GREETINGS!
Dah... dah... daaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!
Well, here we are again loyal Snappers; the latest edition of
SingSnap Rhythm & News ,
the newsletter dedicated to the finest interactive singing community on the internet. What do you think of the new look?
We spent a little of the extra time we had for this release sprucing the place up and we hope our efforts make your reading and viewing experiences that much more enjoyable.
Issue 5, the April Edition, introduces a few new features.
We’re interviewing the staff to find out what they actually do;
Tech Tips and Vocal Tips make a return and there’ll be a slot for all those wonderful SingSnap “meets”
that people keep threatening to organise in the Events Section of the message boards.
Alongside the regular articles such as News-In-Brief, Meet The Team, the witty Horoscopes
and a few other bits and pieces you have the latest News Team offering.
Here’s hoping our efforts are as well received as the last issue, since I still have my job and everything.
Salut!
P.S. This month's guest version of the Editor's written English is ENGLISH English,
just to maintain the strong bonds of our SingSnap international community as it were.
Well, with an English Editor, a Scottish proof reader and a predominantly American News Team staff on a
Canadian website what do you expect? There's a bit of everything in here and it’s all intentional.
That’s our excuse and we're sticking to it!
Contents
SingSnap staff member invents new colour
Songs return as licensing restrictions lifted
Inner Circles get Chat and Forum treatment.
Rhythm & News profiles an extraordinary SingSnapper. Meet Larry aka Prof-of-harmony. He sings, he harmonizes, he’s funny, he has a thing about dummies and he helps sick people get better. What a guy!
The resident News Team cheerleader STAT_SUEof_LYRICLY flies south to meet up with some of her fellow SingSnap friends for their very own karaoke party. Sue can really get her singing voice out there, so let’s hope they invited the neighbours!
How far would you take your SingSnap experience? At what bizarre locations and situations should we expect to see you sharing the best karaoke site on the internet? You can talk the talk but can you walk the walk? Show us the proof – we want to see your pictures of SingSnap in unusual places. There’s free Gold at stake!
The Rhythm & News Editor gets yet more work to do in this, the first of many planned in-depth interviews with the staff behind SingSnap . We pulled no punches, took no prisoners but they’re a slippery lot you know...
Another brace of defendants from the News Team office are hauled out and put on public display to the readership once again in our regular feature, squinting in anticipation of the flying tomatoes....
Unlike any horoscopes you’ve seen before, these babies tell it like it is! Our Secret Star Searcher proudly reveals her identity, peels back the skin of the universe and exposes the sensitive fleshy bits of our month ahead.
Sure, we may have pulled their hair and stolen their favourite biro at school because they were happier sat at a computer rather than annoying the teachers like us, but thank goodness for nerds! We have a couple on the News Team (and proud of it!) to help you with those irritating little glitches and vocal problems.
April is National Poetry Month in the USA and Canada and Rhythm & News are in on the act with a poetry contest open to every SingSnap member. BIG Gold prizes on this one by the way. So, any self-penned masterpieces you would like to share with us?
Rhythm & News have combined Easter with April Fool’s Day to produce their very own Easter Egg hunt. And there’s Gold in it for you too! Better be quick though, it’s first-come-first-serve to find the little “embellishments of the truth” hidden throughout the newsletter.
You thought we’d forgotten about this, didn’t you. Absolutely not! The three winners and recipients of a month’s FREE GOLD each from Issue 4’s competition “What’s So Funny?” are finally announced. Congratulations to you all!
SingSnap News-In-Brief
TRUE NEW HUE
SingSnap staff member invents new colour
The world of science took a collective step back in admiration yesterday when one of SingSnap's own announced the invention of a brand new colour.
Staff poster boy
P e r STAFF SingSnap working environment.
"We're running out of colours," he explained from the extensive research lab built into his family home,
which with the help of innovative Swedish furniture design also doubles up as his laundry room.
"Besides the usual Blue and Gold Service memberships we now have
Staff , Admin ,
Tech , News Team ,
Chat , Sponsors ,
Contributors and they all need to be recognised."
