BEFORE YOU READ THIS!!!!!
The Blind Bargains Qast can t thank enough our friends, fans and cast of Regulars. Chancey, Jeff, J.J., Joe, Liam, Patrick, Scott, Shelly and Ricky all work hard to bring you information and entertainment that we think our Community will enjoy. Our Sponsors deserve a huge round of applause as well, as their support allows us to bring you event coverage. However, and most importantly, you, the listener, matter most of all. Submissions, emails and social media mentions have enabled us to grow our download numbers by 30% over 2015 s download numbers. We can t wait to see where we will go in 2017, however, we can t go anywhere without your feedback. Please feel free to send us your ideas and suggestions to feedback@blindbargains.com or leave comments in the section below. Or, as you will read shortly, click on those shows and interviews that interest you the most. Your input shapes BBQ even if all you do is pass along a link to our content.
We ve made a name for ourselves over the years doing a Top 10 list of things that have impacted the Blindness-related Assistive Technology Industry. Many of our opinions are based upon interaction with the public, on or offline, plus some personal influences. However, this year we thought we would look at what those who tune in had to say, judging by what was downloaded the most from our various feeds. What flowed to the top was kind of interesting. Therefore, if you have any quibbles with the information below, know that we can say honestly this time around It wasn t our fault! .
CSUN 16:
Here is what our listeners found the most interesting from our coverage from sunny San Diego.
10 #CSUN16 Audio: The First Braille Smart Watch Is Closer Than You Think
8 #CSUN16 Audio: Ambutech Gets Creative with Cane Tips
7 #CSUN16 Audio: BlindShell Makes Using an Android Smart phone Simple
6 #CSUN16 Audio: Hands On with Humanware's BrailleNote Touch Android Tablet
5 #CSUN16 Audio: Inside Vision Offers a New Twist On PC Tablet Technology for the Blind
4 #CSUN16 Audio: When Tactile Graphics and Android Tablets Collide
The Top Three
It should not come as any surprise to anyone that this was a big story heading into CSUN 16. Long in development, successfully hyped for years and finally a public release media blitz placed this one at number 3. Fun fact, while interest in the unit waned via social media this podcast continued to gain slow growth throughout 2016.
2 #CSUN16 Audio: Web enhancements and More with Google TalkBack, Music, and Play
Apple s iOS may dominate in mind share amongst our Community s general collective, however, Android tends to draw out the curious. Shelly deemed CSUN 16 The year Of Braille but one could almost surmise that Google s mobile OS could have just as easily taken the top spot in the naming convention. Fun fact, Google puts on awesome CSUN parties. Another fun fact, it is really awkward as hell to apologize to others who invited you to their event that just so sadly happened to be at the same time as Google s CSUN party.
1 #CSUN16 Audio: Amazon Reaffirms Its Commitment to Accessibility
Amazon came to play on the southern coast of California this year. They have been shoring up their accessibility staff, product lines and roadmaps. And that was before the Echo made a splash in the Voice Assistant game. This interview is a nice yardstick of sorts as it sheds a little light on what was to come for Amazon customers. Fun fact, Patrick gives us a gold star sticker when we can get interviews where the audio does not have to compete with the show floor or the ambiance of an outdoor recording. BBQ Trivia Fact, J.J. has, and probably always will, more gold stars than Joe.
Summer Shows 2016:
Listeners found much to download from Minneapolis and Orlando. While many more listen to CSUN, our coverage of these shows tends to favor more of a Community spotlight than the big news makers and their giant product releases.
10 #ACB16 Audio: Accessorize Your Favorite Devices With Guide Lights And Gadgets
9 #NFB16 Audio: UEB And More Coming To The VarioUltra
8 #ACB16 Audio: Have Fun And Frolic With Triumph Technology
7 #NFB16 Audio: Navigate A 3d Audio Soundscape Through The Cities unlocked Project
6 #ACB16 Audio: Braille Designs Can Make You And Your Guide Dog Even More Charming
5 #ACB16 Audio: Explore More With Blind Abilities
4 #NFB16 Audio: Feeling The Future Of Art With 3d Photoworks
The Top Three
3 #ACB16 Audio: A Future Image Of Kurzweil 1000
Stephen is always so generous with his time for our interviews. This was a true joy to record. Many wonder why desktop OCR still matters to some users and the discussion touches upon that issue. Fun fact, one of the early interviews Joe had with Stephen had the microphone removed from Joe s hand followed by a soliloquy, with Mr. Baum taking a step back to be sure he got his main points across. Another fun fact, Patrick asked joe why this recording was not in stereo like the others recorded. So if you hear any future interviews where stereo isn t happening, you can ask Joe if he did not keep two hands on the microphone. Inside joke now outed.
2 #NFB16 Audio: Raising The Bar Graph With 3d Printing And Cornell Tech
This was Ms. Fleet s first year to bring us convention coverage. And bring it she did! She fought off crowd noise, waterfalls and surprisingly strong Florida winds to give us a good look at what was going on at NFB 2016. Fun fact, Patrick thought about visiting the new York public library to talk recordings with Chancey. We kid, of course, but these outdoor recordings prove why we have one of the best postproduction persons in the business today!
1 #ACB16 Audio: Fantastic Fashion And More With Elegant Insights Braille Creations
One of the real treats about attending a summer convention is that you can find some stuff to buy from others in our Community that you could not find easily anywhere else. Laura has been doing this for some time now and she is a great barometer for what is in, or out, of Inclusive Style. Fun Fact, this interview almost did not happen. Laura s booth was across from the ACB Store and right down from where free ice cream was being given away. Joe was lucky to catch her in the lull during sessions in his sixth walk through the exhibit hall.
Blind Bargains Qast:
Here are the shows that were downloaded the most from the Blind Bargains Qast series:
10 Blind Bargains Qast 72: Millennial Cashtag Advisor
9 Blind Bargains Qast 66: Far Flung Future Stuff
8 Blind Bargains Qast 74: CSON17
7 Blind Bargains Qast 78: Triangle Chocolatey Goodness
6 Blind Bargains Qast 58: The Ace Of Space
5 Blind Bargains Qast 79: Ginny Owens Sound Ramp
4 Blind Bargains Qast 61: Couch Cushion Audio
The Top Three
3 Blind Bargains Qast 70: The Bard On BARD
We first discussed Windows 10 way back when this show was in the single digit episode numbers. So it makes perfect sense that our first full regular format episode, after summer vacation, should feature a look back at Windows 10 one full year into the OS s official release. It just so happened that we had a ton of news to catch up on to boot. Or, dual boot if you are an Apple fan. Fun fact, this was the second of three microphones Joe used in 2016. Another fun fact, Patrick usually dislikes all of joe s microphones even though he recommended the one he is using currently to record BBQ.
2 Blind Bargains Qast 60: The Final Bar Code
This show featured a look at the I.D. Mate Galaxy. It was recorded shortly after CSUN 16 and those shows that fall in the big event shadow generally do quite well. However, as the year continued, this show gained more and more listens. The demo holds up well even after a few updates to the unit post airing. Fun fact, we made a mistake when talking about the share feature for the Galaxy. Correction suggestions arrived in email, tweets and direct messages on the same day.
1 Blind Bargains Qast 73: Dongles And Stuff
Our event wrap-up shows are always big hits. CSUN, Microsoft, Google -- but generally Apple event round ups do very well. If you aren t a fan of these types of shows, we are truly sorry about that. To be brutally honest, they take the most time to produce and then they end up being the longest of the shows we record as well. So know in your hearts, and ours, that we do have a real good reason for doing them. And that is that they are extremely popular with our audience.
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Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
