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  • 7: Sligo, Saints and Smart Tech

    7: Sligo, Saints and Smart Tech
    2026/09/01

    Sligo, Saints and Smart Tech

    What’s up, Docs!

    The Docs are back - and this month we’re talking WeWALK, Daisee, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, AIB’s newly updated banking app, noise-cancelling tech and the gadgets that have genuinely changed our lives.

    There’s also the small matter of Sligo becoming the Bermuda Triangle of GPS, a mysterious green furry object in a fridge, abandoned Toblerones, and a bus passenger we’d quite like to have canonised. Standard Tech Docs, really.


    Use It or Lose It
    The WeWALK smart cane faces the Docs’ ruthless Use It or Lose It verdict. The cane might not win everyone over, but the WeWALK app gets considerably more love.


    Tech That Changed Our Lives
    From iPhones and VoiceOver to Ray-Ban Meta glasses, BrailleSense, AirPods and Loop Earplugs, we share the technology that’s made the biggest difference to our independence - or, in Jade’s case, her ability to block out other people on public transport.


    Also This Month…
    We chat about the impressive Daisee Low Vision Aid, give the updated AIB Mobile Banking app an accessibility thumbs-up, answer a listener question about Ray-Ban Meta storage, and Ken shares a handy VoiceOver tip for manually checking iPhone app updates.

    And yes, someone finally told a person playing loud videos on a bus to put in their earphones. Canonisation proceedings are underway.


    Get in Touch
    General: hello@thetechdocpod.com

    Jackie: jackie@thetechdocpod.com

    Jade: jade@thetechdocpod.com

    Ken: ken@thetechdocpod.com

    Pat: pat@thetechdocpod.com

    Stuart: stuart@thetechdocpod.com

    Want to feature or collaborate? teamup@thetechdocpod.com


    Links
    thetechdocpod.com
    WeWALK
    Daisee – Low Vision Aid
    Daisee Low Vision Aid (Android)
    Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
    AIB Mobile Banking
    Loop Earplugs
    Public Canonisation Registry
    Until next time… What’s up, Docs!
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    42 分
  • * Daisy Does It

    * Daisy Does It
    2026/08/25
    What's up docs!
    Join us for another bonus episode where Stuart and Jackie had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Billy Liu,, the founder and creator of The Daisy App. Listen to this crazy extended interview and find out why Jacky's sister was trying to walk her into lampposts for scientific research!

    Contact us:
    - Email: hello@thetechdocpod.com
    - Website: thetechdocpod.com
    Links
    - Daisy app IOS
    - Daisy app Android
    - Daisy app YouTube channel
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    37 分
  • WeWalk Talk

    WeWalk Talk
    2026/08/15

    Bonus Episode: We Walk Talk


    What's up docs!
    a small bonus episode wherein the tech docs took part in a WeWalkTalk with sight and sound technology. Learn about the WeWalk cane, how it is operated, and many, many other fantastic features in this bonus episode of the tech docs
    Email : thetechdocpod@outlook.com
    Website: thetechdocpod.com
    Links:
    Sight and sound technology
    We walk
    Buy a kidney
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    50 分
  • 6: Apple, AI and a Chocolate Dispenser

    6: Apple, AI and a Chocolate Dispenser
    2026/08/01
    What’s Up Docs?
    The Docs are back for episode six!
    Stuart is preparing for the World Blind Tennis Championships, Ken discovers the joys of Suno AI, Jackie gets reunited with a 1975 Perkins Brailler, and Jade shares stories from her Harry Potter adventure in London and her trip to Lanzarote.
    Visiting Doc: Dave Nason
    Dave joins us to discuss all things Apple.
    We chat about iOS 27 accessibility updates, AI image descriptions, Siri, Dynamic Island, Liquid Glass, and the rumours surrounding future Apple devices.
    Listener Emails
    We answer your questions, including a listener’s mystery guess about a chocolate dispenser, along with some retro technology memories.
    Tech Doc Topic
    This month we look at everyday technology that works surprisingly well for blind and vision-impaired users.
    From microwaves and ice makers to clever household hacks, we explore simple solutions that make everyday life easier.
    Tech Doc Tip
    Dave shares a useful iPhone Messages tip to help you find filtered messages and avoid missing important texts.
    Tech News
    We discuss upcoming assistive technology events, the WeWalk webinar, and new wearable navigation technology.
    Links
    The Tech Docs website
    AppleVis
    Suno AI
    WeWalk:
    Braille dictionary web app
    Worlds biggest chocolate dispensor
    Disclaimer
    The Tech Docs are not responsible for anyone accidentally asking Siri questions it cannot answer, spending three hours creating AI songs, buying unnecessary gadgets, or becoming convinced that someone owns a chocolate dispenser. Any technology diagnosed during this episode has the right to seek a second opinion.
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    50 分
  • 5: The Audio Description Debate - timing is everything!