He continued; "Add to that those thieving Admin girls who like to change their appearance every other week like it's the latest fashion trend and you have very limited choice left available. We had reached saturation point, something had to be done."
The world's scientific communities are hailing the new patent, named simply "per" as a work of genius. Visual field experts are already referring to per as "the missing link between the visible and invisible spectrum", and before long they envisage a cure for colour blindness and the ability for the general public to see through walls.
When asked to describe the new colour
P e r STAFF
B-Y-E oh L-I-C
Songs return as licensing restrictions lifted
Celebrations took place throughout the SingSnap community during March when the first of what promised to be many restrictions on banned backing tracks due to licensing laws were lifted and the songs once again made available.
Approximately one year ago the SingSnap world was rocked with the sad news that a number of members'
favourite tunes were to be "locked" from access due
to unavoidable legalities banning their use.
The strain was felt by many as the dreaded "lic " marker was left over more and more recordings.
Thankfully the strongly bonded community throughout the site held firm and kept the faith, and now their patience has been rewarded with the great news that many songs are now once again available.
Both Blue and Gold members are able to access their old recordings. Hopefully the trend will continue and we will see more returns of our chart-topping masterpieces. Further information regarding the licensing lift can be found
here on the SingSnap message boards.
More good news followed as it was alleged that the returning songs would still not encourage
P e r STAFF
SingSnap - where the mic is mightier than the pen
THERE'S TALK AROUND
Inner Circles get Chat and Forum treatment
March continued to be a busy month for SingSnap with the introduction of two additional features within as many days.
An announcement on March 23 launched "Inner Circle Chat", combining the existing Inner Circle and Userplane Chat facilities. This was followed closely on March 25 by the similar merger of Inner Circle and Message Board forums, aptly titled "Inner Circle Forum".
Operation of the new Inner Circle Chat and Forum features are through controls in the Inner Circle edit pages. Now you can invite whoever you like to not only access your personal recordings, but also engage in private real-time conversations and discussion threads, all controlled by you.
These new facilities are just two of many groundbreaking additions and improvements that SingSnap has been developing for the future success of the site. Over the coming months further innovations will be rolled out for Gold Service members, such as:
VAFASAC (Voice And Fingerprint Activated Security And Control).
Digital vocoder software designed to correct those flat notes up or down a tone.
An amendment to the rating system, which allows a sufficient number of 1-star votes to erase any Blue Service member's recordings.
Further information regarding Inner Circle Chat
and Inner Circle Forums can be found by clicking the respective links to the message boards.
We are constantly and pleasantly surprised at the varying methods with which SingSnappers utilise the site. We’ve seen fancy dress, original artwork, pets singing with their owners. We’ve even had one guy getting arrested on cam for standing in the middle of the road in only his Y-fronts singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. What? You never saw that? Lucky you! I did. He deserved it; terrible singing! Thankfully this gentleman and his friends made us smile without resorting to such excess, so we thought we’d share their story with you…
THE NURSING NOTES
by
R E A L L Y M A D
We’d like to introduce our readers to a quite extraordinary SingSnapper . Meet Larry aka Prof-of-harmony, former Lt. Colonel in the US Army Reserves (retired) and nurse. Not only does he take care of the sick but he can sing, harmonize, crack a few jokes and is also an excellent ventriloquist, and he puts all of these talents to good use for the benefit of other people. Undeniably a man with many strings to his bow.
