Sendero Group Travel Blog

52nd Annual Louis Braille Awards

2012-01-29T06:48:00.000-08:00

Mike May was one of the Individual Award Honoree at ASB's 52nd Annual Louis Braille Awards held in Philadelphia on January 28, 2012. It is an honor to be recognized for accomplishments in the development of accessible GPS and Map literacy.

Mike and Tank meet Chicago lead singer and discover more cool products

2012-01-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

CES is always a star studded event and CES 2012 does not disappoint. Mike and Tank met members from the band Chicago.

When they aren't meeting stars, Mike and Tank are discovering all the cool products CES has to offer.

SiRFstar 5 at CES by Mike May

2012-01-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

Since I am at the Consumer Electronics Show, I thought I'd mention that CSR, who bought SiRF, has announced the SiRFstar 5 chipset which you will start to see in devices later this year. It will have better capability to deal with multi-path in urban areas. It also offers some potential for indoor navigation using dead reckoning and WiFi correction. It is hard to know yet how well this will work. The GPS at least will be improved. We are also starting to see GPS chips which use both the US GPS system as well as the European Glonass system.

The SiRFstar 3 chipset used in the Breeze and Kapten represents 5 year-old technology. It is decent but far short of what you can get with current GPS receivers.

CES 2012

2012-01-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again when Mike May goes to the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to search for the latest and the greatest in the technology world. Read on to hear Mike's first report from the show.

Keep your elbows in and be ready to get skinny. With 150,000 people at CES and at least 90% of them looking at the products, their cell phones or the scantily clad models, they sure aren't looking where they are going. A real challenge for Tank and me.

Since this a huge show, many of the displays are outrageous. Tank did find at least one other critter he was interested in, a giant kanga.

It's a dog's life! Tank rather likes the pretty cars.

Stay tuned for more technology reports from CES. Mike is always on the lookout for GPS innovations to bring back to Sendero.

CAOMS 2011, Monterey CA

2011-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

At the 2011 CAOMS conference in Monterey California, November 4-6, Mike May and Jerry Kuns presented an overview of the accessible GPS options and the key benefits of the technology assisted by Jamie Adams Murdy and Sandy Staples. Sendero awarded two lucky recipients with a copy of the new Sendero Maps for the PC version 2011.2 with visual maps.

Later in the day, 25 people participated in a GPS hunt around the Fisherman's Wharf area, broken into 5 groups, led by Mike, Jerry, Jamie and Sandy. Katie Gilmore of Sendero and 4 experienced O&M GPS users formed their own rogue group and managed to make it to the final destination in second place. Not bad for so-called rookies.

Sendero hosted a debriefing at Dominico's where the participants shared their experiences using the GPS while toasting the adventure. In 3 hours, users and potential users got a good taste of what was possible with accessible GPS given the right equipment and proper instruction. Instructors learned that their role was not necessarily to be the equipment operator but to be the coach and inspiration for the blind students to take advantage of this independence tool.

After 7 years, back in Dublin

2011-10-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure today of presenting to the National Council of the Blind in Dublind Ireland. I can't believe it has been 7 years since the Sendero WayFun event in Ireland and Scotland. I have just read over the WayFun Blog for this event.

It is fun to run across user points we created back in 2004. I actually have points here going back to 1995. The oldest pub in Dublin is still the oldest pub, the Brazenhead. I couldn't find the Zozimus walking tour. The people are still lively and friendly.

It has been such a treat to navigate from a completely different hotel with only sighted assistance when reaching that final frustrating fifty feet. I have been to meetings, restaurant and tour locations through the use of the PK GPS and Sendero Maps.

Pretty darn amazing.

Mike

Let Sendero lead the way!

2011-09-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

Sendero's name-sake Seeing Eye puppy is growing up. He has almost completed his training and will hopefully be going into the student class and be placed in the near future. He has been trained by Jan Abbot. He doesn't have a built-in GPS but has a fabulous temperament and zest for guiding. Sendero and Mike May's dog Tank became fast friends.

Erik and Maddie at No Barriers 2011

2011-07-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

Maddie Stallman's Best Day EVER! - an article from the No Barriers Newsletter.

No Barriers conference 2011

2011-07-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Highlight of my return to the USA

2011-05-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Traveling internationally with a guide dog is tricky in terms of relief areas at airports. Almost without exception, they are outside the airport so if you are changing flights, you have to go out through security, find the relieving place and come back through security with all its fun procedures. On domestic flights, there often isn't enough time to do this and the overall flight time makes it manageable if you limit water and food before traveling. I do make a point of marking these relieving areas with GPS when I find them.

I often try to get a Service Director to take my dog on the tarmac but this only works 1 out of ten times. I did have success recently at the F gates in Chicago O'Hare where two policemen took me and Tank on the tarmac, something that hasn't happened for over 10 years.

So, why am I going to have a drink to celebrate over a dog relief issue? After my 8.5 hour flight from Geneva to Washington Dulles, I went through my normal drill and assumed I would have to go outside Dulles, not an easy
trek. I do have 3 hours so the time isn't the issue other than I can't make Tank wait until we get to Sacramento, 21 hours after he would have last been relieved.

I learned from an agent in the United Red Carpet Club about a "pet room" across from D1. I thought she was confused but sure enough, it is a dedicated pet relief area replete with a water bowl, baggies, hand sanitizer, fenced area with indoor-outdoor carpeting and even a fire hydrant. When you are finished with the room, you push a big red button and some sprinklers come on to self clean. Nothing worse than worrying if one's dog is going to have an accident or is uncomfortable. What a huge relief to know about this new facility at Dulles.

It is across from the D1 gate, near where you cross to the C Gates. There is a set of elevators right next to the doorway. A metal carpet strip crosses the hallway at the point where you turn into the room. Once I went in there
the first time, Tank made a bee-line for it when I came back to take a picture.

Please post this message far and wide. Apparently this room has been here for a year and nobody told me about it.

The things people get excited about!

Road Report from Europe

2011-05-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

I used to send emails about GPS experiences around the globe but have not done so in a while. I guess it feels so commonplace for me and many others, that I don't think it would be interesting, probably not something I should take for granted however.

I flew over for the SightCity conference in Frankfurt Wednesday through Friday. This was the first overseas trip for my new Seeing Eye dog, Tank and he did wonderfully. All the normal interesting technology at the exhibits. I did see one thing that was a surprise. We have used something called the Loc8tor for finding lost keys, phones, etc but this device has not been accessible. Loc8tor was at the show with a more simple and accessible locating device. I believe it is available for $99. It was 50 Euros at the show. It does not have the separation alert of the $199 model but it does allow you to establish 4 connections with the locator fobs. When you lose a device, you simple point this device and it beeps faster when pointing in the direction of the fob and it goes faster as you get closer.

Oh yes, GPS. That was very useful finding an Indian restaurant in Frankfurt. I still maintain my policy of not eating at the hotel restaurant. It came in handy figuring out the taxi situation, whether to drop off a friend first and then go to the hotel or the other way around.

It took 4 trains for me to reach this small village I am now at in Switzerland. Because of the language barrier, I really depend on the GPS to tell me how far I am from the transfer station. With only minutes to spare, the train transfer is the trickiest part of train travel. Finding the right track requires sighted assistance.

I went out for a walk in this village this morning with Tank. It is beautiful but pretty early and nobody around to ask for directions, not to mention my French is nonexistent. Managed to find my way back to my friend's house, built in 1690 by the way.

Should be fun exploring Geneva today. Going to the home of a wonderful person I met at TechShare for dinner tonight who works for the UN. Will definitely need the GPS to get there. One slightly tricky thing is entering address names with accents in them, especially if you don't know what those accents are. For example, cities like Basel and Geneva. Still haven't figured out Basel I used the point of interest database to fine the train station but entering the city name only works if you know the proper accent character.

In any event, remember it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive.

Seeing Eye NYC trip and dog siblings

2011-02-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Seeing Eye class

2011-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

In the Seeing Eye February 2011 class of 19 students, our specific class is made up of our trainer Chris Mattoon with students Patrick and guide Vern, Dawn and Valla, Lori and Tacoma and Mike and Tanker. Our dogs are comprised of two sets of siblings.

The dog relationship is the major component of this experience on the Seeing Eye campus but the interaction among the class and staff is also very significant as we live together 24/7 for several weeks. I still have friends I am in touch with back to my first class of 1973 and a couple folks from every class since. In those days, we had roommates. We now have the luxury of a private room.

Adios Miguel, hello Tank

2011-02-11T13:27:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, Miguel died January 3 from cancer of the spleen. I am now at the Seeing Eye in Morristown NJ and have just met Miguel's successor, Tanker, a male German Shepherd.

For those who can't see the photo, he is a dark, black and tan, rather tall Shepherd with some darker tan on his face.

Just like a newborn, I have Tank's stats. He is 72 pounds, 26 inches at the shoulder and his birth date is March 6, 2009. His parents are Orlene and Tuck. His sister Tacoma and brother Tico are in our class.

His trainer calls him Tank but I'll see after we work together a bit about that. The name certainly fits with the concept of "Crashing Through." Miguel was a bit of a bulldozer so it is likely they have matched me up with another strong-pulling, hard-working guide. My first 3 dogs were shepherds so it will be interesting to adjust to the long stride of the shepherd versus the prancing step of the Labs/Goldens again. It feels like an arranged marriage. I will be with this critter for 12 years if I am lucky, with all of his strengths and probably a few challenging foibles.

House Full of Toys 2010

2010-12-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sendero Group was at the Stevie Wonder House Full of Toys benefit concert for the 4th year to help promote adaptive technology and to represent donations from HumanWare, HIMS and Sendero Group.

Sea plane trip from Orcas to Seattle

2010-12-07T00:28:00.000-08:00

Our trip back from Orcas Island to Sacramento included a sea plane ride to Seattle and then Southwest for the long leg home. Having never been in a sea plane, I was curious to check it out. It felt like our mini van with wings
on it, probably narrower but a bit longer. I could touch the wings while standing on the dock. There were 4 rows of seats including the pilot's row and 2 people sat in each row.

The best part was no fuss. The plane pulled up to the end of the dock. They tossed our bags in the hold. We climbed in, got a 30 second safety speech and off we went.

Because of strong winds higher up, we flew from 100 to 500 feet for most of the 76 mile flight. Both the water and air were very smooth. When we reached the Seattle shoreline, we went up to about 1600 feet. I assume this was so we didn't bother the residence with the noise of the plane. We kept at a speed of 120 to 130 miles per hour. The points of interest gave me an idea of what towns were to either side of us. Since we were only about 2 or 3 miles from the shoreline, I could even hear what streets were nearby.

Sevilla Highlights

2010-10-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

I started my trip early Wednesday morning and arrived in Sevilla Thursday afternoon. Crazy how you lose a day and a half with flights, layovers and time changes. Just to avoid the jetlag, I decided to keep moving, so after settling in at the hotel, I headed out to the AEGIS conference. It was only a 5 minute walk from the hotel in the Engineers building at the University of Sevilla. There were still classes going on, so there were students as well as conference attendees. Only in Spain would you see a student enjoying a beer in between classes.

The conference exhibits were in the main courtyard when you first entered the building. Most were universities or research organizations, Vodefone was there, but I heard from them right before my presentation on Friday. The focus of the presentations was to encourage manufacturers to make the technology accessible from the ground up or at least give engineers low level access so that we can modify the user interface to suit our needs.

All my memories of Spain flooded back in once I hit the streets after my presentation on Friday. I basically walked from one end to another and meandered everywhere else. (strangely enough only my calves were sore - probably from walking carefully on the cobble stones).

On Saturday I went to the Alcazar (the details in Moorish architecture are mind blowing - you could sit all day and study just one archway and still not see all the intricate details - would be a tactile field day as well) and explored around the plaza with the Cathedral and la Giralda. I found my favorite restaurant again, San Marcos, best Italian food ever! I even fit in some shopping in the commercial district. Oh yeah, and it rained off and on all day, at one point I was huddled under a sun umbrella enjoying our tapas while the storm (equivalent to a North Carolina downpour) raged on. Hilarious.

On Sunday I walked to the Plaza de Espana which is a huge half-circle bordered by tiled alcoves each representing a different province of Spain. In the center is a large fountain (was under construction). It is right next to a Maria Luisa park, so the walking was definitely scenic. Then I spent the rest of the day going from place to place just trying to soak up the Spanish culture, cafe con leche, sangria, manchego cheese, olives, listening to Spaniards constantly talk, the music - discovered a new band Alis... Such a good time.

20th Anniversary ADA Celebration, Washington DC by Gil Lutz

2010-07-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

I was honored to receive an invitation to visit Washington DC and the White House on July 26th to attend the 20th anniversary celebration of the signing of the ADA. This turned out not only to allow me to be a witness to history but to go on a GPS adventure.

The celebration was held on the South Lawn of the White House in front of the curved portal with the Truman Balcony that has been an important backdrop for many historical events. Because it was an outdoor event, a rain date was scheduled for the 27th. This added to our adventure by allowing us an extra day to explore. More on this later.

The gates opened at 3:30PM for a 5:15PM event start. The participants lined up outside of the gate where our credentials would be checked and rechecked before we were allowed to enter the White House grounds. Because of the wide diversity of people attending, the interaction between the waiting guests was a buzz of exchanges of names, work experience and disability information. When the gates opened we proceeded through another credential check then on to a security screening much like going through an airport security check. I had used my trusty mPower Voice Note and Sendero GPS to navigate to the gate. From here I would have been on my own but was fortunate to have met a new friend, Yo B. from DARS in Austin Texas. Yo was a welcome and excellent sighted guide as she assisted me to the area of the festivities on the lawn of the White House. She also took the pictures included here. Yes, I did create a user POI at the location of the celebration.

Multiple rows of chairs had been set up in front of the balconies facing a ground level platform and podium. To add to the access to the celebration, I was given a receiver to listen to an excellent audio description of the events as they took place. Hear the archived stream of the ceremony or Download the audio file. The festivities were capped off by President Obama announcing a major update to the ADA Act and, as a complete surprise to everyone there, signed an executive order that rewrites the hiring practices within the Federal Government to raise the number of employees to the level of people with disabilities in the general population. It also affects businesses that do business with the Government. Quite a day.

Because the events took place as planned without the need of the rain date, Evie (my Furry Ferrari) and I had an extra day to adventure in Washington before catching our flight. If any of you have ever traveled in Washington DC you know that none of the streets run in nice neat navigable patterns. They cross each other at odd angles so it’s very easy to end up on a new street that you weren’t intending to be on. Here’s where the GPS was a real friend and savior.

We started the day by going to the National Air and Space Museum where I was able to arrange a guided tour by one of the Welcome Aids. We toured the museum for over two hours and it was an inspiring and interesting experience. After this we navigated back to the hotel for a chance to freshen up and relax a bit.

Since we still had a lot of time left, we decided to adventure on foot, starting from the hotel and tour historic DC with Evie and my trusty GPS. We meandered through the Georgetown area, downtown DC and the neighborhoods surrounding the area. We found a European style sidewalk café / coffee shop and spent some time talking to some very interesting locals who were also enjoying a break out on the nice day. I had been told about an interesting seafood restaurant near the hotel so on the way back we set it as a destination and walked to it like a native. The meal was excellent, which I ate outside and a perfect end to our adventurous day.

