Our Live Event Podcasts return this year with a brand new name – Talking Technology with NCBI Labs. On the show this week we first explore the rapidly evolving area of 3D Printing. We find out how 3D printing works and what tools and materials are used to create 3D models. From applications in healthcare, transport, construction, music, and more, this technology is extremely versatile and, when it comes to what it can produce, the sky is the limit, We even hear some 3D printed '3Dvarius' violins...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Wishing all our listeners a very Happy New Year. For almost 200 years, Braille has transformed the lives of many people with sight loss. It has promoted equal opportunities and opened doors to literacy, education, and employment. In recognition of World Braille Day taking place today 4th January, our first Live Event of 2022 is dedicated entirely to the tactile writing system of Braille. What is exactly is Braille? How is used, why is it so important, and where can it be learned? To help answer ...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 34
We have lots coming up in what will be our final Live Event of 2021. To start off, it’s competition time as we give away an Amazon Echo smart speaker to one lucky listener. Next, we’re very exciting to tell you about the brand-new BlindShell Classic 2. An updated version of the internationally popular BlindShell Classic, this is a fully accessible phone for the blind and visually impaired community. The phone has a fully functional screen reader, a physical keypad, and a large print, high contra...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 33
On this weeks live event, we talk about the Black Friday deals available this year, both online and in-store. We feature deals on smart speakers, wifi extenders, apple devices, and Orcam products, and even show how you can use your Amazon Echo to search for deals. Also on the show, we talk to Leonie Watson, director of Tetralogical, about W3C and WCAG 2.1 guidelines, as well as the notable developments of recent years that have contributed to advancements made in the world of accessibility and i...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 32
On the show this week we find out about a new daily weather forecast podcast that has been launched by Met Éireann. The podcast offers a convenient and accessible way to find out the weather forecast if you are on the move and is also available through your smart speaker. To find out more we are joined by Evelyn Cusack, head of forecasting with Met Éireann, and Joanne Walker, Senior meteorological officer with Met Éireann. The new daily weather forecast podcast can be accessed at https://audiobo...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 31
On today’s show, we talk about the rise of subscription based services in recent years. We discuss the various businesses that offer subscription options currently, and discuss the pros and cons for the end user. Additionally, in our series of end-user reviews, Brian Manning tells us how he uses his Dot Watch, and give us his opinion on it. Support the show (https://www.ncbi.ie/supporting-us/donate-now/) Support the show...
Oct 26, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 30
On the show this week we're delighted to have back with us Stephen Howell, Senior Program Manager with Microsoft Ireland. Stephen tells us about the latest accessibility features and enhancements to look forward to in Windows 11. We also find out from Stephen all there is to know about the much-anticipated Surface Adaptive Kit being brought out by Microsoft to make its hardware more accessible. Showcased at the recent Microsoft Surface Event, the Adaptive Kit features a variety of tactile and hi...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 29
On the show this week we are joined by David Nason from Apple Vis to find out about the latest features and functions in iOS 15. Highlights include being able to perform more tasks with Siri off-line, a new VoiceOver Quick Settings menu, and a new feature called Live Text that allows you to read text from photos and with the Camera app. We look back at some of the highlights from Apple’s recent ‘California Streaming’ event that introduced us to the iPhone 13 Series, the Apple Watch Series 7, a n...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 28
On the show this week we discuss the role technology can play in making the workplace a more inclusive environment for people with sight loss. What are some of the challenges faced when seeking or in employment, and what grants are available to fund the equipment needed? Joining us on Meet the Team to help answer these questions and more is Maura Barry who works with the Employment and Vocation Service in NCBI. We explore a range of CCTVs (closed circuit televisions) that enable many people with...
Sep 14, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 27
On the show this week we are delighted to be joined by special guest Steven Scott from the RNIB Tech Talk Team. With almost 400 episodes, Tech Talk is a podcast and radio show for blind and partially sighted people who are interested in accessible technology. Steven tells us all there is to know about the RNIB Tech Talk podcast show, favourite interviews, funniest moments, and more. We also find out what has happened to the popular FlickType keyboard app for the iPhone, which was discontinued ea...