As a longstanding professional in the nursing industry Larry actually succeeded in the near impossible task of making healthcare fun for people. Along with fellow nursing professionals Glen, Wayne and Archie he formed what was possibly the only nursing based barbershop comedy quartet ever known. For 20 years “The NurSING
Larry’s work in the field of healthcare hilarity has gained him a fistful of qualifications, including two PhDs (Professor of harmony Development, and Professor of humor Development) and the accolade of being the only NurSING
Speaking of which, we should mention at this point Larry’s latest performing partners. Although The NurSING SING
Anyway we could gush all day about this amazing reNURSEance man (that was terrible! You’re fired! Oh wait, I wrote that, carry on. Ed.), but why take our word for it? Why not listen for yourself to Larry, Charlie and Gladys’ rendition of “April Showers” performed for this edition of Rhythm & News. It was commissioned especially for our original release date of April 1st but they were all so good we couldn’t bear to leave it out:
For further information on Larry, The NurSING P r o f - o f - h a r m o n y GOLD by clicking on his link. And if you think you know of someone else who deserves the Rhythm & News treatment, PM the News_Team account. Who knows? They might be appearing right here next month.
You know those get-togethers that people organise online where 400 of your closest friends promise that they WILL be there, rain or shine,
and you travel 2000 miles to find that the only other people there are the unknown brother of a guy who took ill but didn’t want to waste the flight, the window cleaner just trying to find the owner to get paid and a complete stranger who only came in out of the rain since the bar was open? Fortunately some of these organised events actually fare slightly better than that, so take a look at a typical example of a successful meet when our intrepid News Team cheerleader Sue took the plunge...
SingSnap Meet: Florida - 28 Feb. 2009
by S T A T _ S U E o f _ L Y R I C L Y NEWS-TEAM
I took a weekend trip to Florida to visit my sister and attend
i s l a n d g i r l 5 4 GOLD SingSnap get together.
Several SingSnap members were there as well as some of her personal friends and family. It was a wonderful setting with a "tropical theme" at her neighbor's house.
It was great to meet my fellow SingSnappers and we all had a fantastic time. We had our own karaoke equipment and sang all night long.
Thanks go to
r e d h e a r t PATRON
The wonderful SingSnappers in the video are: Islandgirl54, Stat_Sueof_Lyricly, Chazzz, Redheart, Cute_Lil_Dummy_James, Sandysongbird and RobinR1963
If you want your pics or stories to forthcoming SingSnap events including in future editions of Rhythm & News please let the
N e w s _ T e a m
The inquisitive nature of the human spirit knows no bounds.
Neither does the diversity of ways we each find to amuse ourselves.
How does a bog snorkeler explain to the uninitiated the undiluted joy of
pushing yourself through a trench of twelve inches of muddy water in a wetsuit
and a pair of flippers? What’s not to like about underwater hockey?
Who says snail racing doesn’t carry enough adrenaline? For us in here,
singing in public is just as exhilarating as any of these, but how far would we
take it? Where would YOU take your SingSnap experience?
Extreme SingSnap by
d i v i n e d i v a u k GOLD
Have you heard of Extreme Ironing, the sport where you take an ironing board,
an iron and some clothes to a crazy location and,
well, iron them? Maybe you've seen Extreme Cello Playing?
It's similar but with a cello. How about Extreme Freefall Pancake
Tossing... No? Neither have I, but they DO exist, so the News Team
figured that what we really need are some daredevil
SingSnappers to take part in our new contest aptly named
Extreme SingSnap.
In the name of Health & Safety we don't need you climbing up the north face of the Eiger
and singing "Ain't
No Mountain High Enough"
on cam for us all to see.
What we do want, however, are some photos of you or friends and
family doing something extreme or unusual whilst showing off
the SingSnap logo - perhaps in weird and wonderful places.
You can wear SingSnap branded clothing (if you're lucky enough
to have any) or you can just print out the logo from the Extreme
SingSnap thread.
Here are some fabulous examples!
Sue showing off with the Hooter's girls
The Jet Blue Pilot on Sue's Florida flight
The carpenter building Sue's Musical Attic
Can you believe that the charming young lady in the cockpit was the pilot when S T A T _ S U E o f _ L Y R I C L Y NEWS-TEAM
here to take a look. The winner, as decided by a News Team vote, will receive a month's free GOLD membership and the top 3 will be featured in the May edition of Rhythm & News.
Who ARE the people behind those little red names
that keep turning up all over the site telling us what we can and
can't do? How DARE they! You'd think they owned the place or something!
