piece on mental health and would love if one or two listeners could come on and discuss this important topic. This will be a group discussion with a mental health professional and other people who provide support services. If you are comfortable sharing your thoughts and experiences of mental health on the show, please send Clodagh an email to [email protected], and include your phone number and your preferred date to record. So, strip down to your flampers, chuck your wet guide dog into the tumble dryer, air out your pipe tobacco, and get ready for the most giggle-inducing podcast in the world - Blind Guys Chat. 12 and a half children prefer it to jigsaws!

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Hello lovely Blind Guys Chatters! We begin this show with some very sad news. It appears that our subjects don’t love us as much as we thought, and as a result, did not see fit to adorn us with lavish jewels and votes for listener’s choice podcast of the year. Sjef and Larry are beside themselves with disappointment. We will just have to regroup and do better next time. Jan, yet again has been on more travels, this time to Warsaw for work. Of course, Stuart has been to Warsaw to drink the place dry and eat the town out of crisps (potato chips). Our guest on this show is Aaron Spelker from Boston. Aaron only recently lost his sight and as someone who likes to play electronic games, he wonders why there was very little information out there about accessible games for blind and vision impaired people. So, he decided to set up a Facebook group which shares information on accessible games for IOS. It's called “Mobile accessible games (for the Blind)” and here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/492714638815312. Aaron is here to tell us about the Facebook group, and a little about his life. Have you upgraded to IOS 16 yet? Well, Jan and Stuart have, and Óran thinks he might wait a little longer because neither of the guys are very impressed with this latest update. It appears that Eloquence on IOS is not that great and Jan is not fond of the new Siri sound. What do you think? Give us your views by emailing [email protected]. Talking about emails, Clodagh has a lovely long one from Mr Dave Nason. It is very welcome as Dave sheds some light on Sky Go on Apple TV and also Sky Glass. Clodagh wants to get in touch with King Charles the third; apparently, he has a problem with his fountain pen and Clodagh has a solution for him. So, strip off your military clothing, put the gun carriage in the spare bedroom, tell your horse to go to bed, and settle in for the show that puts the greatest showman in his place - the number one podcast in the eastern hemisphere - Blind Guys Chat. 16 out of 51 corgis prefer it to chopped liver. Don’t forget: •       Please rate and review us on your chosen podcasting platform. •       We'd love to know what you'd like us to talk about in upcoming shows; send us your suggestions by email: [email protected] •       Don't forget you can send us your Blindie Tips and other thoughts by email also on [email protected] •       If you’d like to support the podcast, you can treat the Blind Guys to a coffee by clicking the link below.

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