Aug 31, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 26
On the show this week we find out about Sight Tech Global 2021, an event focusing on AI and the future of accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired. The virtual event takes place this year from December 1-2 and is free to the public. To find out more about what’s in store we are joined by Ned Desmond, the founder and executive producer of Sight Tech Global. We catch up with Dominique Farrell who shares with us her experience to date with using the recently released Microsoft So...
Aug 17, 2021•57 min•Season 2Ep. 25
On this Live Event Special we find out about Microsoft Soundscape, an app that assists those who are blind or vision impaired to explore the world around them through a 3D audio experience. As the next step on the journey to enabling a more accessible Ireland for all, Microsoft Ireland announced the availability of Soundscape on iOS on Tuesday 3rd August. NCBI are thrilled to partner with Microsoft for the launch and celebrate their 51st Labs Live Event with a special edition of Microsoft Sounds...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Season 2Ep. 24
On the show this week we are joined by Joe McPhillips from Wexford to hear about his experience using the Apple Watch. Since the debut of the first Apple Watch in 2015, this smartwatch has evolved from a wrist-worn extension of the iPhone to a device that can tell you a whole lot about your health and more. Joe tells us how to set up the Apple Watch, its key features, and its many health benefits. On Seeing It Your Way we are joined by Breandan Ward who chats about his life in London and New Yor...
Jul 27, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 23
In this Live Event we are joined by NCBI’s Chief Technology Officer Kyran O’Mahoney to find out about the latest developments of the NCBI SmartHub. When available, the Smart Hub will provide a means of receiving information about NCBI and availing of essential services through your smart speaker. We will also be Joined by David Nason who will tell us all about Airtags, Apple's GPS Trackers often used in keyrings and suitcases to locate property. On Meet the Team we chat with Aoife Watson from NC...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 22
On this Live Event we are joined by Glen Gordan, who for the last 25 years has been the architect behind the popular JAWS Screen Reader. In the mid-1990s, the flourishing popularity of Microsoft Windows and its graphical user interface brought with it much concern for many computer users who were blind or had low vision. On the show this week Glen tells us how JAWS was adapted to a GUI, how the software has been developed in the intervening years, and what more we can look forward to in the year...
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 21
On this Live Event we find out about online banking and managing your finances with the popular Revolut app. How do you set up a Revolut account, what services are available, and how accessible is the app itself? To help answer these questions and more we are joined by Sebastian Hamilton, Head of Public Affairs at Revolut Ireland. Also, to provide us with an insight into the Revolut app from the perspective of a user with a vision impairment, we are joined by Breandan Ward who has worked in Lond...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 20
This week we check out the accessibility and accuracy of a range of weather apps. Irish people are known to be fixated by the weather with almost every conversation starting with this topic. Will I need to bring an umbrella today? Is the weather going to be good for the weekend? The topic of the weather is never far from our minds or our conversations and to help find out about some of the most popular weather apps available we are joined by Desmond Keaney from Leitrim. Also this week, we are jo...
Jun 01, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 19
This week we check out accessibility offerings on the Chromecast with Google TV, a device that can turn any TV into a smart TV with all your favourite streaming apps. We go through how to use the Chromecast’s TalkBack screen reader and its Voice Remote to access video and audio content. Also this week, NCBI Labs IT Trainer Miriam Kelly provides us with a demonstration of how to use the rotor feature with VoiceOver that can help users navigate and control important functions on the iPhone and iPa...
May 25, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 18
This week, with the news of the latest Ransomware attack on the HSE, we will be taking time to find out about this type of malware and also what we can do to help protect ourselves against such cyberattacks. On Seeing it Your Way, we catch up with Dominique Farrell from Dublin to find out about the technology she uses in her day to day life. We have lots of Quick Tips coming up this week too including how to access the emoji panel in Windows 👍. Support the show...