The News Team decided to expose these bossy charlatans for who they
really are and over the next few newsletters we’ll be getting hold of them,
one at a time, to ask a few awkward questions as they "assist us with our enquiries"...
So what do you actually do anyway? by
R E A L L Y M A D
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us today, Trevor.
You are most welcome.
We're here to get to the crux of the matter -
could be some tough questions. So to start, what's your favourite colour?
Just kidding.
President/CEO of SingSnap, as we hear on each update video
you leave us. Could I ask what you get busy with? What do you actually do?
As little as possible.
You want me to leave that in?
No.
Spoilsport.
Haha – it's your newsletter.
There are many things that go on in the course of running
the business that users never see. Things like planning,
contract negotiations, dealing with legal matters and
stakeholders take up the majority of my time.
Working to ensure that we are properly positioned and have all
the tools we need to take full advantage of our tremendous growth
takes a lot of effort.
I also spend a lot of my time using the site,
participating and interacting with the community. I do strongly
believe that in order to develop a great product one must
use it and also really know who your customers are and how they use your product.
So... is that it? Wow, talk about Easy Street - can I get a job at your place?
That depends on how you portray me in this article.
No pressure there then. Anyway, where did the original idea
come from? Did you just wake up one morning and fancy belting out a tune?
We have been in the music business for over ten years.
P e r STAFF j a s o n STAFF
With SingSnap the original idea came from
j a s o n STAFF
Do you sing in public? Is the karaoke community of Ontario familiar with your work?
I have never sung in public. Before SingSnap
I had never sung, ever. I am surprised how much I enjoy it.
If you would have told me a few years ago I would have hundreds of
songs recorded for public use I would have thought you crazy.
SingSnap is the application that people don't know they need yet.
Seems a little unusual that you're in the music business if this is new to you?
I am more a listener than a singer, hahaha. The only part that is new to me of this business is personally singing.
Many I think are much the same - a lot of us closet karaoke singers out there. What sort of research did you do?
Primarily we assess what is currently out there, what is technically possible, what our customers want and balance it within the framework of our business considering all the legal and practical elements to determine the best course of action. Then I do whatever I feel like hahaha. Just kidding. Sorta.
Well it's your business, you're allowed. And the name? We’ve seen theories on the message boards but we’re coming to the source for the real story. Why "SingSnap "?
We commissioned a focus group and marketing company to determine a suitable name
and spent months and much $$ to come up with a whole campaign. Then
j a s o n STAFF SingSnap ?" We registered it right away.
Ah, so it was
j a s o n STAFF
And we never did the whole focus group thing either.
Well it sounded impressive – I'll leave it in.
Ok.
The ladies on the News Team (which is practically everyone except me) having learned about this interview wanted me to ask a question on their behalf, dealing with vital issues of the SingSnap business and your part in it. So, exactly how many marriage proposals do you have to turn down every week?
I will never tell [wink].
Good answer! The other company heartthrob
P e r STAFF
I bought a company from
P e r STAFF
Still haven't paid the bill huh?
[laughing] Shhh!
Sorry. So you had an idea, a name and a program infrastructure. All you needed to get started was some backing tracks. How does the buying process work?
We had existing relationships with content owners and right holders in this area that we leveraged for our new product, SingSnap .
Leveraged - twisted a few arms? Put the pressure on?
Not exactly, more like utilized existing relationships to meet the requirements of our new offering and in some cases made new ones.
That's very diplomatic, and less threatening sounding
Thank you.
Did I get the job yet?
It's looking good.
I'll send my CV right after this. So, to continue, who chooses the new tracks that we see every week?
t o n y STAFF t o n y STAFF
The decision is left to him over a number of choices? Or is it whatever's on offer at the time?
t o n y STAFF
Hope I didn't just drop him in it!
HaHa!
For almost 18 months the site was completely free to use. That must have required a fair amount of personal capital investment. Are you "out of the red" yet?