    5: The Audio Description Debate - timing is everything!
    2026/07/01
    A gloriously relaxed episode with a masked producer who simply *will not* stay in the control room. Round table, a raid on the inbox, a singing controversy settled, and then the big one: audio description — the good, the bad, and the chase detail nobody asked for.
    Round the Table
    Jackie’s deep in a funny ghost-and-detective series. Ken hit a slump in a fifteen-book saga and is parking book five. Jade declares school OUT for summer — and bought a mystery tech toy she refuses to name. Pat’s still abroad, still allegedly looking for the airport. Stuart’s keeping quiet with a holiday on the horizon.
    The Inbox
    Was it AI or Stuart? Listeners voted AI. Listeners were wrong — the SkyStream song was Stuart Lawler himself, from an old blind guys chat podcast.
    Michael asks: tech you once swore by but no longer touch? A grand tour follows — the Optelec Compact Mini, a deafening talking timer, talking weighing scales, Calibre cassettes, and the legendary Nokia 9210i Communicator.
    John asks: will the Docs ever sing the ending songs? Official answer: no. Not no no no. Just no.
    We’re on TikTok
    Find us at tick tock, discovered by amused sisters before we could announce it ourselves.
    The Main Event: Audio Description
    Sparked by the petition over RTÉ not describing the FIFA 2026 World Cup, the Docs dig in: what AD actually is, why sighted folk use it too, and how subjective the “right” amount of detail really is. First encounters, RTÉ Jr praise, Apple quietly adding AD tracks to films you already own — and the frustration of patchy description on streaming on-demand.
    Tech Doc Tip
    Ask Siri for the last five messages or emails from a specific person and have them read aloud. Bonus: the new iOS 27 Siri is, so far, doing none of what it promises. EU listeners, the wait continues.
    Listener Challenges
    - Say “the tech docs are on TikTok” ten times fast in a 90-second voice note. Pull it off and we’ll sing an ending song LIVE — under protest.
    - What is Jade’s mystery tech toy? Send your guesses.
    Get in Touch

    E: thetechdococpod@outlook.com
    W: thetechdocpod.com
    Extra Links
    Blind guys chat
    Meenies Anonymous
    Fifa audio description patition
    The Tech Docs are not responsible for audio description turned on for absolutely everything, sudden nostalgia for the Nokia 9210i, unnamed alexa timers, or messages read aloud at full volume on a crowded bus.
    And a very happy birthday to our masked producer, Stuart Lawler — the king of tea and the man behind the curtain.
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    45 分
  • 4: Gremlins, guitars and lawn mowers

    4: Gremlins, guitars and lawn mowers
    2026/06/10
    What’s Up Docs
    Take Two. The gremlins are mostly gone. One remains. He lives here now. He's weird throwing water at him didn't work.
    Jackie — 145 books in. Debating whether Mr. Bump was actually visually impaired.
    Ken — Three books into The Grey Man series. Up until 1am. No regrets.
    Pat — Live from the States at 31 degrees, ice cream in hand, scouting tech.
    Stuart — Retained Irish blind tennis number one. 5th singles, 3rd doubles at UK regionals in Loughborough. Also reading God is Disappointed in You.
    Jade — Huge congratulations to her sister Taylor. Leaving Cert survivor. She’s free.
    Listener Emails
    Jackie Coyle named the Andrea Mara book. It Should Have Been You. All Jackies know books.
    Pat answers a listener question on spoken content with screen magnification: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Speak Screen → Control Actions → set Double Tap to Speak on Touch.
    ScribeMe Interview
    Stuart and Jackie talked to Mark Morad, founder of ScribeMe. Fascinating story. The app is back on the App Store. A pair of Meta glasses may have been ordered as a result by somebody.
    Main Topic: Tech Toys
    Jade — Fisher Price radio. Cassette tapes. Microphone. Mother suffered greatly.
    Jackie — Franklin Language Master. Recently deceased, Moment of silence observed. baby doll she shuck by the neck.
    Ken — Atari. Sat on it. R.I.P.
    Stuart — The talking watch. Cock-a-doodle-doo. Banned from school.
    Stuart (from the control room) — Toy lawnmower used as a proto-cane on Rosses Point Beach. Click, click, click. An origin story.
    Jackie — Inflatable guitar as mobility aid in hospital. Why? Still unclear.
    Pat - watch with red light up digits turned him into Super Pat when used
    Tech Doc Tip
    Customise your VoiceOver gestures. Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver → Commands → Touch Gestures. Change what you can’t do to something you can. There is a reset button. Blame Jackie if needed.
    Listener Challenges
    What was your first tech toy?
    Name Stuart’s lawnmower.
    Name our gremlin.
    Is the outro music Stuart Lawler or AI?
    Get in Touch
    Email: thetechdocpod@outlook.com
    Website: thetechdocpod.com — now with 90-second voice notes.
    Links
    ScribeMe
    Out of Sight with Joe G
    Gremlin Pest control
    Disclaimer: The Tech Docs are not responsible for gremlins multiplying, the Franklin Language Master’s passing, concerned motorists on the Rosses Point Road, or VoiceOver gestures gone rogue.
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    45 分
  • 4: Gremlins have taken over

