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Talk Description to MeEpisode 129 - The Book of WinterAs 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 show2024-12-2341 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 128 - The Taylor Swift ExperienceWhat 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 show2024-11-3032 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 127 - The Rocky Horror Description ShowIt'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.2024-10-2804 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 125 - Radio LumiFor 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 L...2024-05-1640 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 124 - AI Description Part 2Part 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 amo...2023-10-1037 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 123 - AI Description Part 1Love 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 sh...2023-10-0737 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 121 - Backyard Trek TalkThe 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. Send us a quick note!...2023-09-0851 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 120 - The Grinch!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...2022-12-1711 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 118 - River SystemsFuelled 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 the show2022-08-2031 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 107 - Star Wars Part 2: Obi Wan KenobiChristine 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 show2022-06-0442 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 97 - Christine in VancouverOn a recent trip to Vancouver, Christine met up with some of the great folks at VocalEye, a not-for-profit organization that does amazing and innovative work in the Description world. After a full day of exploring, Christine got a ride home with longtime Describer, and all-around lovely Vancouverite, Ingrid Turk. Full of questions about Vancouver's much-hyped landscape, and not willing to pass up a golden opportunity, Christine switched on her mic and recorded this impromptu episode. Special thanks to Ingrid, Steph Kirkland, Eileen Barrett, and Amy Amantea, who we'll be hearing in future episodes!...2022-03-2625 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 95 - Movie PostersFor many sighted movie fans, posters aren't just ads; they're a tease, a lure, the first glimpse of an eagerly-anticipated film. This week, Christine and JJ discuss and describe favourite and famous movie posters. From Star Wars to The Graduate , Frankenstein to Pretty Woman, Bill and Ted to Godzilla, if you're a movie fan, Talk Description has you covered.Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-03-1232 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 94 - Gestures and Body LanguageChristine is fascinated by gestures, body language, and non-verbal communication. In this fun, chatty episode, the Queen of Curious Questions asks JJ to describe facial expressions, eyebrow acting, and a variety of shrugs. Then the pair discusses the language of subtle eye movements, directional signalling, and everyone's favourite, rude gestures!Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-03-0537 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 93 - COVID Graphs, and Police Clash with Protestors in the "Freedom Convoy"Charts and graphs can be useful for recognizing patterns and comparing data sets. Today, Christine and JJ explore visualizations of case numbers, deaths, and vaccinations from the COVID era. Then, the pair checks in on the Ottawa "Freedom Convoy". When police moved in to shut down the occupation, cell phone cameras were rolling! What they captured were disturbing and contentious images of children on the front lines, and mounted officers clashing with protestors. Christine and JJ try to sort through the visuals in this important follow-up episode. Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-02-2635 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 92 - Russia Invades UkraineIn this Breaking News episode recorded the morning of Friday February 25th, 2022, Christine and JJ describe news images and video clips from the first 36 hours of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-02-2524 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 91 - The Underground RailroadThe Underground Railroad was a complex, clandestine network of people, secret routes, and safe houses that helped enslaved African American freedom seekers reach Northern states and Canada. This week, Christine and JJ describe some of the surviving visuals of this extraordinary network, including route maps, hideouts, and code quilts. Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-02-1930 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 90 - The View From Here, There, and EverywhereAs we all know, Christine is a woman with many questions! What's the appeal of a dramatic view? Do clouds look the same from above and below? What does lightning look like from an airplane? Can you tell if you're being watched by an animal? Or through a camera? This week, Christine lets loose with her best view-related queries. But the question remains: Can JJ keep up?!Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-02-1235 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 89 - The "Freedom Convoy"On Saturday January 29th, a self-described "Freedom Convoy" of big rigs rolled into Ottawa to protest cross-border vaccination rules for Canadian truckers. The protestors have parked their trucks in front of the Parliament buildings, taking over streets and dominating the city's soundscape with a constant barrage of horn blasts and rally cries. Within the crowd, protestors have been waving flags and raising hand-drawn signs, some featuring hateful, violent, and racist messaging. Today, Christine and JJ discuss the challenges of covering and contextualizing divisive events, and describe the troubling images that have enraged so many of us.Send...2022-02-0534 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 88 - FireFire has been a game-changer in the story human evolution. It's mesmerizing and romantic, dangerous and terrifying, and utterly compelling. This week, Christine and JJ burn through a box of matches describing the mysterious visuals of fire, from humble candles to devastating wildfires. Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-01-2934 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 87 - Hunga Tonga Volcano and TsunamiOn January 15th 2022, an underwater volcano erupted in the Pacific Island nation of Tonga, sending an ash cloud 100,000 feet in the air. The massive eruption was clearly visible from space, and sparked a tsunami that rocked Pacific coastlines from New Zealand to Japan, Peru to Canada. Today, Christine and JJ describe satellite images of the blooming ash cloud, visualizations of the eruption's shockwave, and videos of the resulting tsunami.Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-01-2231 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 86 - NASA's James Webb Space TelescopeIt's been an exciting couple of weeks for space geeks like Christine. On Christmas Day, with help from the European Space Agency, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to Hubble. Since then, the telescope has been busy unfolding, preparing itself for a million-mile mission and a lifetime of capturing infrared images of the oldest and most distant objects in our universe. JJ and Christine will have to wait a while before those images are available to describe, but that's ok because there's a more pressing practical question to deal with first: what the heck does an u...2022-01-1530 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 85 - It's Hockey Night Tonight!"Hello out there! We're on the air! It's hockey night tonight!" - Stompin' Tom Connors.For some, winter means bundling up, locking the door, and hiding under weighted blankets 'til Spring. For others it means lacing up skates, taping up an old stick, and heading to the nearest patch of ice for a bit of shinny! This week, in a valiant, oh-so-Canadian effort to fight off the post-holiday blahs, Christine and JJ indulge in some nostalgic, description-rich chirping about the best game we can name - the good ol' hockey game!To hear a live...2022-01-0844 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 84 - Victorian Christmas Part 2Happy New Year everyone! To celebrate the season, Christine and JJ head to Toronto's Distillery District Christmas Market. Wandering the cobblestone streets of the Victorian neighbourhood, they describe the decorations and delicious treats, share a few stories, and some good laughs, too. All the best in 2022!Send us a quick note!Support the show2022-01-0124 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 83 - Victorian Christmas Part 1Merry Christmas everyone! To celebrate the season, Christine and JJ head to Toronto's Distillery District Christmas Market. Wandering the cobblestone streets of the Victorian neighbourhood, they describe the decorations and delicious treats, share a few stories, and some good laughs, too. All the best to you and yours!Send us a quick note!Support the show2021-12-2525 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 82 - Quad State TornadoLate in the night on December 10th and into the early morning of December 11th, a supercell thunderstorm ripped through four Mid-South American states. Multiple tornadoes within the storm devastated towns, cities, and rural areas, and took the lives of at least 90 people, with many more still missing. This week, in an effort to provide contextual information to those profoundly affected by these events, JJ and Christine describe the visuals of tornadoes, and photos of the storm's aftermath. Listener discretion is advised.This episode discusses items listed on the Facebook group Quad State Tornadoes Found Items. For mor...2021-12-1832 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 81 - Maps and Tracking SystemsEver wondered how the surface of a round planet translates into a flat map? Christine has! This week, JJ answers questions about the visuals of maps, and how those visuals line up with reality. Then, with maps on the mind, JJ and Christine discuss the look of online tracking and navigation, from deliveries to Uber rides, container ships to Santa's Christmas Eve run!Send us a quick note!Support the show2021-12-1130 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 80 - Scooters, eBikes, and HoverboardsLove 'em or hate 'em, personal vehicles are everywhere. These days, people are zipping across town on silent e-bikes, delivering takeout on electric kick scooters, and coasting through neighbourhoods on seemingly magic skateboards. In this episode, Christine and JJ describe the visuals of personal transportation devices, from mobility scooters to hover shoes! Send us a quick note!Support the show2021-12-0434 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 79 - Cave PaintingsSince our days as cave-dwelling hunter gatherers, humans have been creating and sharing art. Paintings by early humans still adorn the walls and ceilings of hundreds of caves around the world. Far from "primitive" sketches, many of these works of art demonstrate an evolving understanding of colour, form, symbolism, and pictorial communication. This week, Christine and JJ discuss Palaeolithic handprints, cave etchings, and figurative paintings: the earliest human-made art on the planet.Send us a quick note!Support the show2021-11-2733 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 78 - Black Friday Sales and AdvertisingYou just can't escape advertising in the modern world. Even if you've been living under a rock there's probably a tiny billboard there promoting a New and Improved rock cleaner! With Thanksgiving upon us and the Christmas shopping season right around the corner, Black Friday advertising is everywhere. This week Christine and JJ describe viral videos of Black Friday chaos, and discuss the impact of ads on our visual landscape.Send us a quick note!Support the show2021-11-1931 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 77 - War Photos and Propaganda ArtThis week, the week of Remembrance Day and Veteran's Day, Christine and JJ examine wartime photos and propaganda posters. In this episode they describe early photographs from the American Civil War, black-and-white snapshots from WWI, and iconic photos and propaganda art from WWII, including The Battle of Iwo Jima, V-J Day in Times Square, and paintings of Rosie the Riveter. Send us a quick note!Support the show2021-11-1344 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 75 - The Rocky Horror Picture Show!There's never a bad time to don fishnet stockings and dance the Time Warp, but if you're looking for an excuse, Halloween is it! This week, Christine and JJ breakdown the visuals of the greatest cult movie of all time: the Rocky Horror Picture Show! Sequinned heels, outrageous makeup, hunky musclemen, and more corsets than you can shake a feather boa at; the Rocky Horror Picture Show implores us to give ourselves over to absolute pleasure. With a strong penchant for campy, raunchy fun, Talk Description to Me happily indulges! This episode was inspired by a wonderful v...2021-10-3030 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 74 - Viral Video ContraptionsSeveral internet videos featuring strange contraptions and creations have popped up in Christine's social media feed over the last few months, but we haven't managed to slip them into an episode. Then last week, a painting by the mysterious street artist Banksy sold at auction for $25 million. The crazy story of its creation features an epic prank, a hidden contraption, and a viral video, giving us the perfect excuse to pull all these wild inventions into one goofy episode. The original videos discussed in this episode can all be found on YouTube. For Bansky's video about the p...2021-10-2329 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 73 - The Look of EnergyEnergy infrastructure might not be sexy, but it's vital to our current way of life. These systems bring electricity to your home and transport oil and gas across continents, but what they actually look like remains a mystery to many people. This week, Christine asks about pipelines, rooftop solar systems, and commercial wind farms, and JJ describes the network of wires that lead from power plants, into your city, down your street, right to your home. This episode was inspired by images from world-renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, and his work with Toronto's Luminato Festival, which Christine and J...2021-10-1640 minTalk Description to MeEpisode 72 - UnderwaterHow does life look underwater? What's a jellyfish like? How about coral? Are deep sea creatures really that bizarre? This week, Christine and JJ don their virtual scuba gear (but not before describing it, of course!) to answer listener questions about the visuals of the underwater world.Send us a quick note!Support the show2021-10-0927 min