Yes, we made a huge investment and while the numbers continue to grow and the future looks bright, we still do not make money. To be specific every month our costs are greater than our revenue.
Why have you stuck with it for so long?
Good question. For the first time all of the key success factors are aligned in our favor. Everything from technological to competitive to financial. First time I have seen that in this business. Most importantly I sincerely believe that we are making the world a better place through the sense of friendship, love and community that we are seeing developed on the site. This is something that we had not expected to the extent that it has developed on the site.
And now that the site is in the public domain with both free and subscription services available, why is it still a Beta site? What is the actual dividing line?
We should look at whether that makes sense or not anymore actually - it is a subjective thing really determined by the specific company.
I wasn't sure if there were specific parameters - the point has been brought up on occasion.
No specific parameters exist for determining this.
You mentioned previously the legal elements to determine the best course of action. I’d like to address one of the key issues; that which is referred to as the dreaded "lic", the licensing restrictions to certain songs and artists. The principle seems to be shrouded in mystery. Care to elaborate on details for us?
It is a complicated issue with multiple layers of rights covering the various elements of our products across various jurisdictions.
One of the main recurring criticisms of the site is that certain songs and certain artists are not available here but allegedly can be found elsewhere. Is that just elsewhere's decision to purchase those specific licenses and yours not to? Or are they legally unavailable and elsewhere is breaking a few laws?
I will not comment on others business practices as I am not intimately familiar with their business dealings. Having said that, there are many sites out there that clearly violate copyright on many levels.
So we're saying that if the licenses were available SingSnap would be purchasing them?
I am saying I have yet to read anyone's interpretation who actually has the situation correct. It is very complicated.
You made a major decision as part of the pricing changes that took effect recently, which caused enough controversy within the community to prompt a rethink. I speak of course about the recording capacity now available to Blue Service members. Dare we ask the reasons behind what must have been a very difficult decision? What can you tell us?
Do you mean the reasons for the limit or the reasons for changing to a higher amount of storage?
We know that you changed to the higher amount in response to the members voicing their reservations about it. I mean in particular the reasons for introducing the limit; why did it come about?
We had to place storage limits on Blue members due to the costs associated with offering an unlimited account for free. As we continued to scale this issue became more evident and we needed to act. This cost combined with negligible and dropping revenue from advertising given the current economic climate necessitated the change.
How's the family?
Great, thank you.
Are they coping with your long hours toiling relentlessly over the Singsnap site every day?
Yes, I have pretty good balance.
We know you like to get some pilot flying time in as often as possible - any other hidden talents we don't know about?
[laughing] Not really, lots of hobbies though.
Such as?
I like to boat, jet ski, read, hike, skate, electronics, movies, music, bicycling, roller blading. I like to be up and about and outside moving as much as possible.
Almost a shame that you're stuck in here with us for so long. I'm sure it is a labour of love.
Yes it is - I love it at the moment.
Okay, down to the last couple now, almost done. Is there one thing that none of the SingSnap community know about the site that you could share with us? Anything at all?
Nothing that springs to mind, other than this is only the beginning.
I'll bet you're a good poker player.
[laughing] Yes, I do ok thank you.
And finally, what's in the pipeline for the future? Any hints or tasters of what's to come for SingSnap ?
In the pipeline right now is more than anyone expects from us. That is all I can say right now. [laughing again]
Who's your press officer anyway?
Me, I guess.
Sack him!
Hahahaha!
And with that Trevor, I want to thank you very much on behalf of the News Team, our readers and the SingSnap community for your time today.
Ok, thank you, and anytime, my friend.
If you ever got the chance to see the SingSnap News Team office in full flow, take a picture! Quickly! And make sure it’s a fast shutter speed because the chances of seeing it again in the same lifetime are about the same as ever hearing Per sing. Seriously though, the very least that this hardworking crew deserves is recognition. Our regular feature to sit those dedicated employees in the shop window continues this time with bipolarbetty and REALLYMAD...
Meet The Team
R E A L L Y M A D NEWS-TEAM Editor
Mick sings in three places; in the car, in the bath and in here.