Needless to say My GPS made this adventure much easier and meaningful. What else can I say?

Yellowstone trip and testing phone based GPS systems

2010-07-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past couple days in Yellowstone National Park, mostly in Wyoming but spilling over into Montana.

I doubt there are any cell towers in the park and I would guess the state of Rhode Island would fit in this huge national park. It is rare to drive for 3 hours anywhere and never get any cellular service. This is what we experienced driving from Jackson Hole Wyoming to Gardiner Montana through the park.

Furthermore, there are lots of points that are not marked in this area. All the geysers seem to be marked but not everything. I have already added 60 points and have 3 more days of travel to mark many more key points.

With no cellular service, GPS systems like Wayfinder and Navigon cannot function at all. I used my BrailleNote quite enjoyably the whole time and the Garmin Nuvi kept my family members happy with visual maps. We had 3 phone platforms between us, Android, Symbian and iPhone. None of those were a bit of help.

This is something to be aware of as we consider various on-line phone GPS services. Without a connection, they are no use.

Here are some images from the trip:

European Adventures summer 2010

2010-07-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

After wrapping up a busy Sight Village, we adjourned to Neil Barnfather's home town of Milton Keynes, which happens to have an indoor snow hill. Skiing in July in England?

Business concluded in England, Wyndham and Mike stopped by Copenhagen for a Stevie Wonder concert. See them on stage during a sound check. Can't get better seats than that.

Trip to Warwick

2010-07-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

A brief break from the 2010 Sight Village conference in Birmingham. Wyndham and I took the train to Warwick today and toured the castle from the 1400s. Quite fascinating with all its antiquity, torture tools and battle instruments.

2010-07-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

At the 2010 NFB conference on July 8, Mike May was awarded the Dr. Jacob Bolotin award. Mike said, "There is no higher honor than being recognized by one's peers. It is amazing what this blind doctor accomplished in the early 1900s. Along with Ray Kurzweil who also received the award, I find a common thread. We all believe that there is always a way if one finds the work-arounds to find the way." The award was proceeded by a modern day blind Doctor, Tim Cordes, who described how he became a doctor and performs his day-to-day work.

About The Bolotin Award

The Bolotin Award is a way to recognize individuals and organizations working in the blindness field that have made outstanding contributions toward achieving the full integration of blind people into society on a basis of equality. Named for a pioneering blind physician who practiced in the early twentieth century, these awards are made possible through the generosity of his late nephew and niece. Their bequest, the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust, will allow the National Federation of the Blind to provide direct financial support to people and organizations that are improving the lives of the blind throughout the United States.

Dr. Jacob Bolotin was a blind physician who lived and practiced in Chicago in the early part of the twentieth century. As chronicled in his biography, The Blind Doctor by Rosalind Perlman, Bolotin fought ignorance and prejudice to gain entrance to medical school and the medical profession. He became one of the most respected physicians in Chicago during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 until his death in 1924. He was particularly known for his expertise in diseases of the heart and lungs. Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to advocate for the employment of the blind and their full integration into society. Interested in young people in general and blind youth in particular, Dr. Bolotin established the first Boy Scout troop consisting entirely of blind boys and served as its leader.

White House visit

2010-04-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

Weather, which impacted both of the Olympics in Vancouver, also dampened the celebration at the White House today, April 21, 2010, planned for the south lawn. Instead of all the athletes and delegations being outside, we broke into small groups in separate rooms in the West Wing of the White House.

Soon after arriving and being escorted to the West Wing lobby by the Secret Service, I was joined by Bonnie Saint John, an amputee skier from the 84 Paralympics and then by Peggy Fleming from the 1968 Olympics. Bonnie commented that Peggy looked stunning and must have been 9 years old instead of 19 when she competed. We had a great time visiting and then we were escorted to the "Map" room, quite the appropriate place for a GPS guy to meet the President. Our little group was joined by Iraqi veteran, Heath Calhoun and Shani Davis who won bronze and gold medals both in 2006 and 2010. Other dignitaries trickled in while we got situated for our meet and greet.

With great gusto, the Obamas and Bidens congratulated all of us, we chatted individually and took formal and informal photos together. When hugging Michelle Obama, I was surprised how tall she was. I reminded the President that we had met in July and passed along greetings to them both from Stevie Wonder who I hung out with last night in DC.

The Bidens were very gracious and I was struck how lively the Vice President could be. You could tell he would be fun to adventure with.

After they all moved on to the next room with more Olympic athletes, we got a quick tour of the Oval office and then made our exit. I dashed for Union station to make a train to Harrisburg for a conference Thursday and then back out to the "left" coast for the CTEBVI conference. I did rather enjoy taking a taxi with Peggy Fleming, guiding the driver to her hotel and then to the train station. Starting with my spontaneous trip to DC for the inauguration last January, I keep being surprised when two, three, four and now five visits have transpired for White House related events in 15 months. What a privilege and how fun to reflect back to the first visit in 1984.

1984 and 2010 Olympic and Paralympic celebrations by Mike May

2010-04-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

I did a search on Google to find a press release about the White House reception this Wednesday for the Olympic and Paralympic team, which I will be attending. Little did I know that there would be a YouTube video of the 1984 President Reagan speech, which included Ron Salviolo and me, the only disabled skier at the reception. It is so
amazing to briefly relive those moments through President Reagan's voice, hearing about the amazing athletes of the 84 Olympics in Sarajevo who we hung out with. I got goose bumps all over again.

Little did I know in 1984 that I would have the honor of being part of President Obama's delegation to the Paralympics and attending a reception, 26 years later, with 50 Paralympic athletes along with the 2010 Olympic athletes. This YouTube video is courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Library.

2010 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams Bring Excitement of Games to Washington DC

4/14/2010

President Obama, the First Lady and the White House Office on Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport will host Team USA at the White House on Wednesday, April 21. The President and First Lady will congratulate the athletes on their performances and thank them for representing the United States during the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. They will also discuss the First Lady's Let's Move! campaign to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. U.S. Teams have visited the White House following an Olympic Games at the
invitation of the President over the past 34 years. More details will be sent out shortly.
See the entire release

This blog has moved

2010-03-31T10:00:00.001-07:00

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Capital Public Radio: Insight broadcast with Mike May

2010-03-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Listen to the show

2nd day at the Paralympics for the Presidential delegation

2010-03-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

Decked out in USA sweaters, vests, hats and scarves, the US Presidential delegation first set out for the Paralympic Village for Curling and Sledge Hockey, located in Vancouver. Our tour guide was none other than Rick Hansen, one of the most famous athletes from Canada, Mayor of the Olympic village and extraordinary person. Rick was very proud of the environmental platinum rating for the village. All the facilities were world class not to mention the stunning view.

We met with some of the members of the US Sledge Hockey team. Their average age is 23, 7 years younger than the next oldest Canadian team. Their star is rising and they hope to obtain a gold after several more games, the first of which we will see this evening.

Less than two hours since we had breakfast, we enjoyed the athlete's cafeteria although none of them were yet around.

From there, our motorcade traveled to the Curling arena. It is an unusual sport to understand but it is high on strategy and finesse. I enjoyed the crowd noise definitely led by the Canadians and Japanese. There were 4 games going on simultaneously. The fledgling US team was down to the Germans 4 to 2 but ended up winning 6 to 5. It was fun to learn about.

Before leaving for a short break at our hotel, we had more food in the VIP lounge and watched the USA slalom races on television. Young Caitlin fell and we didn't see the other two visually impaired skiers race. A sit skier named Stephanie took a silver for the USA.

The sledge hockey match was a blast, loud, crazy and fun. The US guys beat the Czechs 3 to 0. We had a chance to congratulate the guys we had met earlier in the day. I loved being able to feel the sledge they scoot around in and their hockey stick. It is normal on one end and the pushing end has prongs on it. They have to quickly switch back and forth.

We wrapped up the evening and our delegation visit with a dinner. It was an amazing treat to have become close to a wide variety of people in such a short time, all drawn together by mutual inspiration and by what we experienced with the Paralympic athletes.

First Day of the Paralympic Games for the Presidential Delegation

2010-03-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Our 4 vehicle motorcade headed from Vancouver to Whistler on Saturday for the first day of Paralympic competition, specifically to see the biathlon and downhill ski races at Whistler. It was snowing but they had lots of creature comforts for us including a scarf, hat, gloves, blanket, hand warmer and seat cushion. We sat all huddled up as the athletes raced, some sitting and some standing in the Biathlon. The top Russian who ended up taking the gold, has both arms amputated above the elbow. He has a special rig so he can pull the trigger of the rifle with his teeth. Some how, he holds the rifle under his stump and didn't miss a single shot. The blind skiers were doing this too including the Canadian who was in both the Olympics and Paralympics. Andy from the U.S. captured a Bronze, the first medal of the games for the U.S.

Our motorcade then took us around the mountain for the downhill competition. This was much more comfortable. There was an indoor VIP building overlooking the course where we were warm and had food and beverage. It was a great opportunity to meet dignitaries from other teams. I particularly enjoyed speaking Spanish with the team from Spain. I had a photo taken with two women from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We had the pleasure of meeting the Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell and many others.

Unfortunately, after 2 hours of delays, the downhill was postponed due to fog. This is the same run used in the other Olympics, quite a challenging course.

We had the distinct pleasure of being allowed into the Athlete's village. We got a tour of the facilities, the same ones for the other Olympics and we ate in the dining facility with the athletes. I met the 3 visually impaired athletes of the 50-member U.S. team, Caitlin, Danielle and Mark all high partials in the B3 category. This is a very low number of competitors compared to the 80s when we had over 15 team members. They were all fascinating people and disappointed that the downhill was postponed. They will race the slalom on Sunday but we unfortunately are scheduled to attend wheelchair curling and sledge hockey and won't see them race.

I have really enjoyed getting to know the members of our delegation. Bonnie Saint John, a single leg amputee, skied along with me in 1984 but I didn't know her then. Melissa Stockwell is an amputee swimmer from the 2004 summer games. Jim Martinson is a crazy double amputee skier from the 1992 Paralympics and still competing in the X games at age 63. The Secretary of the VA, the US Ambassador and the head of the EPA along with Kareem Dale, the President's advisor on disabilities are all down to earth amazing people.

I keep running across blasts from the past, people who have stayed involved in Paralympic winter sports whereas I have been out of touch since I left the board of USABA. Ted Fay for example, Martha Hill and others. I love meeting the kids from the "Paralympic Experience," young people who will be our next crop of Paralympians.

Many of you may have seen the Procter and Gamble commercials about giving to the Moms. I met people from P&G and some of the moms hear on their behalf. I love the story about the Iraqi veteran whose rehab got him back into training for the Paralympics. He knew he was on the true road to recovery when his 3 year-old son, said, Daddy, I can run with you again.

Highlights from the Opening Ceremonies of the Paralympics in Vancouver

2010-03-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

This year's opening ceremonies had some amazing moments. I'm happy to report that the BC Dome was sold out, so 60,000 people were there to witness the opening ceremony. The BC dome is literally within hockey puck striking distance out my hotel window.

The opening ceremonies had several goose bump moments. First, when the Canadian athletes came into the stadium and it sounded like the roof would be blasted off by the cheers of the crowd. Second, when the 16 year-old Canadian sang the Paralympic song and finally when Rick Hansen and Terry Fox were honored for their wheelchair runs. The parents of Terry Fox lighted the torch.

CES Day 1

2010-01-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me how many companies have some sort of GPS device here at the Consumer Electronics Show. It used to be that I could visit a couple companies and know what was happening. Most of the products I have seen have nothing exciting. There was one designed specifically for bike riders. It had no maps and it really meant to replace the traditional bicycle odometer and trip recorder.

There was a fun product in the form of a football or soccer ball remote control. Picture your typical squishy kid's football with a remote keypad embedded in it. They only cost $4. That was probably the distributor price but even the ball might cost that much. At least you wouldn't have to worry about it breaking. In fact, you can toss it around the room.

The Monster Cable Beats Studio headphones sound really good. They have some noise canceling but unlike the Bose products, the music quality is not compromised by the noise cancelation. You can purchase an add-on controller so you can use them with your phone to listen and talk.

For those who prefer stylish earbuds, check out Monster's Lady Gaga diamond shaped earphones. Pretty cute!

How about a Schlage electronic key lock for your house with a wireless connection to a security camera or house lights or even a thermostat. You can control it all from your cell phone. You can even view the camera's video online when you are away assuming you can see these things.

Several years ago, I reported on the Motorola Blue Mini bone conduction earphone. It never came out. They have a version finally shipping called the Endeavor HX1 for $149.You can use it either like a normal noise canceling Bluetooth earphone or you can use the bone conduction mic. It picks up your voice through your head and not through a microphone which would also be picking up background sound. You can whisper and be heard when using this but presumably the sound quality is a bit restricted.

Motorola also has two new Bluetooth speakers meant for the car but they can be used as a pedestrian as well. The T215 is $69 and is rectangular and the T325 is square and runs $89They both have a 2 wat amplifier and are pretty light but not super small, say 10 square inches or so.

This only scratches the surface of what I saw today with 3 days to go.

Mike

quick blast from the Consumer Electronics Show

2010-01-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps.

This is something like my 25th CES. Although I am always in search of GPS products, there are many other cool gadgets I will be finding along the way. At the private press unveiling last night, here are a list of some devices that caught my attention.

Two mini projectors, one from 3M and one from Micro Vision, the WX Laser Pico projector. It connects to an iPhone or Blackberry and can project an image up to 200 inches. Since it uses lasers, it automatically focuses and it is the size of a pack of cards.

V-Phone by Saigus is the first video phone in the US. It is running on an Android phone at the moment and it uses your carrier's existing service.

CompuLab has a PC which is an inch thick and 4 inches square and will cost under $400.

The B-Jive is an iPhone app which combines all your message chat clients into one application.

Super USB or also known as USB 3.0 is out and on 17 products so far. This is ten times faster than your current USB 2.0.

Mediche has an on-line and automatic insulin injecting device which keeps track of when your last injection was, when the next one should be and how the levels should be adjusted. This can also be monitored on-line which should mean that it would be accessible even though the meter isn't accessible.

Ocean Blue has a talking set top box, which will hopefully find its way into different television devices in the US.

Orbit Sound who make the T3 speaker Sendero sells, has a WiFi Internet Radio.

The Zomm Bluetooth leash for phones will alert if your phone goes out of Bluetooth range, about 30 feet. It fits on a key ring and acts as a mini speaker phone as well. So, if your phone is in a purse, you can answer and talk on it from the Zomm. It also has an emergency mode that automatically dials 911. The retail is $79.

I like the name of this company, Archer Fish.
This is a smart wireless security camera which figures out certain visual activity it sees and texts you if there is an unusual pattern. You choose which patterns to look for like someone lingering in your yard or a package being delivered to your door.

Bestalife has very cool ball shaped speakers which expand into the Lady Bug, the Firefly or the Mantis. They have iPod docking ports, look very cool and sound good.

