As you probably know, your friends here at Talk Description to Me love a good story. We like reading them, writing them, and sharing them! This year, to celebrate the holidays, we'd like to offer you a story written and read by our very own Christine Malec (with a bit of help from JJ). Thank you for continuing to travel with us on our description-rich journey. May the season treat you and yours with warmth and kindness. Catch you in 2025! Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Dec 23, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 129
What does it look and feel like to be in a sea of 50,000 gleeful, sequinned, Taylor Swift fans? That's what our own budding Swiftie Christine wanted to know! In this episode, Christine and JJ take their surround sound mic to the SkyDome and describe the atmosphere, the friendship bracelets, and the fans heading into one of Taylor Swift's six sold out Toronto shows. Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Nov 30, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 128
It's no secret that Christine and JJ love their work, and when they get a fun and interesting gig they want to share it with everyone! This Halloween, JJ had the pleasure of describing the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Christine was in the audience to hear it. The production was staged by good friends at The Disability Collective, and featured audience participation, and an amazing all-Deaf shadow cast. In this mini bonus episode, JJ and Christine talk about their experiences on both sides of t...
Oct 28, 2024•5 min•Season 4Ep. 127
What better way to keep summer vibes alive than a trip to the fair? In this special, on-location episode, Christine and JJ explore the wonders of the Canadian National Exhibition, better known to locals as the CNE or the Ex! Join the two friends as they take a nostalgic stroll down the bustling midway, and describe the roller coasters, carnival games, and deep-fried delights, all captured in booming 360 degree audio. Many thanks to Yang Wang for her ongoing dedication to the show. And a big than...
Sep 21, 2024•56 min•Season 4Ep. 126
For several years Christine and JJ have been working with Toronto's Luminato Festival, presenting live art, theatre, and dance performances to Blind and Low Vision audiences through the online radio program Radio Lumi. This year, Radio Lumi is expanding its arts and accessibility coverage and shifting its focus to podcasting, which has everyone very excited. On this bonus episode of Talk Description to Me, Christine and JJ introduce you to their Radio Lumi friends, and play description-rich exce...
May 16, 2024•40 min•Season 4Ep. 125
Part 2 of 2. Love them or hate them, AI writing tools like Chat GPT have the potential to change the way we write, communicate, and learn. One group looking to harness the technology with, and for, the Blind community is Be My Eyes, an outfit which connects Blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers through live video calls. Now, Be My Eyes has partnered with OpenAI to create Be My AI, a free app-based service that provides AI-generated descriptions of user photos. The tech is currently ...
Oct 10, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 124
Love them or hate them, AI writing tools like ChatGPT have the potential to change the way we write, communicate, and learn. One group looking to harness the technology with, and for, the Blind community is Be My Eyes, an outfit which connects Blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers through live video calls. Now, Be My Eyes has partnered with OpenAI to create Be My AI, a free app-based service that provides AI-generated descriptions of user photos. The tech is currently being tested a...
Oct 07, 2023•38 min•Season 4Ep. 123
Ravines are a distinctive part of the urban landscape of Toronto. They create a network of natural green space that is one of the city’s defining features. Edited by Christine and introduced by JJ, you’re about to experience a described walk through part of one of them, led by Arborist Todd Irvine, funded by Park People's Ravine Champions program and organized by Katherine Sanders and guest Describer Rebecca Singh, this piece guides and informs as it walks you through the stories that exist in T...
Sep 15, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 122
The Star Trek universe is alive, well, and moving at warp speed. To celebrate Star Trek Day JJ joins Christine in her backyard for a casual conversation about the visuals of two Trek shows, the animated series Lower Decks, and the live action prequel Strange New Worlds. Fast-paced animation, and the complexities of prequel aesthetics, are too much for traditional inline description, so with the sound of passing shuttlecraft and starships overhead (ok, maybe they're just planes headed to the airp...
Sep 08, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 121
Christmas is a wonderful time to get in touch with old friends, to catch up over a warm mug of hot chocolate, to say "How have you been? I've really missed you!" Well, we've really missed you! This year, to celebrate the season, we'd like to make this small Christmas offering: a reading of How The Grinch Stole Christmas by the one-and-only Dr. Seuss. But Christine is Christine, JJ is JJ, and this is Talk Description to Me, so in our reading of the classic Christmas tale, a few descriptions of th...