Each affords him that luxury of solitude he feverishly clings to
like a lemming that changed its mind at the 11th hour clings to a
cliff face. Yes, that's right, he’s a closet karaokeist and intends
to stay that way, although it has been known for him to be dragged
up at the local pubs in north east England and belt out "Mustang Sally" after a particularly rigorous session on the beer, by which time even HE thinks he sounds pretty good.
He started doing this "stealth singing thing" as a distraction
from a few unpleasant events in his life a few years ago and found
within it a sense of calm, a good deal of enjoyment and a host of new friends in that global village we call the internet. A sort of therapy if you will, at least that’s what he tells his neighbours, especially at night.
His neighbours are now actively seeking his therapist;
whether this is to offer congratulations or threats on his life are as yet undetermined.
b i p o l a r b e t t y NEWS-TEAM Writer
Betty is a proud SingSnapaholic in Chicago, IL USA. Her favorite past time is laughing it up with her hubby 24/7 and coming up with new and inventive ways to make life fun.
She is never without a handy tube of bright red lipstick or a hideous goofy hat.
Oddly enough, she has never set foot in a karaoke bar nor sung anywhere live other than here in the
Singsnap chat room, and the local karaoke bars are grateful for that.
It is fair to say that she is never bored, and never out of lipstick.
SingSnap - bringing life into harmony
Our thanks go once again to the wonderful artistry of Randy aka caricaturist for his superb likenesses of our News Team members (Mine looks nothing like me! Ed). In fact we were so thrilled with Randy’s work that we invited him to video himself “on the job”, just so we can all see the creative process in action. The results will surprise you, we have no doubt.
After the excellent feedback we received last time around, the hidden talent behind our horoscopes, The Secret Star Searcher, has decided to take off the mask and bask in the glory of her astrological prowess. Returning with her very humorous predictions for our month ahead, bipolarbetty once again dissects the secrets of the universe to determine how hard life is going to kick us in the pants this month...
April Horoscopes by
b i p o l a r b e t t y
Aries March 21 to April 20
What turns you on? What makes you feel lucky? Is it the return of money, fame, or news of a secret hot-n-sexy lover? Get ready for a steady flow of all three you lucky Aries. In grand Aries-esque style you'll get your job back, your house back, your lover back, maybe even your sweet little mangy dog back too. Sorta like playing a country western song backwards.
Taurus April 21 to May 21
Spring is upon us, so take advantage of the milder weather and keep a spring in your step. Your many hours of dancing in front of the mirror in your skivvies while singing into a hairbrush to a Madonna song will pay off. Although it doesn't make you Madonna, thank goodness, however it will attract the attention of a special someone when you hit the town at the nightclubs! In the 1980's.
Gemini May 22 to June 21
Put on your poker face this month, because you may be the victim of those who will ask for advice on all things tragically tacky. As a Gemini, you have the patience of a saint. When the clueless hoards come to you wanting your opinion on their butt hugging spandex stretch pants (past the age of no return)...to stay on the safe side, just turn the other cheek, literally, turn both cheeks, and walk away. Or run. It's your call.
Cancer June 22 to July 22
Don't pinch pennies this month, instead invent that rainy day and splurge! All those lonely nights spent cruising Ebay for libido enhancing herbal supplements (in hopes of impressing a nearsighted date), will be a faint memory. No more waiting by the phone, go buy those plane tickets to someplace tropical, and you'll be tripping all by yourself.
Leo July 23 to August 23
You are not stubborn. You're just persistent. You're a Leo! And these traits as a Leo will bring you good fortune. Ignore anyone who tells you that cutting in line, talking in the movie theater, and being a low tipper is not cool. You are beyond cool. Relying on your horoscope for advice makes you EXTRA cool. Truth is, I'd be out of a job if you didn't read this. Please don't tell my editor I said that.
