A New Kind of Sound



Photo by Dr. Chris Rathford

 The sound booth at the Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff, Ariz. is often filled with in house professionals, roadies, reporters, and the occasional intern. But last Wednesday, Connor Thompson, 19 was in the booth with the road crew of Xavier Rudd. As a part of a brand new program that gets audio engineering students in the field, Thompson got to record and mix Rudd’s live show and was given complete creative freedom for the night. All that would be impressive for any college freshmen, but considering that less than a year ago Thompson was flunking out of high school and had no plans for the future, for many his story has gone from impressive, to inspirational.

Coffee, Conversation, and Creativity

There are many hidden talents to be found in Edwards, Colo. This small mountain town is home to artists of all sorts. Musical, visual, culinary, and all other varieties of showmen are bound to be seen touring the two and half mile area. But one only needs to look for a good cup of coffee to find one of the most interesting and friendly characters in Edwards. Enter Fern Leonardo, a multifaceted man about town.

Issues on a Cellular Level

Cell phones are all around us these days. The mobile communication market is constantly expanding, and for many people it’s hard to imagine functioning normally without their handheld devices. In this age of constant and increasing wireless activity, some have to wonder what kind of effect this is having on the human body. The consequences of frequent radio-wave exposure have been speculated upon for quite some time, but a recent study provides the first piece of proof that cellphone use significantly alters brain function. A few average people on the street had some opinions on these recent developments.

The Future of Media

Many believe that the era of print journalism is on the decline, however seasoned newspaper editor Fredrick Cole thinks the whole industry is taking a nose dive. Cole recently sat down for an interview to discuss his thoughts on journalism education in modern times.

Red-Eyed Roadrunner

Photo by Aaron Szindler

Q: "How are you going to celebrate Homecoming 2011?"
A: "I wanna smoke one up with Rowdy!" -Trevor, Freshman at Metro State


Interview by: Aaron Szindler & Gellilla Gebre-Michael

Balttle Mountain Creative Writers Throw Down

Nick Lerger takes the mic at the third annual Spilled Ink Poetry Jam.

The third annual Spilled ink Poetry Jam was held this past Friday the fifth at the newly remodeled Bookworm in Riverwalk. Creative writers young and old came togather to bear there souls through the art of poetry.
Read more after the jump.

Beginnings and Endings at Metro State

After a quick tour of the campus I encountered a few people I had noticed before but never really talked to. One rather large but very nice young guy who is always in the Athletic Buliding and a girl I met on the bus a few days ago who asked several questions about Metro State. After an indepth conversation with each of them about their plans for the future I discovered to interesting stories about a man almost done with his education and a women just starting it.

Josh Anderson, 25 is a senior at Metro and will be graduating at the end of this semester. He is in incredible shape and works out every day. In fact he’s really only taking this final term so he can continue to exercise regularly, taking advantage of the campus gym/facilities. He is a couple credits away from a business degree and will be starting an internship with the finance firm William Smith & Co. in the summer. He will also be starting grad school and waiting tables so his schedule will be very tight.

“I took my time with college, spacing out my credits so I wouldn’t be too swamped and would have all this time to get and stay in shape.”

Josh said he wasn’t very healthy until his last year in high school. “I focused really hard and buckled down in school my first freshman and sophomore year. Got as much done as I could early on.”

As a result, Josh could graduate early, at the end of his junior year, the same year he decided to get in shape. Bordering on two hundred pounds his sophomore year, he started slowly conditioning himself by joining the cross country team, and later the track team. His school schedule didn’t allow him to join any other major sports but he liked to practice with the football, baseball, and lacrosse team on occasion to “change it up.”

Lisa Marko, 22, is just now inquiring about attending metro state. She was at Central Classroom making the rounds to find out about financial aid and registration. She plans to start her first semester in the summer but wants to get a jump start on things so she’s ready. Lisa took a few classes in community college after she graduated high school in Montana. The next winter she moved to Colorado with her boyfriend, he wanted to live near bigger mountains and she wanted to open a bakery. She started out working as an apprentice in a cake shop in Arvada, Royal Bakery. Realizing how unprepared she was to start her own business she decided it would be a good idea to go to school first. Those plans were interrupted by a pregnancy scare resulting in a miscarriage. She broke up with her boyfriend and went back to Montana for a while to sort things out. Now she’s back on track with her school plans and is checking out different options. She really likes this campus and location but she is also considering staying in her home state and attending U of Montana, or going to Texas, a state she’s never been to before for a brand new start.

My Sources and Me

As a journalist I am interested in many different topic areas. Sources I would consider for basic/essential news stories would come from NPR interviews, or any other reliable interviews I find appropriate to a story. Government documents and almanacs can come from the Mirlyn databases that show official legislation documents, census info, and the like for the most official sources. Basic financial sites are useful for the stock returns, such as Yahoo or Google. Information on trends in music, new albums, artists, and any late breaking news can be found at Billboard.

As a consumer I get my feeds from a couple standard news sources that report on the big local, national and international stories like the AP and MSNBC. I will also check the New York Times or Denver Post. As for my specific interests, when it comes to video games and electronics I like to use Rooster Teeth or Gizmodo for new gadgets and games, their bugs, new uses, and much more. When I’m in the mood for some sports action ESPN always has extensive coverage of everything I need. For the lastest in movie news, new projects and press releases, I always check IMBD.