Dec 17, 2022•11 min•Season 4Ep. 120
Talk Description to Me is hitting pause -- for the time being! To mark their final episode in this two-year run, Christine and JJ packed a picnic, hopped on a ferry, and headed to the Toronto Islands. Sitting on a park bench, facing the Toronto skyline, the two friends shared one last description-rich conversation before unplugging their mics for a spell. To all of our listeners, thank you for taking this journey with us! Please stay subscribed so that you don't miss a moment when we plug back i...
Aug 27, 2022•42 min•Season 4Ep. 119
Fuelled once again by Christine's insatiable curiosity, today Talk Description to Me explores the visuals of river systems. How do rivers form? Are the headwaters obvious? Are stream networks visible in satellite images? Does a river in the Amazon look the same as a river in Egypt? With the help of diagrams, descriptions of maps, and tactile primers on continental geography, JJ and Christine dive headfirst into the cool, rushing waters of the world's great rivers. Send us a quick note! Support t...
Aug 20, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 118
Back in May, Christine and JJ began examining and describing the world of virtual reality. Today the intrepid pair wraps up the three-part series, exploring surreal spaces and fantastical experiences, including a trippy meditation realm, and a journey to Jurassic World. Then JJ's in-house tech expert Owen joins the conversation to provide a teenage take on VR. Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Aug 13, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 117
Spy movies are perfect for Audio Description. There are subtle clues to describe, exotic and seedy locations to expound on, and often great visual storytelling for the Describer to work with. But what about those moments that whip by too fast for the AD Narrator? Today, Christine and JJ break down the visuals of spy movie tropes: gadgets, lairs, disguises, hacking, and tracking. Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Aug 06, 2022•30 min•Season 4Ep. 116
If you live in a city, you have lots of animals as neighbours; squirrels, raccoons, rats, skunks, maybe even foxes or coyotes. But what do they look like? How do they move, eat, and interact? This week, Christine and JJ describe the visuals of urban wildlife. That's right trash pandas -- we're talking about you! Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Jul 30, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 115
Slide whistle falls off of cliffs, and twinkle toes powering Stone Age cars were just a few of the sound effects that made Saturday morning cartoons popular with Blind and Low Vision kids in the days before Audio Description. Today, Christine and JJ aim to fill in some visual gaps by describing the look of classic cartoons, from prehistoric gadget gags in The Flintstones, to cutting edge camera work in Snow White, and the colour palette of The Simpsons. So pour yourself a huge bowl of junky cere...
Jul 23, 2022•37 min•Season 4Ep. 114
Women had been excluded from voting in ancient Greece, republican Rome, and in emerging European and North American democracies. By the mid 19th century, many had had enough and began demanding suffrage; the right to vote in political elections. While some worked within existing systems, others attacked with amazing savvy and ferocity, resulting not only in stunning, even shocking visuals, but eventually great change. This week, Christine and JJ examine the visuals of Women's suffrage, from the ...
Jul 16, 2022•37 min•Season 4Ep. 113
The school year is wrapping up, and students everywhere are gleefully donning their caps and gowns, eager to graduate. This week, to honour the hard work and dedication of students who are Blind and Low Vision, Christine and JJ describe the visuals of convocation ceremonies and regalia. Congratulations, Class of '22! Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Jul 09, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 112
The visuals of food prep and cooking can be kind of a mystery, so this week Christine and JJ are donning their jaunty chef's hats and stepping into the kitchen to demystify fancy flambéing, precarious pizza tossing, and curious candy making. Bon appetite! Send us a quick note! Support the show
Jul 02, 2022•38 min•Season 4Ep. 111
It's time for our second annual Pride episode! Last year, in episode 57, we described the visuals of Toronto's Pride Parade. This year we take a look at the historical event that led to the first political (and celebratory!) Pride Marches in North America: the Stonewall riots. To hear firsthand accounts from those who were at Stonewall, and journalists who have studied the event and its aftermath, check out this New York Times video. It's not described, but the interview subjects are quite descr...
