I received a new toy in the mail yesterday. With the hope of improving audio quality on my website, I had ordered the Audio-Technia AT2020 USB condenser microphone. It is easy to use and sounds great. I need to get a windscreen to cut the breath noise, but other than that, I am really happy.
It is nice to be home for Spring Break. At lunch today, my brother was talking about a taxidermist. For those who aren’t familiar, taxidermy “is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display”, according to Wikipedia. There is a taxidermist along Highway 169, just north of Le Sueur, Minnesota that I drive by on my way to Gustavus from the Twin Cities. I have passed that sign many times, and I believe a mention of it is how my family initially began discussing the concept of taxidermy.
Check out my latest jingle, in celebration of my new microphone!
P.S. I just replaced the “T – T – T – T – Tom Lany dot net” piece that plays when you load this website with a piece recorded on my new microphone!
I have a test in Geology tomorrow. Naturally, I have been thinking about rocks a little bit more lately than I might be otherwise. One of the things I need to remember is the difference between mafic and felsic magma (this is lava – think volcanoes). I thought a jingle might help.
This got me thinking about how it would be interesting if some company offered lava delivery services. It would be quite a logistics challenge; as you would have to find a way to keep the goey liquid hot before delivery (so it doesn’t turn into a rock).
Sorry for the lack of jingles recently; I have been really busy and am going to try to get back to the microphone more frequently. I hope you enjoy this jingle.
I recently had a custom t-shirt made up with my tomlany.net logo on it. It is pretty awesome. A few other people have asked if they can get a shirt. Just one small problem – I only had one made up! That got me thinking, maybe I should make more!
If I can drum up enough interest, I will be producing tomlany.net T-shirts. Right now, it looks like they will be $13-15.
I have an initial interest form. If I get ten or so responses (the point at which it becomes economically feasible to produce bulk quantities), I will have the shirts made up.
The shirts will look like the one on the right, although the logo might be a bit larger. Also, the red could be a slightly different shade, depending on availability . Let me know if you have an idea for the back of the shirt. I didn’t put anything on the back of the initial shirt, but it could add a cool touch. Again, your ideas are of key importance.
If stoplight red isn’t a part of your wardrobe, consider this your opportunity!
I will keep everyone up to date on the progress. For now, let me know about your interest!
With the arrival of an early spring, much of the State of Minnesota is facing the possibility of flooding. Here in Saint Peter, the Minnesota River is creeping up. Mn/DOT closed the bridge at Highway 99 today. I caught some photos near both the Highway 99 and Highway 22 bridges near town today.
I received an E-mail from someone who apparently has the name “Joe Jelloe”. It is amazing how cool some people’s names are! I wrote a jingle for Joe’s Jello Cups, at his request. I am particular happy with how this one turned out. It has a pretty consistent beat, something I am not always able to achieve.
Let me know what you think! By the way, if you have a jingle idea for me, feel free to leave a comment!
This jingle is for Blake Gust at Gustavus (great Gustie last name, by the way), who asked me to write a jingle for his “spearthrowing” service. I can’t say this is a service I was very familiar with, but it was a fun piece to write. Listen, and let me know what you think.
Yesterday I wrote a story about the radio tower next to Gustavus. I enjoy thinking about the communication structures close to home here in Saint Peter. Believe it or not, Sprint actually has an antenna on top of the library; something I didn’t discuss that yesterday.
Oddly enough, I saw a couple of people in the hallway between the library and the Student Union this afternoon with some pretty cool looking equipment. One of the people had a cream-colored two-foot tall metal tall antenna, and the other person had a handheld device with fancy colored waves running acrost it.
I was interested in this equipment, so I asked them what they were doing. They told me that they were with Sprint; and that they have received a number of calls from Saint Peter residents who have been having service problems. I guess Technology Service’s suggestion to notify phone companies about coverage problems is helping improve service!
They said they were trying to track down and correct an interference problem. The Sprint representatives said that any kind of electronic device, even things like baby monitors can cause interference with cellular signals. Apparently something, which they think is likely on or near the Gustavus campus, is causing interference issues.
I am glad to see that Sprint is working to improve coverage in Saint Peter; and hope they are able to find and fix the interference problem.
Welcome to tomlany.net, home of Tom Lany's radio jingles, the latest on Tom's web and journalism projects, and whatever else is on his mind. Tom grew up in the Minneapolis area and is now attending 