Talk Description to Me

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

Send us a quick note! 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. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 the AD headset, and announce the sharing of the show's pre-show notes. To learn more about The Disability Collective, check out their website: TheDisabilityCollective.com. And to hear JJ's Rocky Horror pre-show primer, check out The Disability Collective podcast, now available on all podcast players. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 thank you to our episode sponsors Mr. Quan Gan and Ms. Wei Qi who have been strong supporters of Toronto's Blind community for years! Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 excerpts from episodes you don't want to miss! For more info about the Luminato Festival, visit the access hub at LuminatoFestival.com/AccessHub. For the full Radio Lumi podcast catalogue, subscribe to Radio Lumi (spelled L-U-M-I!) in your favourite podcast player, or visit LuminatoFestival.com/RadioLumi. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 being tested and played with by a large group of users, Christine among them. This week, Christine shares illuminating examples of what the service can -- and can't yet -- do, and JJ breaks down the AI descriptions from a Describer's point of view. Talk Description to Me is not affiliated with, nor sponsored by, Be My Eyes or OpenAI. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 and played with by a large group of users, Christine among them. This week, Christine shares illuminating examples of what the service can -- and can't yet -- do, and JJ breaks down the AI descriptions from a Describer's point of view. Part 1 of 2. Talk Description to Me is not affiliated with, nor sponsored by, Be My Eyes or OpenAI. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 Toronto’s Urban Forest. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 airport!) Christine and JJ indulge in a geeky, chit-chatty, description deep dive. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 the picture book illustrations have been woven into the text in playful Seussian rhyme! Now let's pour that hot chocolate and catch up, shall we?! Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 in! Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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! Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 cereal and let's dig in! Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 media-friendly uniforms and violent actions of militant British Suffragettes, to political marches in the US, and monuments to subversive Pink Tea parties in Western Canada. Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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! Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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! Support the show

Send us a quick note! 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 descriptive in their recollections. https://youtu.be/S7jnzOMxb14 Support the show