    4: Gremlins have taken over
    2026/06/01

    Gremlins in the Machine

    We regret to inform you that a small but determined population of gremlins has taken up residence in the podcast. Wires have been chewed, files have been mysteriously renamed, and at least one microphone has filed a formal complaint.

    We’re working on eviction. It’s slower going than we’d like — gremlins are notoriously bad at reading notices — so the next episode is going to need a bit more time than usual.

    Apologies for the delay. As soon as the last one has been escorted off the premises, we’ll be back with a fresh episode for your ears.

    Thanks for your patience.

    Listener Challenge
    How many gremlins do you reckon it takes to derail one podcast episode? Closest guess gets a shout-out when we’re back on the air. Bonus points for sending in your own tales of tech that turned on you — most cursed story will be read out.

    Disclaimer: No gremlins were harmed in the making of this delay. Several Tech Docs, however, were mildly inconvenienced.

    Stuart, Jackie, Jade, Ken & Pat
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    1分未満
  • 3: Tech and Trauma

    3: Tech and Trauma
    2026/05/01

    Tech and Trauma


    Jade mutinies and unseats the captain for an episode. Pat is off eating birthday cake somewhere. Declan Meenagh drops in as a guest with DigiCoach updates and stories of teaching blind kids to code in Python. Jackie’s mystery toy is finally revealed, Ken gives us WhatsApp PTSD. And we all confess what piece of tech scares us the most.

    Declan’s Coding Corner


    Vision Code teaches 11–17 year olds Python on the BBC micro:bit. A major highlight is the seven-board radio instrument they made where shaking one board transmitted a note to all the others.
    DigiCoach: peer-to-peer assistive tech coaching through Fighting Blindness. Open to anyone 18+. Free, mostly online with limited in-person sessions. Only available in the Republic of Ireland. Email: digicoach@fightingblindness.ie to sign up.
    Jackie’s Toy Reveal!!!
    The answer: BrailleSense 6 Mini from Sight and Sound. 20-cell braille notetaker running Android 12.

    Tech Doc Consult: Tech That Scares Us


    Jade — Kids on screens for homework before they can read and write on paper.
    Stuart — Induction hobs, hair straighteners, hot tea, and Lego underfoot.
    Jackie — Shredders.
    Ken — WhatsApp mishaps.
    Declan — App updates that break everything.
    The Unmasked Producer — OpenClaw. An AI agent with full system access that can book flights and order things on your card.

    Listener Challenges


    What tech scares you?
    Name the Andrea Mara book about the WhatsApp group chat mishap.

    Get in Touch


    Email: thetechdocpod@outlook.com
    Website: thetechdocpod.com

    Links


    DigiCoach
    BBC micro:bit
    BrailleSense 6 Mini
    My Claw AI
    Adopt a koala bear
    Sight and sound contact: Stuart.lawler@sightandsoundtechnology.ie
    Disclaimer: The Tech Docs are not responsible for OpenClaw going rogue, shredder-related trauma, Lego pieces left on the floor in the middle of the night, or WhatsApp missteps. Commander Doc — happy birthday.
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    55 分