Virgo August 24 to September 23
Things may get a bit topsy-turvy this month. No worries, because by month's end, all your troubles will turn right-side up. Get ready to spice up your life. It's a great month for going to the moon and also a great month for shopping for electronic gadgets. Some that require batteries, some that don't. (Censors forbid me to explain this). You do know I meant a new cell phone or new microphone right?
Libra September 24 to October 23
As a Libra you have an intelligent mind and the knack for being creative. You are always the life of the party. Your ultra-inventive mind will surely come up with a dazzling plan to restore world peace, beat the economy crunch, and maybe a clever way to party the night away without causing your liver to implode from your over-indulgent booze consumption. How useful is a liver really?
Scorpio October 24 to November 22
Some people seek a fortune teller, some people have their palms read, and some look into crystal balls for their future. Well, you won't need to use your hands or have any balls to see into your future this month, you just need to look up at the sky thank your lucky stars! All signs point to success. And I say this, because my own horoscope said for me not to write bad things about people anymore.
Sagittarius November 23 to December 22
The stars have spoken, and you'll meet a sexy Libra. You'll go on only a few hot dates and fall head over heels. Then at the end of the week the Libra will tell you they aren't actually a Libra at all, but are in fact, a Pisces. A Pisces? Does this predict doom? Nah, because you probably didn't describe yourself accurately on MySpace either. What they don't know won't hurt them. Not until week two.
Capricorn December 23 - January 20
The Moon, Stars and the Sun and I all got together and at first we were just gabbing about how the moon was always hanging out in the seventh house, and being obnoxious, and the Sun and I were like, chill out moon, and the Stars were just showing up for the free coffee and donuts, so we all gave up. Then we said, hey, let's ask Cupid! So we asked him for your horoscope, and all he said was, "Capricorn will find love." Great! Next time, we'll serve stronger coffee.
Aquarius January 21 to February 19
As the logical and cautious Aquarius you are, you usually take the safe path in life, but not anymore! Go ahead, buy a lottery ticket, eat more chocolate and ask your boss for a big raise. Even if you lose, the lottery ticket only costs a buck or two, and your copy of the surveillance tape of your boss in the copy room will secure your raise, and chocolate is of course, your reward for your brilliance!
Pisces February 20 to March 20
This month the pleasant Pisces is tough and indomitable! All of your co-workers will be kissing your sweet heinie, because you will of course have the upper-hand for a change, not so much due to astrology or good workmanship, but because of the day you blackmailed that bunch who were downloading inappropriate images during work hours. That you kept copies of, you little freak.
Three weeks ago I did a file transfer from my PC at work onto a memory stick, and in doing so learned a very useful tip; Specifically, make sure you’re paying attention! Don’t try doing this at three minutes before you finish with one arm already in your jacket. You might end up transferring files the wrong way and end up leaving an old file on your PC hence losing about a week’s worth of rush job. I kid you not...
TECH TIPS & VOCAL TIPS - THE NERD SQUAD
Can’t make it sound right? Too loud? Too soft? Stereo settings bringing down the red mist over your eyes and you’re stood there with the monitor held over your head? Fear not! Help is at hand with our News Team Nerd Squad top tech tipster, Spanky. In this, the first part of three instalments our sage of the circuit boards provides a step-by-step guide for everyone from beginners upwards to help in getting that first hit recording just right.
S p a n k y RECORDING-SUPPORT
After you have finished your recording you will see in the top left corner of the page above the recorder it will say Ok I'm done, let’s see the result. Click on that and it will take you to the Mixer recorder page for fine tuning, and previewing your recording.
If you have any questions, comments, or need help. Please feel free to private message me, or come see me or one of my wonderful colleagues in the Live Support Chat located in your Help tab.
Hope this Tip from a Tech helps you all. Have fun and enjoy recording.
So, you’re on your way. The balance is, er, balanced; the backing track isn’t drowning you out, you don’t sound like the microphone is brushing up to your tonsils anymore but for some reason you’re still scaring off the birds outside. How can we help with the delivery of that perfect aria? Let our vocal venus, M a r y 5 4 NEWS-TEAM
Can you set your innermost personal feelings to print and share it with the rest of the world? Better still, can you get other people to read it? Could you in fact be the next literary icon? Or are you, like me, stuck after the first line that says “There once was a man from Nantucket”? April is an important month for poetry, and SingSnap wanted their community to get involved a bit, so our resident poetry lover Binky came up with an idea...