There is a device interestingly called the mPower, spelled the same as the BrailleNote version. It doubles as an emergency flashlight and USB charger.

Klipsch has a combined speaker and LED light which screws into a normal light socket. It uses the house wiring to connect to your stereo. So, you can put speakers in any room and they will be virtually invisible as part of the light.

The Eton Scorpion is a very cool all in one AM radio, FM, NOA, with flashlight, solar cells, crank and USB charger. It is about the size of a flashlight and it is nicely weather proofed.

I am interested to check out the NXT Tunebug surface sound technology which integrates into a helmet to generate audio from the surface of the helmet without covering the ears.

Stay tuned here, on Twitter and Facebook as I post tidbits as we work the show over the next 4 days.

Mike

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T04:55:00.000-08:00

This Christmas 2009, like most, the GPS guided me to Kirkwood for 3 days of skiing with family and friends. We picked up Carson and Wyndham from 3 days of race training in North Tahoe and headed around the Lake to our favorite Sierra skiing in Kirkwood where several feet of fresh snow had just fallen and kept falling.

We were joined by my college room mate, Rich and his family from Chicago as well as my nephew Brandon and his new wife Rachel. See us all in the attached photo on Chair 4 at Kirkwood. It was great to be together with the common enjoyment of skiing with family and friendship that transcend both time and distance.

House Full of Toys 2009

2009-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Jamie Adams of Sendero and her sister Katie are seen here back stage after Stevie Wonder's benefit concert with the Jonas Brothers and many more. See the House Full of Toys page for details on the adaptive technology manufaturers who donated to the concert.

CA O&M Conference, Monterey

2009-11-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Sendero was pleased to be able to contribute two different GPS workshops at one of the most beautiful locations in California. The conference hotel is literally on the beach where the view is spectacular and waves thunder right under your window. There is a 30 mile long bike/foot path that runs north and south of the hotel. You are only 2 miles from incredible food and shops. Pretty rich territory for GPS exploration.

Jerry Kuns, Sandy Staples and Jamie Adams joined me to present a GPS overview and comparison at a general session. We brought 4 varied perspectives to this presentation about the 6 GPS systems on the market. It is no longer a question of who GPS is appropriate for but rather which accessible GPS system to choose. We heard from several attendees afterwards that this session was very helpful and one of the best ever on accessible GPS.

The real fun came when over 20 of us drove to the Fisherman’s Wharf area of Monterey to do some hands on GPS exploration. We had prerecorded 16 points of interest. Each had a number, no name and each included an audio recording with a clue. One of the things about GPS is that it gets you pretty reliably within 50 feet or less of your destination but that last 50 feet is pretty variable. Our clues helped them find the actual business or landmark once they were close by. For example, for a coffee shop called “Plumes”, we sang a modified version of the Folgers commercial, “The best part of waking up is a feather in your cup.” For the Three Flags restaurant, we said, “One half of an amusement park.”

We worked in 4 teams, each with a GPS coach. We all had the same final destination where the clue was recorded by one of the waiters saying, “We have Braille menus.” This was at Domenicos where we had drinks and compared notes about the adventure.

I was thrilled with the enthusiasm of the participants in my group and I heard the same from Jerry, Jamie and Sandy about their groups. People really had fun with the game and learned about GPS problem solving in the process. A number of people indicated disappointment that they couldn’t get into our session. This event was very successful, even the weather cooperated, so we will consider taking this event on the road.

Concert of a Lifetime

2009-10-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

This week, my GPS guided me from the lakes around Tahoe to the mega center for the concert of a lifetime in New York City. The occasion was the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it indeed was a hall, or should we say, a garden full of fame, Madison Garden to be exact.

There were 4 main acts who each invited equally famous legends to join them. Crosby, Stills and Nash were joined by Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and James Taylor among others. Paul Simon was joined by Art Garfunkle. Stevie Wonder played with Sting, BB King, Jeff Beck, John Legend, Smokey Robinson and more. Bruce Springsteen was joined by John Fogerdy of Credence, Billy Joel and the list went on. I ran into Tom Hanks back stage and many other celebrities were in the crowd.

No sooner was one incredible song and unique combination of musicians finished, another breathtaking appearance would be made, Love has No Pride, Roxanne, The Boxer, Superstition...
Best of all, I got to share it with my personal favorite musical talent, Sara Beck, and my friend of 42 years, Rob Reis. I crawled into bed around 3AM and started the fun all over again 6 hours later.

While walking up 6th Avenue in search of lunch, I was inspired to call Oscar screenwriter, Bruce Ruben, who just happened to be in New York for the day. He met us at Stevie's hotel and we spent the afternoon getting caught up on each other's lives.

Instead of attending the second night of the Hall of Fame concerts, we met Yaz and friends for drinks in Chelsea and then caught up with Sara Beck plus Sara 2 and Brian for a fantastic dinner at the Fig and Olive. This night had to end early, Midnight, so we could get up at 4 AM to catch our flights home after an incredible 36 hours of the Big Apple, music and friends. Yes, a concert of a lifetime.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert: Set List from the New York Times.

Sendero Celebrates 10 Years

2009-10-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

The Sendero team, with over 50 years of combined experience, celebrates the technology it has created over the past ten years. Some have been there from the start, some recently welcomed to the team. We all agreed that there could not have been a better setting to meet and explore. Enveloped in the smell of pine trees and sagebrush, the sound of the quaking aspens, gentle waves of the lake, and the occasional bird speaking its mind, we spent the weekend reminiscing, planning and geocaching.

Fallen Leaf Lake, near Lake Tahoe, 6400 feet in elevation, lat 38.898721 N, Lon -120.055815 West, October 23-25, 2009.
Sendero Geocache Audio

Hornblower GPS Cruise in the Newport Bay

2009-10-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

About 30 of us cruised aboard the ship "The Dream Maker" for a 2 hour cruise in the beautiful Newport Bay. This unique demonstration of GPS gave people a chance to learn about all the accessible GPS options from the top deck of a yacht. We also explained the importance of GPS and location literacy. According to the GPS, we first traveled southwest at around 5 miles per hour. It was a beautiful day, and we cruised past many sail boats, a women's crew team, and mansions along the bay. Sendero Group, HumanWare, and Sweetman Systems sponsored the fun event. We could not have asked for better weather or better company!

About the Hornblower Dream Maker

The 90 foot long Dream Maker is one of the most popular yachts and can accommodate up to 90 guests.. The modern main salon is tastefully decorated and features a lounge area with teak detailing. Comfortable couches line both sides of the room, and wrap-around windows afford a 360-degree view. She also boasts a spacious open-air bow with comfortable seating, full bar, built-in dance floor and bride's suite.

TechShare UK

2009-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

We had a very full 4 days in London. Mark Pighin and I arrived early Wednesday morning, checked into our hotel in the Docklands, London's east end, and proceeded to familiarize ourselves with the vicinity for upcoming demos. We were a couple hundred yards from the conference center and on a tributary to the Thames called Victoria Dock. Most of the restaurants were in hotels, kind of like the CSUN conference area, not too exciting. Ilona joined us in the afternoon. She had come from Holland with a friend who was off scouting locations for a novel she was writing.

For the evening, Mark and I took a taxi into the heart of London to the oldest Indian restaurant in London, since 1926, called Veeraswamy. We were joined there by Annabel, the documentary producer from the BBC and Keith Harris, Stevie's tour manager who I became friends with via several concerts last year. 16 hours after we landed from our flight, we were finally in bed having mostly avoided any jet lag.

True to form, Mark was banging around and asking me about important things like RC3 somewhere around 3 AM. We at least got 4 hours of sleep or so. We did not have a booth at the conference but we did have the GPS Concierge table.

I gave a keynote speech at the end of the conference banquet Thursday night and the feedback was very positive. Here are some snip-its from Mike's keynote speech.

On Friday, I gave a GPS overview workshop which went very well and I met more interesting people afterwards. In the evening, Mark and I went to dinner at a Caribbean place with Ilona and her friend, Marion. We had a fabulous server who spent lots of time with us and really made it a special dining experience.

Neil along with his driver, Martin, arrived at our hotel at 10 AM and we took the elevated rail called the DLR into London together. We went to the OXO tower on the Thames for morning coffee with the other BBC producer, Ally, her husband and 3 year-old boy Satch. I just love both of these BBC gals. Ally is an absolute hoot and we had a great time catching up. We sat on a balcony having our drinks and overlooking the boat traffic on the Thames on a very pleasant morning.

Then we walked all over London, to Hyde Park, Covent Garden the Texas Embassy, while testing Kapten, Wayfinder and the BrailleNote side by side.

We had high tea at the Ritz, complete with our coats and ties and all the formality that surrounds this rich tradition.

We continued to walk around after that, eventually ending up at a massively crowded pub called the Porter House. Then we had coffee at Nero. From there we searched our GPS units for a wine bar and found one called Slightly Oliver, which was actually renamed Bacco. We introduced them to the American concept of flights of wine.

It started raining lightly so we walked briskly to the grand finale of Saturday, dinner in the dark at Dans Le Noir.

The way that it works is first, you leave anything that might emit light in a locker like a phone or watch. They go over the menu options with you which are very general. You pick fish or meat and explain anything you don't like.

Once our table was ready, our blind Italian waiter, Roberto, formed a train, each of us holding the shoulder of the person in front of them, me, Mark, Neil and Martin. We entered the black dark dining room which we soon learned had 6 tables of 10. Roberto explained our place setting for us, then brought water and wine. Two couples joined us at our table. We had 3 courses and had fun guessing what we were eating. It was particularly fun to see how Martin was dealing with this. We taught him how to pour water and how to keep track of things on the table.

The most fun for me was listening to all the sighted guests around us and talking to our table mates. The energy was incredibly high. Everyone was cracking up as they bumbled along, completely inept at this experience of eating and drinking in the dark. There really wasn't a glimmer of light anywhere. I was told they have infrared security cameras. The waiters were amazing, really moving quickly among all this chaos. We heard 3 crashes of stuff in the beginning of the meal but then nothing after that.

Hear sounds from the Dans Le Noir dinner

Martin said it was fun to do once but he wouldn't do it again. I really enjoyed the experience but I didn't think the food or wine was particularly spectacular. The emphasis was on the process of dining in the dark and perhaps not enough on the food quality. I would like to try another of these in another city.

Around midnight, Mark and I arrived back at our hotel, caught a few hours of sleep and then headed off to Heath Row for our respective flights to Dublin and SF.

The May family and friends walk a Northern section of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim trail

2009-08-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago, I took a trip alone to Europe and wrote a story called, The People Make the Places. This is equally true in a slightly different way on this trip to Spain in 2009 with my family and 6 close friends. I met Anne my second year at Davis when she responded to an ad for a reader. I am now Godfather to Anne and Tom’s daughters Laura 16 and Colleen 13. Our families have shared a vacation together every year before and after kids for a good 25 years. Anne’s roommate at Davis, Nadeen is Godmother to the girls. Not sure if that makes her my Godwife, wishful thinking perhaps. Her husband of one year Bob has been adopted by this mini network of old friends, 37 years plus. Jennifer, Carson and Wyndham are right in the thick of this experience as well.

Our trip consists of two weeks including the flight days. Our primary mode of transportation is our feet plus buses to expedite our tour of the northern part of the Camino de Santiago. We first met up in Bilbao for a few days and then moved on to Pamplona where we connected with Nadeen’s Basque family. They figuratively and literally embraced our entire group of ten, showing us around towns, loaning us 2 cars, taking us on a hike and to their home. We stayed in a charming 300 year-old 6-bedroom house they located for us in the village of Aldatz.

Most exciting for our kids, their teenagers took ours to a festival in a nearby village, Etxarri-Aranatz. This was a major challenge for us parents because it was unlike anything we would condone back home. Tom, Bob and Nadeen delivered our kids to their house at 10:30 PM Saturday night where the kids took a very crowded bus to the festival village. Dancing started around midnight, mind you, we were not tagging along. The teenage girls, Mar and Ane had texted all their friends who numbered over 30 and they took our kids into their midst after the traditional 2-kiss greeting.

The kids moved as a giant pod around the festival with live music complete with their version of a mosh pit. Half the dances consisted of holding hands and dancing as a group. Wyndham said it was like a wedding where dances are official and not the typical pop American random dancing.

We were a bit uncertain about the details of this festival ahead of time. Bob said he pictured that it would be a long tent, with tables. There were in fact several hundred people from small children on up in age and they all flowed in and out of the packed bars. It sounded to me like Bourbon Street in New Orleans but a safer version.

Since we had a bus to catch to another town the following day, our kids were picked up around 2 AM, long before the locals would call it a day. They said they were disappointed to leave so early but thrilled to have had such a unique experience.

The entire Santiago de Compostela trail is over 700 kilometers in length. This was hard to imagine after we walked a mere 20 kilometers from San Sebastian to Zarautz. Some of the trail is along the ocean with beautiful vistas. In other parts, I found myself stumbling along a narrow trail with what I call coboulders, monster cobble stones. We went through pastures, saw cows, horses and goats and a fair number of homo sapiens also walking or biking the trail.

Occasionally we would welcome a village in our path replete with several churches, bars and restaurants, quite charming and hospitable. I clue myself into the Basque word for thank you, ezkerri asko, by thinking, “Scary Cosco.” The names of all these villages and streets are quite interesting.

I have been recording GPS points of interest as well as GPS Replay/trace files of our official walking segments. Although the Roundabouts wreak havoc with the route calculation, it has been very helpful to know where our various destinations are. Now that I have these Replay files, it might be fun for some blind folks to lead a trip in the future along this historic trail in the spirit of Lieutenant James Holman, the blind adventurer from the early 19th century.

We have 6 more days and will walk at least 100 kilometers before returning to our starting point, Bilbao and the long flight and sitting trip home. Perhaps it will feel so good to be off our feet by that time that we won’t mind. By then too, I will have to learn the Basque words for goodbye to go along with thank you. Sure is a lot easier to stick to the double kiss.

By the way, we were christened Los Vivadores, by an old man we passed on the trail and it means those who live life to its fullest. I feel pretty darn blessed to have shared this living of life with such a wonderful group of like-minded walkers, eaters and adventurers.

On and off the Beaten Path
Camino de Santiago continued.

Here are some highlights of the 7 segments of the Northern Camino we traveled, 144K (89 miles) on foot. I am astounded how well maintained the Camino is. Sure, there are some very dicey sections but it is well marked with yellow arrows either on the ground or on plaques at intersections including X-signs indicating which way not to go. Some steep trails have steps carved in them. We passed guys sweeping the parts that were on sidewalks and paved paths. In the sections that went through pastures, you were mostly on a fenced path, separate from the cattle. There are tunnels that go under busy roads, not that there aren’t a few sections on a narrow shoulder.

I am also pleasantly surprised we were never hassled by the people whose back yards the Camino passed through. Most dogs were tied up although there were some that were loose and intimidating but no real problems. Everyone was friendly on the Camino. We passed one couple in bare feet. I hear there is a section people supposedly crawl on their knees.