Jun 25, 2022•33 min•Season 4Ep. 110
Summer is upon us, so it's time to get outside and do summery things. Today, Christine and JJ take their cues from the weather, the season, and some listener requests, and put their summer hats on. First, they head to the cabin to explore the forest, the trees, and the dappled sun. Then, they journey to the fair to stroll the midway and hit some roller coasters. All through the power of description-rich conversation! Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Jun 18, 2022•38 min•Season 4Ep. 109
On this podcast, we have tasked ourselves with "Describing the visuals of the world around us." Right now, the world around us includes mass school shootings. After consulting with Blind and Low Vision community members on various social media platforms, today we reluctantly carry on with the promise inherent in our mandate. In this episode, Christine and JJ describe and discuss the visuals surrounding school shootings, including school security, active shooter drills, AR15 assault rifles, and m...
Jun 11, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 108
Christine and JJ just couldn't fit all of their Star Wars talk into a single episode, so today they circle back in their X-Wing to describe ships in the Star Wars universe. Then, having started the new Obi Wan Kenobi series, Christine and JJ go deep on the visual details that inline description doesn't quite have time for: visual parallels, hidden clues, and quickie cameos. Spoiler warning! And nerd alert, too! Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Jun 04, 2022•43 min•Season 4Ep. 107
A few weeks back, Christine and JJ began exploring and describing the world of virtual reality. Today, that exploration continues. First they discuss the connection between the visual and physical, then giggle about childhood dreams of a real-life holodeck. Finally, the intrepid pair takes a quick trip to the International Space Station! Send us a quick note! Support the show...
May 28, 2022•37 min•Season 4Ep. 106
With the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series about to drop, Christine and JJ finally dive into the world of Star Wars! First, they go way back to the 1977 film that started it all to describe the aesthetics of the Star Wars Universe. Then they break down the franchise trilogy by trilogy, describing the evolution of the effects, and the challenges of designing visuals for science fiction prequels. Along the way the pair describes favourite characters like Yoda and Chewbacca, and epic scenes like Kylo Ren v...
May 21, 2022•43 min•Season 4Ep. 105
With theatres opening up again and big productions rolling into town, JJ recently got to see Cirque du Soleil live in the big tent. In hearing about it, Christine remembered a workshop the pair held a few years back, where they described circus performances with the help of tactile action figures. Today, they revisit some of that workshop material, and compare the style and aesthetic of the classic travelling circus to the aesthetic and style of Cirque du Soleil. Send us a quick note! Support th...
May 14, 2022•39 min•Season 4Ep. 104
When an Oculus Quest Virtual Reality headset arrived at JJ's house, his first call was to Christine! In this, the first of three VR episodes we will air in the coming months, the pair describes the headset, the experience of donning it for the first time, and how it tricks the brain through exquisite visual detail. They then explore 360 degree videos of the natural world, and scale the side of a digital skyscraper! Special thanks to our in-house tech consultant for their help in producing this s...
May 07, 2022•30 min•Season 4Ep. 103
Ever wonder what a conductor is doing at the front of an orchestra? Or grow curious about those hisses and sputters when you're waiting in line for your morning espresso? Today, Christine and JJ break down the routines, gestures, equipment and actions of people who work in silence. Send us a quick note! Support the show
Apr 30, 2022•35 min•Season 4Ep. 102
Robots have been evolving, both IRL and in popular culture. Today, Christine and JJ break down the look of science fiction robots from the 1950's and 60's, through the 70's, 80's, and 90's; from Robby the Robot to Data and C3PO. Then the pair turns their attention to modern day robots and their wild and crazy lives as groovy dancers and fight-to-the death gladiators! Send us a quick note! Support the show...
Apr 23, 2022•39 min•Season 4Ep. 101
Reaching the ripe old age of 100 makes a podcast reflective (and perhaps a bit self-indulgent!). Guided by emails and tweets from listeners, Christine and JJ pull clips from key episodes, share fond memories, and discuss what's been learned through their description-rich conversations. A huge shout-out to all of our listeners! Your support of this show has been appreciated from day one. We truly value the connection we have with the community, and want you to know how much you, as a listener, ar...
Apr 16, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 100