May 18, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Coming up on this Live Event we have an interview with Sky to find out about a new Voice Guidance feature recently introduced to the Sky Q box. Joining a suite of other accessibility features available on the Sky Q box, Voice Guidance turns all items on the screen into spoken output to make navigating the platform’s TV guide, menus, Show Centres, collections, and on-screen messages much easier for those with visual impairments. To find out more about this exciting development we will be joined b...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 16
This week we take a look back at some of the highlights from Apple’s recent Spring Loaded event that included the launch of an all-new iMac, two new iPad Pros, an updated Apple TV, and the much anticipated AirTags. We'll also be discussing what to expect with the release of iOS 14.5 this week that includes the option to unlock the iPhone with Apple Watch while wearing a face mask, new Siri voices, support for AirTags, and Apple’s App Tracking Transparency that lets you control which apps are all...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 15
This week our conversation turns to accessible app development and the research that is involved in coming up with new concepts for inclusive technology. To find out more we will be joined by Susan McKeever, Senior Lecturer from Technological University Dublin. Susan will be telling us about a new navigational app for people with sight loss that is currently being designed by her research team at TU Dublin. We will also be joined by Allen Higgins, lecturer and researcher in the UCD Centre for In...
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 14
This week our conversation turns to mobile phones and what are the key things to consider when purchasing a new one. We’ll be discussing the different types of mobile phones out there and what they offer in terms of accessibility features, design, memory, battery life, price, and more. On Meet the Team we speak with Karen O’Connell from the Children’s Services Team at NCBI. On Seeing It Your Way we catch up with Bob Murphy from Sligo who tells us about his use of technology in his day-to-day lif...
Apr 13, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In this Live Event we explore the area of accessibility with Microsoft. What are some of latest accessibility features in Windows 10 and Microsoft Office for someone who is blind or has low vision? How exactly does Artificial Intelligence work and how is it being used to make products more accessible for people with sight loss? Joining us this week to help answer these questions is Stephen Howell, Accessibility Lead for diversity and inclusion with Microsoft Ireland. If would you like to reach o...
Mar 30, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 12
On this Live Event we explore the Google Lookout App on Android that is designed for people who are blind or have low-vision. This free app has similar features to the popular Seeing AI app on iOS such as the ability to read text, explore surroundings, and identify products and currency. We find out about new features introduced in the latest version of Google Lookout and its new accessible design that makes the app more compatible with the Android screen reader, TalkBack. We also find out about...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 11
On this Live Event we take time to explore the area of accessible gaming. What are some of the best games out there for someone who is blind or partially sighted, and how can we stay up to date with the latest news and developments in this area? To find out more we will be joined by Darwin Gaffney and Iain Strachan who recently founded the RNIB Vision Impaired gaming group. Darwin and Iain will be telling us about their own love of gaming and how you can get involved in this new VI gaming group....
Mar 16, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 10
On this Live Event we will be checking out the new NCBI website. Designed to be fully accessible to all users, the new site provides information on all NCBI services across the country as well as latest news and podcast releases. It contains several new and exciting features that we are really looking forward to telling you about. We will be talking about the BlindShell mobile phone, an easy-to-use mobile phone that combines a physical keyboard with a fully functional screen reader. We will also...
Mar 09, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 9
On this Live Event we will be joined by Dr. Craig Moore who is a engineer with a vision impairment working at NASA in Washington D.C. Working at NASA for over 30 years, Dr. Moore is involved in the development of software to monitor the safety of rockets and life support systems for long duration missions. He is currently part of a team working on the Space Launch System that is set to be the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built. We will be finding out about his pioneering research as well a...
Mar 02, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 8
On this Live Event we will be joined by Saqib Shaikh, founder of the hugely popular Seeing AI app from Microsoft. Available in over 70 countries, Seeing AI is a free app created by Microsoft specifically for Apple iOS devices. Using the camera on an iPhone or iPad, the app harnesses the power of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to describe nearby surroundings, people, text, and objects. It can also help to identify products using a bar code scanner. Saqib will be telling us where the concept of Seei...
Feb 23, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 7
his week we will be joined by Breda Dowling from the NCBI shop to find out about a range of products for sale for people with sight loss. These products include everything from liquid level indicators to talking watches to accessible mobile phones. We will also be joined by Ah-Choi, Director of Social Impact at Dot Incorporation, to find out about the world’s first Braille smartwatch – the Dot Watch. Ah-Choi will be telling us about the latest version of the Dot Watch and its many features. On M...
Feb 16, 2021•57 min•Season 2Ep. 6