We read that the average rain fall in this region is 3 inches in August but we never faced a down pore, just a few sprinkles and mostly beautiful cool weather. Some of the foresty sections got pretty hot and steamy.

I love how, out of nowhere, you would come across Saint Martin’s church from the 13th century or at the intersection of two dirt trails, there would be a sign for a bar. Frequently, there were benches and occasionally drinking fountains. Every village, no matter how small, had at least one church and a bar/restaurant. We attempted to taste the helado in every town. Nadeen introduced us to a local plum liquor called Patxaran and a wine called txakoli.

Sounds of significant Camino venues including, a bar in Zarra, Jailaia game, Bolivar birthplace, 13th century church and Gernika Peace museum.

The six parents on the trip were thrilled that the 4 teenagers never complained and in fact reveled in the trek. Our B&B hostess in Lezama noted how unusual it was that our teenagers joined us for dinner and for being on such a trip together in general. We gave thanks for their young eyes finding those yellow Camino arrows. There was one section of the Camino that curved about 90 degrees in one mile along the shore. We commented kiddingly that it would be a lot shorter to swim in order to cut the corner. So Laura, a star member of the Vacaville High School swim team, did just that. She swam a good half mile in open water and met us on the other side. All the kids were very impressive and the old grownies didn’t do so badly either, including one who became ill, took a day off and bounced back to complete the trip. Walking 10 to 18 miles a day with tough climbs and tricky terrain was not insignificant. I’ll take 3 miles of flat road over 1 mile of rough trail any day and there were plenty of both.

I brought one trekking pole rather than a traditional cane for mobility on this trip although if I’d known how challenging some trails were, I would have brought two trekking poles. Whoever was in front of me took on the role of guide and everyone was great. The hardest parts were impossible to describe so I just plunged forward with the trekking pole and arrested myself with every step. I wasn’t graceful but I managed. I only fell once completely because of really loose dirt where I suddenly found myself flat on my back kind of like a slide into second base. I wished I had my Seeing Eye dog Miguel much of the time but some of the steep downhill trails would have been impossible to walk side-by-side. The loose dogs would have also been a concern to me but 90% of the trip, Miguel would have loved and I would have enjoyed having him guiding.

We did modify our trip a bit on the fly, realizing that we were spending so much of our time walking that we weren’t totally appreciating the neat towns we were staying in. We have decided that the ideal trip for a full Camino experience with exercise, culture and a little relaxation would be to walk every other day and tour the towns the other days. For example, one should not miss the peace museum in Gernika, which was bombed by Franco, Hitler and friends on April 26, 1937 to test out the latest war technology. It was sobering for all of us and very much a part of the Camino and the Basque country and culture.

There are buses and trains connecting most of the little towns so a hybrid foot/vehicle trip makes great sense. I suppose true pilgrims would walk and/or crawl the entire Camino but us Vivadores designed our own very memorable version of the northern section of the Camino. This trip certainly ranks as one of my best-ever travel experiences and I believe the extended Vivadores family would agree.
Sounds of the Vivadores walking the Camino.

Sendero GPS Inventor Mike May meets with President Obama

2009-07-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Davis, CA. Sendero CEO Mike May was at the White House for the 3rd time in 2009, this time to meet privately with President Obama and members of his cabinet as well as to attend the signing ceremony for the 19th anniversary of ADA and the UN adoption of the disability act for 52 countries. Mike May said, "It was exciting to be part of this small group from the disability community and to meet the president. I feel a huge responsibility being part of this historic dialog. There are so many possibilities to explore on the technology frontier and I hope my, Always-a-Way perspective can be instrumental in creating substantive progress for blind and disabled people worldwide. This is a president that embodies hope more than any other and I left Washington very inspired."

Mike May has been a pioneer in new product and business development in a variety of industries for over 25 years. His story is told in the bestseller Crashing Through including his stem cell transplant and recovery of some vision after 43 years of total blindness. May founded the Sendero Group in January 2000 to make GPS technology and location information accessible to those who can't read print signs. He has been on many nonprofit boards and now serves on the boards of the Society for the Blind and the Seeing Eye.

Visit the Sendero website to see the summary of the meeting

ABVI Honors Mike May

2009-07-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Mike May, Sendero Group awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from ABVI Goodwill in Rochester, NY.

See Mike on 13WHAM News

No Barriers Festival 2009 at Shake-A-Leg Miami

2009-06-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Jose Can You See Blind Guided GPS Sailing Tour of Biscayne Bay:

In the spirit of adventure pioneered by blind explorer and sailor James Holman in 1820, modern day explorers, Mike May and Scott Duncan are teamed up for the very first time to combine their GPS and sailing skills to show conference attendees around the Biscayne bay. Scott is on a temporary break from his boat in Australia. Mike May is a world traveler famous for his downhill speed skiing and GPS navigation in over 30 countries.

This adventure proves that the blind can lead the blind, or sighted, and hear stories of independent travel and nearly being swept overboard. Kindred spirits combine with modern and ancient navigation.

Experiencing the Inauguration first hand

2009-01-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

I waffled considerably about whether or not I should try to attend any of the inaugural events. Two things tipped the scale and I am very happy they did. Ginger Kutsch told me about the ball she and Jim were attending and Sara Beck said she was going just to hang out without tickets to anything, just to be among the revelry. Once I received an invitation from friends to stay at their place, I booked my flights.

I arrived on a delayed flight Sunday, January 18, and changed into my tux on the way to the Disability Power and Pride Inaugural ball, where I met Sara Beck and her sister Heather, my dates. There were 1000 people of all disabled flavors. There were senators and congressmen who wanted to give long speeches and all the crowd wanted to do was to burst into cheers every 30 seconds.

My only lament was that there were probably lots of blind people I knew at the ball but we had no way of recognizing each other.

Nonetheless, we met lots of interesting people we didn't know including 3 state beauty queens with flowing gowns and crowns on their heads. It was interesting to hear everyone's story of why they were there.

Sara, Heather and I danced along with Miguel who would not have stood for being separated from me. It was all pretty fun and crazy.

Sara and I spent Monday at National Public Radio, hosted by Mike Starling who I met at CES. We got the grand tour, met lots of people I have listened to for years on the radio and Sara and I were interviewed about the unique way we met.

Not having connected with Stevie by Tuesday morning, Sara and I and her friend Ashley met near the Mall to see how close we could get to the inauguration. The logistics of moving around Washington were incredible. They took the metro and were delayed because a woman fell under the train and they were all stopped. The bus dropped me many blocks from the mall and I had to walk through the freezing cold for quite a ways to our meeting place.

We joined the crowds flowing toward the mall and just kept winding our way closer and closer to the main event until we had a good monitor to watch and good sound. We were in a sea of people, shoulder to shoulder on the grass beyond the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.

The crowd interaction was fascinating, hearing different accents, comments of where people were from, how they got there, gasps, groans, boos, cheers, clapping, shivering, crying...
When we finally heard the oath, I felt like I let out a breath I had been holding for 8 years. We cheered and hugged knowing this was an experience we would remember forever.

I couldn't help wishing our boys were there too. I had a mileage ticket for Wyndham, which I gave up when I couldn't confirm tickets. In the end, we had an incredibly rich experience in the middle of the masses rather than among the elite. Turns out a lot of people who had tickets couldn't get in because of some mix up.

It bordered on scary leaving the mall. There was no security or anyone directing traffic. We were like molecules in a stream, just flowing into the path of least resistance. When we came to the line of porta potties, we just bounced off and kept flowing. Everyone was very calm and nice about it but the slightest panic could have created a mess. It helped that I had recorded some GPS markers on our way into the mall and Miguel did an amazing job guiding amongst the dense crowds.

We had to walk for miles to find a business which was open and by that time, we were frozen. We thawed out in a pub and relived our experience as we watched the parade on television. We really didn't want the day to end but at the same time, we felt emotionally exhausted. I still can't believe it actually happened and I got to be a small part of Barack Obama's inauguration.

Sendero GPS released in New Zealand

2008-10-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Eight years since Sendero released the first accessible GPS, we are pleased to finally have street maps available in New Zealand, ironic since we began working with HumanWare with the BrailleNote in 2001. Better late than never.
Sendero, HumanWare and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind celebrated this new form of independence in Auckland October 29. Over 100 people attended the reception where they had a chance to see and hear the accessible maps and to toast the collaborative efforts to bring this technology to New Zealand.
After comments from Mike May of Sendero, Maurice Sloane of HumanWare and Neil Jarvis from RNZFB, Stevie Wonder spoke about the importance of accessibility. He graciously talked and took pictures with attendees. At least two television stations were filming.

Meeting Stevie Wonder - and those dreadlocks

2008-10-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

Meeting Stevie Wonder - and those dreadlocks
The Dominion Post | Thursday, 30 October 2008

All blind Kiwi musician Ese Aumalesula wanted to do when he met Stevie Wonder was to grab hold of those famous dreadlocks.

"It's his trademark, it's a part of him, so I wanted to [touch them] so I could believe that this dream was really true – that it was Stevie, man."

The American megastar, blind since birth, was happy to provide a handful of locks as Aumalesula had some one-on-one time with his idol.

Their conversation sealed a decision for Aumalesula to chase his musical dream, after a string of successful performances on New Zealand's Got Talent with funk band Ease.

"He just told me that I've got my foot in the door now, and just to go for it while it was still fresh. So that's it, there's no doubt in my mind now that I can make a go of it."

Aumalesula was still buzzing from his encounter last night: "It was as if I had jumped off the Sky Tower on a bungy or something. I was all breathless!"

Wonder is in New Zealand for concerts in Auckland tonight and tomorrow. He performed in Christchurch on Tuesday.

Last night he attended a Foundation for the Blind function in Auckland, and joined US software entrepreneur Michael May in launching a GPS system that helps vision-impaired people to get around.

"They give us independence," said Wonder.

"They give us accessibility for the blind. It gives us freedom."

Stevie Wonder launches GPS system By Michael Field

2008-10-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Stevie Wonder launches GPS system
By MICHAEL FIELD - Fairfax Media | Thursday, 30 October 2008
JOHN SELKIRK/Fairfax Media

American superstar Stevie Wonder loves technology and what it can do for the blind.

"It's a feeling of being independent," he told an Auckland gathering to launch a New Zealand version of a GPS system for blind users.

A Californian company, Sendero Group, developed the remarkable device which not only gives voice directions to its blind users, but is also a powerful internet linked computer.

Wonder is an old friend of Sendero founder Michael May who confessed he used the launching of the New Zealand version of the GPS system to catch the star's Christchurch and Auckland concerts.

It coincided with Blind Week, the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind's annual appeal.

As a measure of his fan quality, May said Apple iPods have only, in the last month, become blind accessible after lawsuits in the United States.

He got one and the first thing he loaded up was 585 of Stevie's songs.

Wonder, a big user of technology, said he wanted to spread the message of accessibility for the blind. Video of event and Stevie Wonder's speech

"It is so very important in the sighted world and those in the various places of technology understand that by doing this you are getting a kind of freedom you cannot even imagine."

Technology was making life easier while being fascinating and exciting.

"It's a wonderful thing. Life is about creating joy and making things better."

May's own story is as remarkable as Wonder's. Video of Mike May's Speech

He was blind for 43 years and yet managed to clock a world record speed skiing record - more than 100 kph - got married and had children, changing nappies from the day they were born.

Then came the day the Californian, blind from the age of three, was given the option of getting back his sight and seeing his wife Jennifer for the first time.

Did it ever worry him, as the bandages came off, that he might not like the way Jennifer looked?

"This was the fear of a lot of my female friends and family," he told Fairfax Media.

She wasn't worried and nor was he.

"She was self confident about that, the real beauty of the moment, was that she was there to share the new images with me.

"I knew exactly what she looked like, there was no revelation."

The one eye that gives Mr May 20/80 vision is nearly perfect anatomically, but he cannot see detail as well and still uses a cane or a guide dog.

The GPS system, which fits onto a Braille interfaced and sound enabled device that also provides internet and email, gets the user into the vicinity of where they are going.

"It doesn't make me a blind robot," he said, adding the vision impaired were happy with cane or dog.

The Sendero devices come with "a look around mode" that announces to users what is around, without the need to enter commands.

"The number one challenges is no longer the technology, it's the affordability."

In a country like New Zealand 70 percent of the blind were unemployed and a GPS device cost between $1000 and $10,000.

"It's really important to get funding to help purchase these things; the cost is the barrier now.

"It's like buying a car for a job; this isn't something I am doing to find the local pub, this is so I have the independence to get a job, change a job, to do things with my family, its part of my whole life navigation system."

He lost his vision in a chemical explosion but said he had long come to terms with it.

"In fact it is more about living life to its fullest," he said.

"If one has a good family, a good job, feels good about themselves and all of those positive things, it doesn't matter if you are blind or sighted.

"Being able to see, for me, is icing on the cake, it wasn't something I really felt I needed to do."

Stevie Wonder performs at Vector Arena tonight.

A Sightseeing we will go: Chateau de Chillon

2008-08-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

Today, Vieve and I traveled to the Chillon Castle. It was about an hour and a half train ride, with great views of the lake and the vineyards. I used the GPS to set a Replay, and determine which cities we were traveling through and at what speed. The castle was beautiful, and we spent about 2 hours exploring the different rooms and courtyards. The castle was built in the 1100’s and was built along the cliffs of Lake Geneva. On our way back, we stopped in Lausanne where we had a nice lunch along the lake. Today was our day to ourselves to sightsee, and tomorrow begins the exhibits. We are both having a great time, and want to come back to Switzerland soon to do more sightseeing.

World Blind Union Conference, Geneva Switzerland by Jamie Adams

2008-08-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

Vieve and I arrived in Geneva on Monday without any airplane delays. We spent our first day getting situated and touring around Geneva. Our hotel is located in a very central location, next to the train station, many restaurants and the beautiful lake. Despite being tired from our long trip, we decided to take a long walk around the lake and the surrounding area. We walked up 150 stairs in the Saint Pierre Cathedral, where the views were breathtaking. It was a great way to get a first impression of the city. On Tuesday, we attended the conference and listened to the Presentation of Regional Reports, where we learned about current issues in blindness throughout the world.

skiing in Portillo Chile

2008-08-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

You never know when you book a vacation 9 months ahead of time, what will happen, particularly when it comes to the weather. I'd say we got more than lucky.

We arrived in Santiago, somehow ending up in First Class seats for the 11 hour flight that actually reclined all the way down. What a treat. Our skis actually arrived this time. We spent two days mucking around Santiago, where the weather was beautiful.

The 2.5 hour drive to Portillo was a nail-biting one as the local driver popped in and out of the line of trucks winding their way over the Andes into Argentina. The last 29 switch-backs were particularly nerve-racking.

We made it on time to ski some runs on Saturday. The snow-base was 7 feet at the lodge, 12 feet up top, a bit hard packed but great coverage. There are no trees at this elevation, over 9000 feet at the base. There is an assortment of chairs, pommas and these conveyances they call slingshots. Five people line up, pull down a pomma-like thing and then the operator turns on the engine. You are whisked up the steep slope, much faster than a chairlift travels. If one person falls, you all eat it. You are banking on your slingshot mates to be good skiers or boarders. They simply turn the engine off when you are at the top, not necessarily on a flat place.