ARE YOU A POET AND DON'T KNOW IT?
For those who didn’t already know, April is National Poetry Month in the USA and Canada. The UK has theirs in October, just to be awkward. Anyway the News_Team’s poetry section (that would be, erm, Binky) suggested that Rhythm & News should run a contest to commemorate the event in suitable fashion. So we did!
here . So get poetting! Or whatever it is you call it.
Ah yes, the annual celebration of the resurrection of the Christian saviour is upon us once again, but if you want an honest opinion about what Easter is really all about just ask the kids. Top four answers in a poll of 6 to 10 year olds when asked “What does Easter mean to you?”; 4th – chocolate. 3rd – the Easter Bunny. 2nd – hunting for Easter eggs. And 1st – two weeks off school! Ahh, gives you a warm feeling deep inside that we’re keeping the candle burning with all this relevance, doesn’t it.
EASTER EGGS
The tradition of hunting for decorated eggs is said to originate from the Russian Imperial family with their gifts of elaborately jewelled egg ornaments created by Fabergé, each containing further hidden surprises. Did you know that the term “Easter Egg” has also been adopted by the computer programming industry, particularly gaming, to describe the hidden extras included within? Almost every game has a way to buck the system; concealed codes for bigger weapons, faster cars, stronger powers, all of them secreted away to be discovered if you know where to look.
Remember the giggling? Of course you do, how could you forget? It was wonderful to see so many of you partaking in our little contest, “What’s So Funny?” to guess exactly what Binky WAS laughing at. We had some fun filtering through them but in there end Binky has chosen three as the winners of the free month’s Gold service. Feel free to use it or donate it as you see fit. Congratulations to you all.
LAST MONTH'S WINNERS By B i n k y
The giggling finally subsided for few moments for me to read all your witty submissions. What a pleasure it was to see why you thought I was laughing. Thank you.
Here’s the real reason I got the giggles:
Have you ever spoken and worded something completely wrong or dyslexic in every way?? I have and do so quite often (I believe you – I had to edit this. Ed). I'm sure it’s probably cliché or typical for someone ditsy or *sighs* the good ole blond moments... Thank Goodness I am a Brunette!
And now, without further delay our top three most amusing answers:
“the reason binky is laffing so much in the newsletter is because she just heard the news that trevor had made me admin.”
“Well here's the story... Binky and "the girls" thought they'd have a lil good hearted fun at Trevor’s expense. As usual Trevor arrives at the office with a million tasks to do but this day was a big day for Trevor... he had to meet with our biggest sponsor.. he arrived all dressed for success and looked like the Dapper Don. Binky brings Trevor his daily mug of coffee and pastry as usual (ya shes a big suck-up)... well this day she adds a little extra touch of fun to his coffee. Three spoonfuls of Exlax. I think she was gigglin as she imagined him up there in the boardroom all prim and proper, got his slideshow going, pointer in hand and all of a sudden >>>>>YEOWWWWWWWW EXIT STAGE LEFT... yupppppp, i'm sure that had to be it. It couldn't be the lame whoopee cushion they put under his chair when he returned... OR COULD IT?”
“I think Binky was peeking out her window, looking at 8 feet of snow outside, when she saw her neighbour industriously clearing a car of the mountains of snow it was buried under. Man, he scraped all the windows, shovelled behind the car so he could get out of the driveway. All this took him quite awhile. Well, Binky was watching him through the window, and she saw he was ready to go after 45 minutes of shovelling and cleaning off the car. So now, the neighbour is ready to go, hits his remote to open the car door, and lights flash on the car parked in FRONT of him! The guy spent 45 minutes cleaning the wrong car! lol!”
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
Your News Team contributors for this edition were:
