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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