Sunday was a cruzer day, pretty flat light so not great for those sighted folks on the mountain. Didn't bother me a bit. I did get a little altitude sickness.

Sunday Night/Monday morning, the snow dumped. We woke up to quite a storm. By the time they got the first chair running around 9, we had a good 2 feet of fresh powder. It stopped snowing around noon and was completely clear by 3 PM. They kept the lifts open past 5 because it was so gorgeous and everyone was after the new powder.

If you scripted a snow vacation, you would have a perfectly sunny day after the snowy one and that is what we got Tuesday. There were still plenty of fresh tracks to be had; Carson and Wyndham found them all and even took some runs on a GS race course set up for a local team.

Turns out the Canadian National team is training here for 2 weeks as well as a junior Canadian team. Lots of racers, coaches and trainers to visit with in the hot tub and in the lodge.

Speaking of the lodge, we have 3 multi-course meals each day plus tea. The food has been phenomenal at every meal, even very fresh vegetables and too many desserts. If you aren't eating, skiing, drinking or in the hot tub, you might go to the disco, gym or game facilities. I particularly enjoy meeting interesting people who have skied around the world. My favorite is 78 year-old Gary who has skied 211 resorts and will enter the Thursday race. Lots of stories to share around a pisco sour, the local Chilean drink.

The word is that a monster storm is going to hit Thursday night with as much as 15 feet of snow. If it does materialize, we may either ride it out in hopes of more powder or we may fly to Northern Chile to the desert, which is supposed to be amazing. We'll wait to Thursday to decide. I have been stuck here before for multiple days and had to leave eventually by helicopter. I don't think we want to miss those First Class seats home Sunday night.

Pretty amazing summer vacation. The only thing that would make it better is to be here with a bunch of family or friends.

Mike

Go Cubs Go! by Jamie Adams

2008-07-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

As an avid baseball fan, I have a goal to go to all of the major league baseball stadiums. One that was very high on my list is Wrigley field, so I was so excited to find out that I was going to the game while in Chicago for the AER National Conference. On Thursday night, Mike, Robert Kurson, Gil and I went to the game. We had the opportunity to sit in Derrek Lee’s seats, the first baseman for the Cubs. Mike and Robert went to the game early, and got to sit in the dugout and talk to Derrek and some of other players for the Cubs. It was a perfect night for baseball, and our seats were right behind home plate. One thing that really impressed me about Wrigley Field was the die-hard fans. There was not an empty seat in the stadium, and the fans do not leave until the very end of the game. The Cubs beat the Florida Marlins 6-3, followed by their victory song, “Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago what do you say the Cubs are gonna win today. Go Cubs Go!” You would have thought that the Cubs had just won the World Series with how excited the fans were after one victory. Outside of the stadium, it was hard to get a taxi because the streets were flooded with people high fiving each other and singing as the local bars all played the victory song. I had a great time as a Cubs Fan for the night, and now I can check off Wrigley Field on my list of stadiums, with hope that I will go back soon.

Mike and Sheri Visit Glastonbury England

2008-07-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

While in England for Sight Village, Mike and Sheri visited the town of Glastonbury. Glastonbury is particularly notable for the myths and legends surrounding a nearby hill, Glastonbury Tor, which rises up from the otherwise flat landscape of the Somerset Levels.

GPS Walk of England, Days 2 and 3, and a visit to Vienna, Austria

2008-06-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Day 2, Bradford on Avon to Beckington.
Day 3, Beckington to Mells.

Our evening at The Swan Hotel in Bradford was delightful, and we started the second day with a little concern, since the directions from the walking tour company indicated that this route might be a little more difficult to follow. The first day followed, almost exclusively, what is called a tow path along the Kennet and Avon Canal. So it was relatively difficult to get lost, as long as we could see water. But the second and third days were to require turns at various interesting waypoints.

Throughout the English countryside, there are public footpaths that go for miles. In the US, we would find these types of routes mainly on public lands: through state and national parks, for example. But in England, they wind their way not only on public roads, but also through easements across private property. We crossed numerous fields of crops and pasture land, and even a golf course at one point. The easements aren t always a done deal. One rancher had run a new barbed wire fence across an easement without leaving a gate. But we took turns holding the wires apart so that we could squeeze through. And you do need to mind the nettles.

The instructions from the walking tour company were very complete. Our confidence that we would actually reach our destinations grew as we became familiar with the terminology used, and as we found each described point along the way. It was fun - and a sense of accomplishment - to find the actual object that indicated we were on the right path. We got pretty quick at crossing stiles and kissing gates. Stiles are kind of a ladder over a fence that lead from one field or path into another. Kissing gates are gate enclosures where you have to open the gate, then stand in a little opening to one side, then close the gate, then exit the opening. Kissing gates keep cattle and sheep on the proper side; stiles are just a way to cross a fence.

The route for each day advised us of where to find lunch at a pub along the way. That was a great way to meet some locals and chat a while before resuming our trek.

We were blessed with fantastic weather. On each day we encountered some drizzle, but on the second day we had some beautiful sunshine as well. On the third day, there was some pretty significant rain on the last stretch, which limited the number of Sue's photos and Bob's notes as we hurried to find the Talbot Inn. Bob used a poncho to cover the BrailleNote PK when it was raining.

The inns we stayed in were lovely. They were all historic buildings, unlike anything we would find in the US, at least not in the relatively newly settled West. The innkeepers were all kind and welcoming. We enjoyed our stays at each of them. At the Woolpack Inn in Beckington, we had a traditional English breakfast which includes Eggs, sausage, mushrooms, bacon, and black pudding. The black pudding is made from a mixture of pig s blood, oatmeal, and other ingredients which is then fried. We decided that the black pudding is something we wouldn t order every day.

Saturday, we left early and took a taxi back to Bath, were our journey started a few days ago. From there, we took a train to the London Paddington station, and then another train to Heathrow airport, and on to the next stop on our journey. Some of you know Mike Busboom, who lives in Vienna and has been in the AT business for many years. We have had the pleasure of Mike's company as he has stayed with us for 20 or so CSUN conferences, so we have finally taken him up on his offer to provide accommodations and tour guide services in Austria.

Sunday found us on a train trip to Melk, where we toured an old monastery and then boarded a boat for a delightful cruise on the Danube River. Mike knows the city so well, that we didn't need the GPS to find our many stops. But it was fun to use it to mark various points along the way. In the evening, having set Mike's front door as a User Point of Interest, we decided to venture out on our own. The city of Vienna has been nearly taken over by Euro 2008, the finals of a worldwide soccer (or football, as we are learning to call it) competition. We walked over to the park which has been transformed into the Fan Zone. In order to enter, we had to be very thoroughly searched for security. They opened our backpacks, patted us down, and scanned us with wands. There was some discussion about Sue's little container of Tylenol, but in the end, they decided we weren't a threat to security and let us in. Lots of music and food stands and people in funny hats, celebrating their teams' participation.

We decided it was a little too loud for the leisurely dinner we had anticipated, so we headed back to Mike's, looking for something along the way. There were many street closures because of the soccer match, and most nearby restaurants were closed. By the time we found one that was open, we were in a totally unfamiliar area. But the POI at Mike's door was like a beacon, and in a few minutes we were back to familiar territory, and were ringing his doorbell like we were Viennese locals.

It was fun to get completely lost in Vienna, and then to use GPS to locate our starting point. All of the street names end in either strasse, (which means larger street), or gasse, (which means smaller avenue or lane). The audible traffic signals are really neat, we will describe them in a later post.

Reflections and GPS coordinates from day 1, by Bob Sweetman

2008-06-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

Sue and I started walking from Bath along the Kennet and Avon Canal yesterday. It is a beautiful walk through the countryside with the canal running through many rural areas. The train tracks parallel the canal generally, because materials were hauled by canal for the building of the railroad.

The boats on the canal are called Narrow Boats. Many people take holidays or live in them. They are generally six feet wide and range from 50 to 72 feet long. Sue and I met the owner of a narrow boat tour and got a tour of a deluxe narrow boat that was 10 feet wide and had a Jacuzzi.

The trains here are amazing to hear as you walk through the country along the railroad. When out of the city, they range between 120 and 125 miles per hour. I finally recorded one passing because I had my recorder out already when it passed.

Starting Point, Highways House in Bath
Latitude: 51 degrees, 22 minutes, 3.6080 seconds North.
Latitude: 2 degrees, 22 minutes, 4.8000 seconds West.

Destination, the Swan Hotel, Bradford-on-Avon, England.
latitude: 51 degrees 20 minutes 53.0400 seconds North.
Longitude: 2 degrees 15 minutes 4.3800 seconds West.

Bob Sweetman

Greetings from the GPS Walking Tour of England!

2008-06-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

Having a great time, wish you were here! Especially Mike and Jennifer, who apparently encountered the mother of all airline fiascos. I can't imagine spending 2 entire days in an airport and still not being able to leave. Seems like they should have just about been able to swim here in that amount of time.

Some of you know that we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this week, and were looking for an over-the-top way to do it. Mike suggested this trip, and it sounded wonderful!

What an incredibly fun day! It was raining when we left Bath, and I was afraid that it would be a miserable 9 miles. But it never rained hard enough to be unbearable, so I never had to carry out my threat to call a taxi. Which was a good thing, because most of the time, there wouldn't have been anywhere to call from. The scenery was gorgeous. The entire route was along the Kennet and Avon Canal. I had heard the term "locks", but didn't understand what they were until it was described to us and we could watch the people in the boats use them. There are gates along the canal, which can be opened and closed to allow small enclosures to fill or empty with water. Boats can then move down to the next level along the canal. I think I got that right. But check out http://www.waterscape.com/features-and-articles/features/how-do-locks-work for more details.

Of course many people were interested in what Bob was doing as he was typing away or reading on his BrailleNote, with a few breaks to make audio notes. When it was raining, he used it under a large poncho, but we got enough stares and questions to meet many interesting folks along the way.

Mike presents at Tele Atlas Partner Conference in Florida

2008-06-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

Scent of a Woman, myth tested

2008-05-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

I was contacted last week by the Discovery show called Myth Busters. They wanted to test whether or not a blind person could drive city streets with verbal instructions. They were working off the movie Scent of a Woman where the main character does this.

Since they wanted a totally blind subject and I no longer qualify, we set them up with Jerry Kuns. He roughly fits the profile from the movie.

They filmed the episode in a former military community, now a ghost town near Marina California. Jerry drove through regular city streets although there weren't any people or traffic. One of the hosts, Jamie, gave Jerry directions from the back seat while a professional driving instructor rode shot gun with a second set of controls. They got up to 35 miles per hour and Jerry did a great job doing something he had very little experience with.

They also played out another very interesting scenario, which can remain secret until you see the Myth Busters the beginning of next season, probably August or September.

Many blind folks have tried their hand at driving but few of us are experienced unless we went blind later in life. We can all have the opportunity to vicariously enjoy Jerry's driving experience on national television.

Although Jerry used his Sendero GPS to help the producer find the filming location, he wasn't able to use it while driving. It would have been interesting to set it on multiple repeat of speed and heading, not information that would help in driving but interesting none the less.

I think the myth is confirmed but we'll have to wait for the show to see for sure.

Mike

CSUN 2008

2008-03-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

This year at CSUN, Sendero was as busy as ever! We demonstrated it's GPS on the BrailleNotes and Voice Sense. We also showed the Talking Lights interface for indoor navigation. Talking Lights makes indoor navigation possible using florescent light bulbs that communicate location information to a receiver that interfaces with the BrailleNote. We held two parties... definitely not short on fun!

Code Factory introduced its version of Sendero GPS for Windows Mobile devices, to be released in the future.

Mike Speaking at the United States Air Force Academy

2008-02-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

I had the honor of speaking at an Air Force Academy leadership
conference this past week. I addressed one group of over 2000. Thanks
to my escorts, I believe I learned as much about the Air Force
Academy as they learned from me. The hospitality was amazing. I was
introduced to everything from the cadet dorms to the glider and
parachute jump operations up close and personal.

I was amazed at the number of GPS points already marked on the base.
I was told that this one of the most open military bases in the
country. It is one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado and
I learned why.

I also had the privilege of having dinner with a 3 star general and a
couple of 1 star generals as well as Congressman Wamp of Tennessee.
From the cadets to the generals, the reception was warm and
enthusiastic. Quite the unexpected cultural experience.

International Consumer Electronics Show 2008

2008-01-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Mike's Playback Report from CES

Stevie and Sara in Music City

2007-12-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

Who would have thunk that my attendance at a chance O&M conference in Nashville in April would result in this last minute trip to the Music City in December? The Lovin’ Spoonful song, “Do You Believe in Magic” pops into my head.

As most of my close friends and family know by now, I went to the Bluebird Café in April and heard Sara Beck perform. After a 5 minute introduction at the Bluebird, I sent Sara the book and she sent me back a Crashing Through song 3 months later. It is not exaggerating to say when I heard the song, I knew we were bonded forever! The song encapsulated my spirit in 4 minutes and I immediately loved Sara for her unique abilities.

Another 3 months and this beautiful, smart young talented woman and her equally amazing husband, Park, joined us for the weekend celebration of my mother OJ’s life. After two campfires and a ceremony, we knew even more certainly that our families lives had become intertwined. It isn’t every day that the chemistry between so many people generates such a mutual feeling. When Stevie Wonder showed up at the last minute and joined in the reverie, there was no question that we were all in a dream.

Fast forward another 2 months, only 7 months since I first met Sara for 5 minutes at the Bluebird. Jennifer and I, Rob and Julie Reis, Robert and Amy Kurson and Sara’s parents Vickie and Scott met in Nashville for an event we hoped would happen but didn’t really know would be a reality when we got on our flights from 4 separate cities. Stevie had told me he would like Sara and Park to perform To Love Somebody, one of Sara’s songs, during his concert at the Nashville arena Saturday night but the details were far from sorted out.

Jennifer and I spent Saturday afternoon in Stevie’s hotel hanging out with his daughter, band members and Stevie. We talked technology and Stevie shared a couple books with us he had just read, What is What and the Video Vixen. At this point, Stevie and Sara had actually never talked about the performance which at this point was only 5 hours away. Sara called while I was with Stevie and they finally confirmed to meet for rehearsal. We subsequently had a half dozen conversations before Sara and Park joined Stevie’s band for a sound check and the rest of us went to dinner.

By 8 o’clock, Jennifer and I were in the first row, seated next to two women from the Grammy organization. The arena of around 10,000 people was nearly full. I loved being 6 feet from the stage where I would be able to see Stevie, the band, the dancers and Sara even though I still didn’t believe this was actually happening. Only 7 months ago, I was watching Sara in the Bluebird 2 feet from a stage in a room of 60 people and now I was in Nashville’s Sommet Center again next to the stage to see Sara perform with a musical legend and winner of 25 Grammys. I told my seat mates all about her and how we met and they joined in our anticipation to see this amazing new talent.
This was the fourth Stevie Wonder concert I had seen in the past 4 months and one of the best. His voice, his energy, his band, his genius, his playfulness are just off the charts. How can he still be this good at 57 and 46 years since his first recording? Talk about magical.

After I thought I couldn’t get any higher, Stevie said he had 2 people he wanted to join him on stage. He teased about his friend Mike May who was blind as a bat and who introduced him to these people, Sara Beck and Park Chisolm.

I was so keyed up as I saw Sara approaching center stage with the lights bright on her blonde hair and beautiful dress. I flashed on some of my own most nervous moments, in the starting gate at the Sarajevo Olympics, at the Legends ski race in Vail, at the Paralympics in Switzerland and Austria and when I stood on the strut of a small airplane with a parachute on my back and the jump master said, “Now!”

My Grammy seat mates cheered loudly as Stevie’s band began Sara’s song, To Love Somebody. When she started singing, I realized I was way more nervous than she was. Only her parents could have been prouder but Jennifer and I sat there clasping hands, listening and loving Sara’s music in this huge arena. Then, Stevie chimed in with his trademark chromatic harmonica. The back-up singers echoed To Love Somebody. I had heard this song in the Bluebird, at Enchanted Hills and now in the Nashville Arena, Sara and Park singing, with Stevie and his band backing them up. It was way beyond magic and way beyond any of us individually.

I might not have become friends with Stevie Wonder if Rob Reis had not challenged me 23 years ago to get in touch with Stevie. If Sara’s parents hadn’t been so musical, perhaps Sara would not have discovered her gift. If Robert Kurson had not found me and written Crashing Through, there wouldn’t have been a book for Sara to write about. And, if Sara had not taken it upon herself to write a Crashing Through song, I wouldn’t have discovered the full extent of her warmth and talent and been able to introduce her music to Stevie Wonder.

The fact that Stevie validated my belief that Sara was extremely good, only bolstered my confidence in what I felt in my heart that she is every bit as good as many famous stars. What a treat to share that feeling and belief with Sara, Park and their families this weekend in Nashville.

From ListenNashville.com, December 2, 2007
Sara Beck Performs "To Love Somebody" at the Sommet Center with Stevie Wonder

All musicians looking for a little inspiration need to look no further than Nashville-based singer/songwriter Sara Beck. Beck has been working the club circuit in Nashville for nearly a decade, and one recent performance at The Bluebird led to a fortuitous encounter with Mike May that set off a magical chain of events. The most recent of these events was last night at the Sommet Center, where Stevie Wonder invited Beck to perform her song "To Love Somebody" in front of the nearly sold-out audience. Anybody who has ever performed live and has an ounce of empathy in their blood will have no doubt felt a shot of anxiety in their gut upon reading that last sentence. Beck appeared completely at home onstage, however, as she charmed the audience with her sweet bluesy vocals that channel the earthy soul of Bonnie Raitt and the southern charm of Alison Krauss.

With her husband Park on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Beck performed "To Love Somebody" flawlessly and looked on in disbelief as Stevie Wonder laid down the harmonica solo. Indeed, as if to remind herself, during Stevie's solo Beck giddily stated, "That's Stevie Wonder!" But it gets better. Prior to inviting Beck on-stage, Stevie recounted the story of their chance meeting (only two months ago) through a mutual friend. This story lasted several minutes, as Stevie lavished genuine praise on Beck for her superb vocals-then he invited her on-stage.

Stevie Wonder is perhaps the greatest endorsement an unsigned artist can get, and Beck did not disappoint. I wonder if any record executives took the time to go see Stevie Wonder-a living legend? More important, I wonder if any of them trust Stevie's musical judgment? Odds are, more than a few did-and do. And odds are, Beck's going to need a good manager soon if she doesn't already have one. I anticipate a 2008 major label debut from Sara Beck, and we can only hope that Stevie will again lend his harmonica skills for a solo or two on what promises to be an outstanding record-and career.

Until then, you can catch Sara Beck in December at several indie music venues in the Nashville area. I recommend catching her at The Basement with her full band on December 17.
See you there! -Vincent Wynne

WayFun wasn't enough, by Kevin Chao

2007-11-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

Sandy and I just returned from Victoria, BC where we had a wonderful tour of the city using the Sendero GPS, we visited three cities, crossed three bridges, visited the beach, China Town, went on a scavenger hunt all using the Sendero GPS and our great Orientation and Mobility skills. I was able to get the name of the streets, bridges, provide directions to the places and found out that we walked 50K throughout our three day stay.

Download Replays and Routes: Zip file containing four files, the Replay and route files from Sacramento to Seattle and the Replay and Route files from Seattle to Victoria.

	Confederation Garden Audio	Totem Audio
Juan Francisco Statue Audio	Mackenzie Audio	Johnson Street Bridge Audio
	God Save Our Queen Audio
	Doughboy Audio	Time Capsule Audio
Peace Monument Audio		Marilyn Bell Audio

Experiencing Sky Screamer Bungy by Mike and Charles

2007-10-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

Mike and Charles go into orbit on a Bungy ride in New Zealand. Not your typical hang by your ankle bungy. There is a set of three connected seats which are strapped to huge rubber bands. You shoot straight into the air while reaching speeds of 120MPH, 200 KMH. Various quotes from the audio recording, "Holy Mackerel!" and "Felt like you were being shot out of a cannon".

Waiheke Island, New Zealand

2007-10-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

On New Zealand's Waiheke Island, Mike, Sheri and Roxanne enjoy the fruits of the world class Stoneridge Vineyard and Cafe after a 20k ferry ride from Auckland. If you aren't hungry and thirsty after hearing the menu and wine description, you can't have been listening.

My favorite way to experience a place is to walk and eat and that is exactly what we did. Friends for 25 years, it was pretty amazing to meet in New Zealand and to have an incredible day together. I know from the Sendero GPS that we walked 8K. Many places are now marked on the roads, towns and beaches of Waiheke as well as other islands we passed in route from Auckland on the ferry. We lucked into a day of sunshine between rain storms. The highlight of the day was a fantastic meal where the excellent food was matched only by the fantastic company. How fortunate can one be?

Touring HumanWare NZ

2007-10-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

Mike, Charles, and Sheri visited HumanWare Headquarters in New Zealand.

Kangaroos, Koalas, Emus - Oh my!

2007-10-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

On a trip to Australia, Charles and Mike stop to visit the Featherdale Wildlife Park. Here are a couple of photos from their adventure.

Half Dome, Check! by Kevin Chao

2007-09-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Ahh, Half Dome. I did do the climb on Saturday September 29, 2007. It was an utterly amazing climb that involved about 16 hours of straight hiking with constant probing of my cane and trekking pole to find a good footing. If I didn't find a good footing it could make the difference between slipping on the rocky terrain or falling off the side of the cliff with a drop-off of over 3000 feet. The feeling of actually getting to the top of Half Dome after an 8.5 mile hike, elevation change of 5000 feet and 8 hours was just amazing. And once completed the entire hike was also an amazing feeling. I am not sure if there are any words that can describe how physically involved the climb was, labor intensive it was, and how amazing it was. I will admit that my entire legs were in pure pain with each step for the last 4 mile of the hike down. I can say that I am still feeling the pain a bit today, but I am healing.

Here a few notes regarding the Hike:
Round-Trip:
18 Miles
16 hours
Total Elevation Change: 10000 feet
valley floor: 3800 feet
Top of Half Dome: 8800 feet.
began: 6AM
Finished: 10PM

I recorded User POIs, Audios, and photos along the way along with making a
Replay of the entire trip. Each POI is associated with an audio file that gave an audio of what the progress was, what was around me and so on.
Download Kevin's User.poi and Replay file (zipped file).
Some may wonder why would anyone want to hike 18 miles, go through an
elevation change of 10000 feet, and do this for 16 hours. This was something
that I started last year on my birthday where I walked with friends in San
Francisco for 13 miles in honor of October 13, my birthdate. This time
around I decided to raise the bar and do it honor of the age I will be, 18.
So it was a personal goal that I set for myself and was surely worth it.

Audio file of Happy Isle Bridge
Audio file of Vernal Falls Bridge

Audio file of ascending 900 steps with fall in the background and rock
Audio file 7 30

Audio file of the top of Vernal Falls
Audio file of Rest Area

Audio file of Little Yosemite Campground
Audio file of Half Dome Trail

Audio file at the vista overlooking El Capitan

Audio file of vista at El Capitan

Audio file of Rest Area Before Cables

Audio file at the top of Half Dome

Impressions of WayFun 2007, Joleen F.

2007-09-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

I want to say how impressed I am with the whole Sendero crew. On the GPS list and in person, you seem tireless in helping with questions and your goal is to see each of us reach our highest potential with your product. It was really fun to get to know each of you in person after seeing your messages on the GPS list.

I am also very impressed with the fact that Seeing Eye also helped sponsor the trip and showed commitment to it by having Barbara and Theresa as well as Jim and Ginger with us. It shows the overall importance of using technology while working with a dog. Wonderful combination.

Now, I don't believe that Sandy came as mobility instructor as much as fellow participant, but she definitely brought her expertise along and we were able to benefit by her knowledge as well.

Yes, and Humanware was also well represented by Greg. He too was eager to help.

Now for the rest of us. I was impressed with how each of us encouraged those of us, such as myself, who were having difficulty getting the information in a timely way from our units. There seemed to be no impatience among us.

I learned a lot and had a great time as well.

I especially enjoyed using latitude and longitude coordinates to locate Mike. The resulting reward of finding lunch made a very positive experience.

The whole WayFun Idea is ingenious in my book and lots of fun as well.

Geocaching pays off again!

2007-09-16T20:46:00.001-07:00

Gil, Kevin, Greg and Sandy were off geocaching again and stumbled upon a real treasure. Hear an audio file of their discovery.

Granville Island, Chris Grabowski

2007-09-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

A group of us went to Granville Island in Vancouver BC. We split into two groups and went our separate ways. Chris, Marla, Debby and Carlos decided to head back early and explore around the hotel.
We used our GPS systems to navigate back to the hotel. The hardest part was to find your destination when you are within 200 feet. A few times back and forth up and down the block, we got the familiar “arrived near destination” message. Also we could smell the relief area for the dogs.

WayFun Saturday, Stanley Park Carriage ride and more, by Ilona Wellman

2007-09-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

This morning nine of us went to have breakfast at one of the café Crepes on Granville Street before going to Stanley Park. Joleen was appointed to be our guide but her faulty GPS receiver (that apparently didn't know the difference between left and right) led us in the wrong direction. Angela had problems with her receiver too but managed to help us out by creating a pedestrian route in virtual mode. Go Angela!
The lady that we talked to first when we entered Café Crepe was a bit nervous about the dogs but her colleague nicely explained to her that these were not just regular pets but well-trained, well-behaved seeing eye dogs and then all was fine. We got a warm welcome and were seated at two tables. On second thought they decided to give us the private room where only important people were allowed to go. Along the walls around the entire room there were benches and they pulled up tables in front of us. Our waitress was Angie who said she feels like she's been naughty when people call her Angela whereas our Angela prefers to be called Angela.
Joleen's friend John joined us for the day which was very nice and helpful as he is sort of a local.

Together with Charles he made sure we didn't get lost or scratched as our GPSes guided us on our nice walk to Stanley Park. (I almost wrote that they led us to the park but Mike wouldn't approve of that).

After this bit of exercise we gave Newman and Howie some exercise by going on a carriage tour. Don't feel sorry for them though; these horses get a massage every day, we don't. Although Clydesdale Howie had a bit of a traumatic experience with a dog not too long ago he was okay with our dogs. Newman and some of his colleagues are movie stars actually. This was probably the best ride ever but then Charles, who could well be a travel agent, has his own strategy for making very sure his customers are really satisfied. Charles recorded the trip, here is an audio clip from the first part of the carriage ride.

Oh and something I learnt today from someone in our group and like to pass on to you fellow blind folks: if you're out with friends, relatives, colleagues or whoever and you want to make sure the one who drives you home is sober just say you'll be the designated driver. You could do it of course, having your GPS, but you know how sighted people are, the idea will still scare the craving for alcohol out of them.

WayFun Saturday, Ginger Kutsch

2007-09-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

This morning, nine of us headed out to visit Granville Island. The island is a small island and shopping district in Vancouver with loads of Food, art, history, culture and entertainment. There is a causeway that connects the island to the mainland but we decided to catch the Aquabus at the south end of Hornby Street. From the hotel, we calculated the route and walked about two-thirds of a mile before arriving at the ferry landing. As we neared the landing, Payton and Anthony zoomed right over to an archway where a ramp led down to the dock. Who needs vision when you have Seeing Eye dogs and a GPS!

Apparently these rainbow-colored Aquabus ferries continuously criss-cross False Creek so it didn’t take long before we found ourselves boarding the water taxi. Five minutes later, the Aquabus dropped us off on Granville Island at a dock beside the Arts Club Theatre. We walked up the ramp into the Public Market where our party split into two smaller groups. Our group decided to start by hunting for tea. Jim typed “tea” into the POI search and found one nearby shop. We set the destination to the Granville Island Tea Company and off we went. Since there were very few defined streets and many open plazas, we could not follow a specific route to the tea shop. Rather, we repeatedly asked the GPS for “clock” direction and distance to the shop since it was but one of dozens of businesses in the midst of the public market.

The service at the Granville Island Tea Company shop was excellent. There were dozens of teas to choose from and the sales lady passed large tins of tea around so we could experience the wonderful aromas. She said aroma was an essential part of enjoying a fine cup of tea. I bought 50 grams of some fabulous herbal vanilla tea that I’d never heard of.

By now our group was getting hungry so we headed over to The Sandbar restaurant located directly under the Granville Street Bridge. Apparently Granville Island was once known as the “Great Sandbar” where local tribes came over to enjoy fish and serenity. The restaurant is perched over the waterfront and serves fresh fish and seafood. After we ate, we went back over to the public market to finish our shopping extravaganza.

The market features over 50 permanent specialty businesses and about the same number of “day” tables and stalls. We found a really cool soap table where I purchased a bar of spearmint eucalyptus soap and another that smelled like orange mint. We browsed a bit longer and then decided to go back to the hotel for a short break before heading out for the next adventure. We fired up the GPS units and we were off again!

What do these WayFun people get up to?

2007-09-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Fast forward to an active night life in Vancouver. Our hotel is in the heart of the dining and entertainment district. It is well after midnight and the streets are still packed.

We asked some local BC policemen some questions and this lead to a rather unique situation.

WayFun Friday, computers, manual routes, and sitar lessons

2007-09-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

WayFun Friday by Denna Lambert

2007-09-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

The day started to a much faster pace than the first day in Victoria. Based on yesterday's adventures, the WayFun participants were equipped with a clearer sense of what they wanted to accomplish in the remaining time we had available to us in this beautiful cityscape. Groups formed quickly and one even started earlier than the appointed 8:30 a.m. meeting time in hopes to see one of Victoria's popular destinations; Birchman castle.
The group I participated in wanted to take a slower pace and ride the "Big Bus" to the local beach side shore and walk through a local 1800's cemetery. The group consisted of Sheila Small, Ginger and Jim Kutcsh, Theresa Davenport, Jamie, Barb, Ilona, and Denna Lambert.
We started down the ever popular Douglas Avenue to the bus stop for the "Big Bus" tour lines, but we ran into the little problem of not knowing the exact location of the bus stop. Never fear, with GPS in hand and a group of resourceful individuals, we quickly found the location that was only a two block walk from where we were located on Johnson and Douglas street Once we were on the bus, we could listen to the pre-recorded descriptions of popular points of interests in Victoria. But honestly, I think we each enjoyed the fellowship with others on a very beautiful day. We all shared notes on what we did the previous day and took in the sights and sounds of the city.
Jim and Ginger left the group to search for polish bread and the remaining members continued on the bus to a sandy beach. The bus made its way through city blocks and residential areas lining the Victorian coastline and allowed passengers to come and go as the bus moved toward our own destination; sandy beach.

After departing the bus, we made our way down the stairs to the small beach where we took pictures of ourselves as individuals and even in a teepee shape structure made out of logs swept in from the water. I am confident that we all were able to take in the areas beauty and serenity of the waves repetitive crests and breaks.

We walked up the hill from the beach and entered the residential community and were awed at the variety and quality of emaculate flowers, stone wall designs, and manicured lawns each of the houses proudly showcased. We all noted that Victoria's temperate climates is ideal for many of the flowers seen on our walk that are most likely unknown to common lawns and garden beds in the United States.

On our way to the cemetery, we introduced ourselves to neighbors who were talking on the street, but didn't get too much a response from them. Tourists are probably a common occurence in this neighborhood. Or, they probably thought we were Jehovah's Witnesses ready to share with them. Nonetheless, we made our way to the cemetery and found a massive amount of history in the names and dates of the individuals burried in the area. For instance, we can safely assume that there was a fairly large Asian community living in the Victoria area in the late 1800's and early 1900's based on the artistic Japanese or Chinese symbols dawning the tombstones.

We also noticed children, husbands and wives who were burried within months of each other; probably indictitive of the grief each felt from their loved one's death. As we walked through the cemetery we didn't experience an overwelming sense of sadness, but an understanding of individuals and families of this area we called a destination of our WayFun 2007 adventure.
Before we knew it, our time of adventure was waning and needed to find sustenance before meeting the bus at the Traveler's Hotel. I am quite sure that like us, many of the groups probably have walked approximately three to four miles. But those three, four, or how ever many miles traveled marked memories of adventure, growth, and freedom experience through great fellowship with others, a sense of confidence in which ever mobility tool of choice, and a technology that provides the most essiential items of information that completes a circle of independence.

WayFun Friday, Ginger Kutsch

2007-09-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Today Jim and I headed out on another adventure with April, Denna, Ilona, Sheila, Jamie, Barb and Teresa. We all wanted to go to the beach so we found the nearest “Big Bus” stop and started off in that direction. We learned of a somewhat secluded beach from our bus ride yesterday and had decided to go there on today’s adventure.

Some of us jumped off the bus at Oak Bay village first so we could pick up a picnic lunch. We calculated a route back to Cobs Bread Co. and purchased a loaf of tomato-cheese bread, Country grain bread and a dozen little fruit filled tarts. Next, we found a little market and got three kinds of cheese, black grapes and drinks. We headed back to the bus stop and hopped on the next bus toward Gonzales Bay.

The beach – and the food- was fabulous. We all sat on a fallen log and listened to the waves lapping against the shore while Barb described the sweeping views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympia Mountains located in Washington State. All too soon we had to make our way back up the path and wait for the next bus. We needed to be back by two to load onto a bus to take the ferry from Sidney to Vancouver.

The ferry ride from Victoria to Vancouver was highlighted by an impromptu chat with a boatsman at the bow of the ferry. Mike just happened to hit record on the PK.

We arrived in Vancouver around six. As we neared the hotel, I sat on the bus listening to all the GPS units chattering away announcing the various points of interest along the route. Everyone was trying to decide where to go for dinner. After we checked in to the hotel, Jim grabbed the GPS and we headed off with Denna, Barb and Teresa to find a place to eat. The restaurants were packed and the area was quite lively. Apparently a lot of kids come over from Seattle to party here since the drinking age is 19 and the beer and liquor is a lot stronger than in the US. The sidewalks winded around in no particular order. We went up stairs, around corners and down ramps. Some of the sidewalks even had leaf shapes imprinted in the cement underneath live trees. We kept asking passing pedestrians for recommendations on where to eat but each time we found the place, it was either way too loud or the waiting line was way too long. We eventually decided to turn back and get pizza delivered to the room. Thanks to the GPS, we knew there was a nearby Dominos!

WayFun Thursday, Ginger Kutsch

2007-09-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Chris, Marla, Barb, Jim and I grouped together and headed off to Craigdarroch Castle, a beautiful historic Victorian-era mansion, built in the 1890s by wealthy BC coal baron Robert Dunsmuir. On the first part of the trip, we stopped at the corner of Caledonia and Quadra outside police headquarters to look at a marble and stone sculpture called Trust in Harmony. The sculpture was of several figures working together to raise a pillar. The words “Trust in Harmony” were in Braille and engraved into the stone in several different languages.

As we moved on, we left the busy streets of downtown Victoria and entered a quiet residential area. I was glad we had the GPS since there were very few people walking around to ask for directions. Perhaps one of the best things about the GPS is the fact that you can check and re-check for directions anytime and it’s often much more accurate than directions you receive from other pedestrians.

Chris Grabowski recorded an audio file at the castle. You will hear the BrailleNotes chattering in the background and a description of the castle they visited.

After our trip to the castle, we met up with another GPS group and boarded an open air hop-on, hop-off tour bus. These “Big Buses” travel a 90-minute loop around Victoria and pick up or drop off people at specific points along the route. As we rode along the streets of Victoria, we listened to a recorded voice highlighting some of the more popular attractions. We were able to learn a lot more about the nearby POIs through the GPS units though.

We all piled off at a seaside village called Oak Bay. Barb spied a gorgeous little red jacket through a shop window so we zipped inside while the rest of our group searched the points of interest for a route to a little café or bistro where we could get coffee. It was really cool to be dropped off in a strange town and have so much information about its shops, cafes, bistros, attractions, etc. at our fingertips.

The group decided on “Serious Coffee” – not an easy decision with so many points of interest to choose from – and off we went.

The village was absolutely stunning. Oak Bay is an exclusive, well-established municipality made up of multi-million dollar homes, mansions dating back to the 1800’s, and new upscale construction. We strolled down sidewalks lined with huge oak trees and beautiful gardens while the GPS announced the surrounding points of interest. One point caught our interest, Cobs Bread Co. and we made note to check it out on the way back.

We arrived at Serious Coffee and after ordering our drinks, sat outside in the outdoor eating area. As we leisurely sipped our coffee, Mike and Jim scanned the points of interest in the quaint little village. We finished our coffee and headed back to the bread shop. The shop was filled with lots of scrumptious pastries and breads. We bought a loaf of sliced apricot bread; cranberry custard filled Danish and sampled all kinds of fabulous food.

After finding a bank to exchange US money for Canadian money, Rogers Chocolate and exploring a bit more, we hopped back on the bus and headed back toward the hotel. We jumped off at another stop and once again searched the POIs for a place to eat lunch. We found a pub that sounded good to everyone and calculated the route. Minutes later, we were all seated at a round table in an outdoor eating area at Darcy's Pub. What a great way to travel – the GPS is so accessible. It allows us to have the same information that sighted people get from maps, phone books and those fancy tourism brochures.

After lunch, we made our way back to the hotel. What an incredible feeling it is to be dropped off literally anywhere in the city and still be able to navigate back to our starting point.

"You're Going Around in Circles" By Kevin Chao

2007-09-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today was the first full day for the WayFun group in Victoria, BC. We started the day by breaking up into several groups of 4 to 6 people. There was one group that went GeoCaching, one that went to Butchard Garden, another to a castle and another to High Tea. Oh yes, there was the shopping group. The main point was to use our GPS to explore a city in which many of us haven't ever been to before.

Gil and I were in charge of the group that went GeoCaching, our group members included Sandy, Dena, Denver, and Greg (two dogs and two canes). We stumbled upon five of the ten GeoCaches in Victoria, the most notable of which was called, "You're Going Around in Circles Anyways." As a group, this was the way we felt while finding these GeoCaches. Even though we were going around in circles, we always knew where we were and where we were trying to go to because we had the Sendero GPS along with our other tools and techniques for exploring a new city on a beautiful day. We even found our way back to our base hotel, the Traveller's Inn, Down-Town.

Butchart Gardens and High Tea in Victoria

2007-09-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

Charles and gang toured the Butchart Gardens. The Butchart Gardens, fifty-five acres of stunning floral show gardens, is one of the world's premier floral show gardens.

WayFun 2007, Ferry from Seattle to Victoria, BC

2007-09-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

WayFun 2007 officially kicked off today. Most of the group flew into Seattle Airport. They then boarded a ferry that took them over the U.S. and Canadian border and into Victoria.
WayFun participants were armed with marine waypoints such as buoys and shipwrecks to keep them company on the ferry ride. It was a good time for everyone to get to know each other and gear up for the upcoming adventures.

Mike May, Jim and Ginger Kutch took a different ferry and met the group in Victoria. Mike recorded an audio file of the ferry ride.

WayFun making noise in the local news

2007-09-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Blind tourists use GPS to 'get lost' in B.C.
Global Positioning System, guide dogs part of group tour package
by Kate Webb,
The Province
Published: Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Twenty-five blind tourists are bound for B.C. today, armed with talking global positioning systems that can make four senses feel tantamount to five.

The technology, developed by the California-based Sendero Group, emits a satellite signal connected to a worldwide mapping database. The signal tells the
database what direction the GPS user is heading, and the mapping system routes an auditory message back to the user advising of attractions, services and
restaurants in the area.

"Most people think this technology is for finding your way, but actually it's so you can get lost, and then it allows you to get un-lost," said Mike May,
the visually-impaired president and founder of the Sendero Group, who began developing GPS technology for the blind in 1994.

He started the technology-based travel program for the blind, called WayFun Adventures, in 2003. This year's tour, which involves 25 adventurers and 15
guide dogs, begins in Victoria today and will wind up in Vancouver on Sunday.

"This is a great opportunity for blind people to go out. It's a chance to explore and push your limitations, and to travel in a totally new place using
. . . the talking GPS," said Jim Kutsch, president of the Seeing Eye, a New Jersey-based charity that is co-sponsoring the event.

Kutsch went on his first WayFun tour last year with his wife, Ginger. He explained that travelling is as rewarding an experience for the blind as it is
for sighted people, especially when its joys and challenges are met by a group.

"There's more to touring than just sight. There's the climate differences, there's the different smells, the different feel, the different sounds," said
Kutsch. "There's lots of things in the environment for somebody who's used to paying a little more attention to non-visual cues."

May said demand for his trips already exceeds capacity, and has had to turn down 20 applicants for this year's tour, so he's thinking about scheduling more
tours.

"The group aspect is great because we learn from each other and we also set the bar higher by pushing each other to do just a little bit more than what
we're used to from our normal comfort zones," he said.

The Kutschs are going next year, too.

"We've been looking forward to it all year long,"said Kutsch, whose wife is also visually impaired. kwebb@png.canwest.com

© The Vancouver Province 2007

Pre-WayFun Day 2, Mike May

2007-09-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Our second day on Orcas was less adventurous than our first. We took advantage of the Rosario resort facilities and wandered around the quaint town of East Sound.

The highlight was dinner with Warren Miller and his wife Laurie. Warren is a famous ski feature film maker. He is a wonderful human being and fun story teller. We talked well into the evening, nearly the last to leave the Deer Harbor Inn on a beautiful evening in the San Juan Islands.

Let the Games Begin

2007-09-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

This begins the fifth WayFun GPS adventure, this year to Victoria and Vancouver, BC., sponsored by Sendero Group, the Seeing Eye and HumanWare. It officially kicks off September 12th with 33 people embarking from Seattle on Wednesday and completing the trip Sunday in Vancouver.
The advance WayFun party arrived on Orcas Island in Washington state's San Juan Islands today via a ferry from Anacortes to Lopez Island, Shaw Island and then Orcas. The party consists of Mike and Jennifer May and Jim and Ginger Kutsch. The base for 2 days of exploring Orcas is the Rosario Resort. "The weather was incredible for a 5 mile walk on the trail loop around Cascade Lake. Some of the terrain was a little challenging but all four of us and three dogs made the circuit in good time and good spirits. Some cute and artsy shops around this island. Very hospitible community."

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

2007-08-20T08:42:00.001-07:00

Santa Cruz, CA

2007-08-04T23:35:00.000-07:00

Exploring the Wilder Ranch State Park shoreline of Santa Cruz California.
Hear the Sea Gulls

Sample of Rome

2007-07-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Mike uses a Replay file, a new GPS version 4.0 feature, to take you on a short trip from Mecenate Hotel to the Train station cafe.

Roma bellissima

2007-07-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Mike and Wyndahm exploring the Roman Colosseum and churches of Rome on foot guided by Giovani.

Audio at the sport statue in the colosseum

Giovani describing the church towers

GPS in Italy

2007-07-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

After two days at the Sight Village conference in Birmingham England, my son Wyndham and I flew to Rome to see how the new 4.0 maps worked in Italy as well as to check out a little history, food and Italian ambiance. We walked about 6 kilometers on our first outing and managed to survive some hairy street crossings with motor scooters appearing from nowhere.

The data content is fantastic. I haven't recorded a single user point yet because every place we go is already in the commercial database and the accuracy is quite good. I just wish the BrailleNote spoke the street names in Italian. Thank goodness for the Braille display. What a contrast with England where it was rainy. It is almost too warm here in Rome. This won't keep us from exploring the many sites and restaurants over the next 2 days.

Sacramento River Boat Cruise

2007-05-31T12:07:00.000-07:00

Stevie Wonder Paparazzi

2007-05-16T23:51:00.000-07:00

I had the unique pleasure of spending May 15 with two good friends, Stevie Wonder and Rob Reis. Rob is a friend since high school who got me involved in ham radio, engineering at UC Davis, skiing and start-up companies.

We had dinner at Mr. Chow's in Beverly Hills, a regular celebrity hang out and a place I have been to with Stevie numerous times. For example, actor Jamie Fox sat down at our table for a visit. I showed him my new book and mentioned a movie was being made. I asked him if he was interested in playing another blind guy, having played Ray Charles in the movie Ray. He chuckled.

Actress Stephanie Powers stopped by to visit with my dog Miguel. She has 7 rescue dogs. I didn't know who she was but a Google search showed that she had a star on the walk of fame and a lengthy acting career.

When we left the restaurant after 1 in the morning, 15 papazzari still lined the sidewalk. Stevie was their only fodder. He adeptly turned the situation around and had a little fun with them, taking one of their cameras and filming the papazzari. It was pretty funny but a previous incident with the papazzari wasn't so funny when they lied to Stevie, saying they just wanted an autograph and then they posted cell phone video on the same site, making fun of him. I found them despicable but Stevie graciously takes it all in stride.

See the video of the Stevie and paparazzi interaction

Mike in Freiburg Germany

2007-05-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

Freiburg is in the Black Forest area of Germany and is a wonderful old city. The farmers market filled the plaza between the Hotel Rappen where I stayed and the Munster Church. There were hundreds of stairs in a very tight spiral to the highest point in Freiburg. It was a tricky descent for Seeing Eye dog Miguel. There was barely room single file, let alone with a dog guiding and people coming up as we climbed down.

Audio: Mike inside the Munster church bell tower
Audio: Music in Munster Plaza

I highly recommend this small city and the quaint, simple, clean Rappen Hotel, a 2 hour direct train trip from the Frankfurt airport.

Puerto Vallarta

2007-04-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Wonderful holiday with friends at a villa near Puerto Vallarta pampered by three staff and great food.
Audio clip of Mike touring Villa Valparaiso
To learn more about Villa Valparaiso and other villas in the Puerto Vallarta area, visit Tango Rental's website

SOMA 2007, Nashville TN

2007-03-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Mike May presented on the status and future of Wayfinding at the 2007 SOMA conference in Nashville, TN. In addition, Mike took groups of O&M specialists on a tour of the Opry Land Hotel.

There was also time for exploring the music scene in Nashville. Four singer song writers performed in the round at Mike's favorite music venue in Nashville, the Bluebird Cafe, renouned for performers who have written many famous country hits.

Hear a clip of Sara Beck's music or visit Sara Beck's website

Warren Miller, a hero and mentor

2007-02-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

It has been five years since we skied with this icon of the ski industry, Warren Miller. He is now 82 years old and still skiing regularly from his home at the private ski resort in Montana, the Yellowstone Club, a place so private the final roads to his house were not in my GPS database. Fortunately, I had marked some key points last time we visited so we were able to negotiate Big Sky Road to Ousel Falls road and beyond.
Lat, 45, 14, 45.1694 N
Lon, 111, 22, 33.1750 W

We were very fortunate to have fresh snow fall every night we were there and mostly sunshine during the day. It was dream ski conditions. Warren and his wife Laurie introduced us to fascinating people, all were entrepreneurs and self made millionaires. I felt in the minority not having my own jet or at least small plane.

What made the skiing even more special were the brief stops to catch our breath. Warren has a lifetime of stories and every stop was punctuated by nuggets from his 60-year history skiing and filming. My favorite fixture in his beautiful home was a 6 spoke Austrian wagonwheel over the dining table with a wooden figurine on each representing the chapters of his life up to its making.

One of the first comfortable ski experiences I had after gaining some vision was with Warren in 2002. Here are my reflections from that trip.

(Two-year anniversary of gaining some sight.)

This experience had to do with a number of incredible circumstances all happening on one day in one place. First, I'll tell you what I experienced and then explain these circumstances.

I had a new ski guide, actually, it was the first time he had ever guided. My biggest fear when skiing as a totally blind person and for the past 2 years as a low vision person is running into or being run into by other skiers or snowboarders. On this special day, there were literally 17 people
on the slope, nobody to worry about running into, and no, we weren't helicopter skiing. That is definitely on my list of future stories.

With this new guide, I had to depend upon my vision because he only talked occasionally. This was nice because I was able to savor the silence that only 2 feet of freshly fallen powder snow can bring. I don't think my guide knew he might be guiding that day but conveniently, he had on dark clothing. Being a big guy, he was easy to see up to 50 feet away unless he blended with tree shadows. We had sunshine so this did happen from time to time.

When I would lose my guide in the shadows, I would focus on his ski tracks. This is one of the benefits of 17 people skiing on new powder in the Montana Mountains; most of the tracks you make are distinct. A skier's dream, FRESH TRACKS!

I would follow his tracks until I picked him up visually or heard him calling to me. The snow was so quiet; I definitely could not hear his skis especially since I wasn't worrying about being close behind him.

Jennifer and the boys were nearby too. Jennifer was enjoying her day off from guiding since I had spontaneously commandeered this novice guide
into service. We were all in awe of the sunshine, fresh powder, fresh tracks and absence of people. Imagine, 8 chair lifts, 2700 vertical feet of skiing over thousands of acres. The chairs even had covers to protect against the cold Montana air on the ride up the hill. At most ski resorts; I look for the bump runs because that is where there aren't any people. What a treat to be able to ski anywhere on the mountain and maybe pass one skier each hour. Imagine, still getting fresh tracks at 4 PM in the afternoon. In my dreams!

Our lunch break reminded me of skiing in Europe. We skied up to the mid mountain log cabin chalet style restaurant. You could take your boots off and put on slippers during lunch. White linen adorned beefy plank tables. Gourmet food and service belied the log cabin setting. To cap off the dream,
our boys, Carson 9 and Wyndham 8 years old, were patient over lunch and contributed to the conversation about politics, skiing and owning a piece of
this paradise.

Even after lunch, we managed to find fresh tracks. It was so fun visually to be able to see a slope with tracked and untracked snow and to be
able to aim for the untracked powder. The few tracks that there were, carved fascinating designs in beautiful contrast in the snow. My guide's tracks were wonderful dark S patterns etched in the white snow. I could almost follow them, some of the time. Suddenly, I couldn't see the tracks or my guide as I found myself in a big cloud of white snow powder. At the last second, I caught a glimpse of something dark in the snow and swerved. My ski tip and pole made contact with something hard, presumably my guide, half submersed in the powder. This was one of the downsides of a rookie guide and a rookie low vision person.

I was so enamored by the fresh tracks and the sounds of silence, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and nearly decapitated Warren
Miller and there wasn't even a camera there to get it on film.

Did I mention that my guide was Warren Miller, famous filmmaker of hundreds of ski, snowboard and other movies over the past 50 plus years?
That is who guided me, all day. At 77 years, he is still skiing 100 or more days a season. His tenacity and firm hand shake were evidence of a person in excellent shape. Thank goodness for me, we stopped ocasionally to let the kids catch up.

So, here we were, at a private ski resort, the Yellowstone Club, 2 feet of fresh powder, the slopes nearly to ourselves and being hosted by Warren Miller, a man whose philosophies and lifestyle have inspired me since I first met him in 1988.

Ron and I had gone to Snow Mass/Aspen to compete in a speed skiing event at the last minute; the event organizers were told by the insurance company that the whole event would be cancelled if "the blind guy goes out of the starting gate." After preparing for the event and coming to Colorado to
ski with the likes of Franz Weber and Steve McKinney, we were devastated to have to pull out of the event. I have spent my life finding ways to do things people told me I couldn't do and I hate a situation where I am thwarted.

Up skis Warren Miller who says, "okay, don't go out of the starting gate. Start to the side or right below it." Now, why didn't I think of that? Just when I thought all options for speed skiing in the event had been exhausted, the master of finagling and ingenuity came up with a solution. The rest
is history as recorded by Warren Miller's film crew for the 1987 feature film, Beyond the Edge, Mike and Ron speeding down the racecourse at Snow Mass,
Colorado.

Little did I know in 1988 that 15 years later, my family and I would share an incredible day at the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky Montana with Warren
Miller. Heck, I wasn't even married when I was speed skiing. One just never knows where speeding paths will take us. Only one thing for sure, if you don't get on the speeding path, you'll stay put. The good thing about a mountain, snow and skis, it's easier to go somewhere than it is to stay put.
Just think, the speed skiing led me to Warren Miller. Warren Miller led me down the beautiful slopes of the Yellow Stone Club. Now, where will that lead me next?

The boys seemed to think having our own place in a skier's paradise like this would be okay with them. In my dreams? Why not? Stranger things have come
true. Like, for example, speed skiing with the world's fastest skiers, being in a Warren Miller movie, being able to ski together with my wife and boys, on fresh powder with Warren Miller and 17 other people, actually using vision to see where I was skiing after 43 years of not seeing. In my
dreams, in my reality.

Sendero Group, HumanWare and Kurzweil/NFB donate adaptive technology for the Stevie Wonder’s 11th annual House Full of Toys Benefit Concert

2006-12-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday evening, December 16, 2006, Mike May had the pleasure of joining Stevie Wonder on the stage of the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles, along with 15 stars, to present a GPS from Sendero Group, a BrailleNote from HumanWare and two KNFB readers from Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind. Three students were selected to receive these devices. Stevie and Mike acknowledged the tremendous value of these tools in their own lives and announced that they hoped this was only the beginning of their efforts to bring the reading and navigation independence of this technology to more blind people.

Mike said, “When Stevie invited me to his party, I asked what I could bring. With one email to Ray Kurzweil and another to HumanWare, I had arranged for a generous donation of $13,000 of access technology in support of Stevie’s effort to bring joy and independence to under privileged youth. I was joined by Dirk Marais of HumanWare at the concert to hear a line-up of incredible performers. After leaving the stage in front of 6000 people, Stevie was kind enough to keep me by his side and to boast about the technology to his friends and family. This benefit certainly embodied the title of his most recent album, A Time to Love.” Listen to House Full of Toys audio clip.

Special guest artists included Al Jarreau, Brian McKnight, COMMON, Tyrese, Corinne Bailey Rae, India Arie, Danny Carreras, Donald Lawrence, Gary Taylor, Yolanda Adams, Chris Tucker and more.

Past performers have included Alicia Keyes, Angie Stone, Babyface, Doug E. Fresh, George Duke, Arie, Jamie Foxx, Jill Scott, Jonathan Butler, Joss Stone, Kanye West, Karen Clark Sheard and Kierra “Kiki” Sheard, Kem, Kim Burrell, L.D. Miller, Luther Vandross, Macy Gray, Maroon 5, Michael McDonald, Natalie Cole, Nelly, Raphael Saadiq, Raul Midon, Ruben Studdard and Ziggy Marley–along with dozens of others.

This was the 11th year that Stevie’s House Full of Toys Benefit Concert has been one of the highlights of the holiday musical season. In the past ten years, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of toys, computers, games and educational aids have gone to children, families and organizations in need.

Stevie Wonder and his friends are committed to a celebration that will let the world know that they care.

For several years, Stevie Wonder’s We Are You Foundation has made a generous Christmas donation to the Junior Blind of America. As in the past, Stevie attended the Junior Blind annual Holiday Festival, personally bringing Holiday cheer to the children and their families. Information about the organization is available at Junior Blind Website

Stevie Wonder’s House Full of Toys Benefit Concert-goers are asked to bring an unwrapped gift of joy to the concert. Stevie Wonder’s 11th Annual House Full of Toys Benefit Concert is a Wonder Productions and Hammond Entertainment event. For further information, go to House Full of Toys Website

finding one's way

2006-12-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

For those of us using GPS, we get used to finding one's way in many different circumstances. I try not to take this for granted. Today was a time I really appreciated the technology and O&M skills to go along with it.

Charles and I are staying in an apartment in the Swiss mountain village of Bullet. We had dinner with friends last night in a nearby hamlet of Les Rasses. Rather than having our friends pick us up this morning, we decided to walk to their chalet. We had marked it the night before.

So, off we went, following a pedestrian route on narrow mountain roads, slushy with new snow. As the fog lifted, Charles commented on the incredible views over the valley and to Lake Neu Chatelle far below.

We were tempted at one point to go cross country to the chalet when we were told it was just 400 feet away but our route called for us to continue a half mile further up the road before doubling back. We took the safe but longer route. We only made one slight wrong turn down someone's driveway before arriving at the chalet.

I don't think any right-minded sighted person would have attempted this walk without a map and good directions. It was a piece of cake for us with the Sendero GPS and a wonderful morning walk as well.

Our friends were sure impressed when they came downstairs to find the coffee already on.

GPS on Trains

2006-12-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

It drives me nuts when the GPS receiver will not pick up through a train window. These windows are tinted many times and the signal is blocked. We did find that you could get a signal in the place between cars as there is an accordian material there that the signals penetrate.

On our extensive trip through Europe, most trains have blocked the signals but a couple in Spain had clear windows. Otherwise, I would just go to the place where the cars connect and check on my next destination if I couldn't understand the announcements.

Today alone, we have been on 4 different trains between Heidelberg Germany and Yverdon Switzerland. Even when I can't get a signal, I use the virtual explore mode to place myself at the stations as they are announced. This has been extremely helpful since almost all the train stations are listed in the POI database.

Mike and Charles stop in Germany

2006-12-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

Barcelona

2006-12-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Bad News EasyJet

2006-12-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

First off, this message has nothing to do with GPS but everything to do with traveling independently.

The incident with the restaurant in Copenhagen pales in comparison with my experience this morning with EasyJet in Berlin. It takes a lot to rattle my cage but I feel a bit in shock.

Some background. It is tricky to get from Poznan Poland to Barcelona Spain with a reasonable airfare and I am literally paying for my work around. We took a 3 hour train ride to Berlin and spent the night near the Berlin-Shoenfeld airport. EasyJet had a cheap flight at 8:30 this morning to Barcelona.

I have traveled to 33 countries and 27 of those countries with a Seeing Eye dog. I have rarely been challenged with the dog by airlines and never been denied access to a flight. We did ride in the cockpit of a 727 in Argentina once because they didn't want the dog near the passengers. I didn't mind that a bit. Another time in Peru, the flight was delayed for 2 hours while they sorted things out with the U.S. embassy in Lima. After all, it was a 1 AM flight. I haven't yet taken my dog to the UK but that is even possible now if you jump through the right hoops. I even have all the documentation with me to take my dog into the UK if necessary.

So, I was stunned when they told me at the EasyJet counter that service animals are not allowed in the cabin to certain destinations. Flights to and from the UK are okay but not other flights and in particular, not Berlin to Barcelona.

I spoke to a woman at a different counter and she printed out their regulation that specifies this discrimination. She says it is posted on the web site and you have to click on the agreement before purchasing the ticket. Who ever reads all those policy statements other than the part about non-refundable fares? She said there was no way EasyJet was going to let me on the flight with my dog.

I asked what my alternatives were. She called Air Berlin and told me about their flights to Barcelona later in the day. I would have to take a taxi 40 minutes to the other Berlin airport in order to go on this flight and I'd have to fly to Palma Mallorca and then change planes to get to Barcelona. I would lose 5 hours in the process and it would cost me about $350 for the flight and taxis.

We decided that we would cut our losses if Charles went ahead on the EasyJet flight and I separated to take the Air Berlin flight.

EasyJet wasn't even apologetic about this situation. She thought because the policy was documented that I had no reason to complain or to feel discrimated against. They wouldn't even refund my EasyJet ticket let alone pay for the other flights.

I know that the other low cost European airline, Ryan Air, got into a lot of trouble over denying disabled passengers access. I don't see how EasyJet can go against international aviation acceptance of dog guides in the cabin if there is no issue of admittance in the country you are traveling to. It is a much bigger deal to take on a major airline as compared with an individual restaurant. At the same time, I have never backed down from these situations and I don't plan on getting soft now. As soon as my shock wears off and I get myself to Barcelona, we'll figure out how to start addressing EasyJet so blind people have access to low cost travel like everyone else. For now, stay clear of EasyJet and probably Ryan Air if you have a dog guide.

From Poznan, Poland

2006-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Facts about Poznan
Lat: 52, 24, 27.3900 North
Lon: 16, 55, 27.7800 East