Logan Shannon

Funspot's 15th Annual International Classic Video Game Tourney

Logan Shannon — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:37:01 +0000

This past weekend, Funspot arcade in Laconia, New Hampshire, played host to the International Classic Video Game Tournament. Gamers from all over the world have been traveling to Funspot for the past 15 years to compete against each other, sometimes on video games that were born long before they were. For many, it's a chance to play rare games that they've only heard about. For others it's a great chance to connect with like-minded friends over a friendly, albeit competitive, game of Tapper.

The competition runs for four days as participants try to post the high score on each of the tournament games. Outside the cordoned-off area reserved for the tournament, the rest of Funspot's American Classic Arcade Museum is open to the public. Mixed in amongst the novice players, you're likely to see world record holders trying to beat their high scores in between their tournament play. I spoke to three gamers who have made the nostalgic trip to Funspot repeatedly, enticed by the pristine machines and the sense of camaraderie among the players.

Special thanks to Derek Janiak for his help wrangling the elusive video gamers in their natural habitat.

Word Of Mouth's Audio Clip Of The Week

Taylor Quimby and Logan Shannon — Tue, 28 May 2013 18:05:12 +0000

It's only Tuesday, and we've already got our winner for audio clip of the week from our story on the Xbox One:
We got the clip from Angry Joe's YouTube channel; the vlogger went on an angry tirade after the Xbox One reveal proved to be completely disappointing for hard-core gamers.
"Don't. Do. The RE-VEAL!" is our new mantra.
If you'd like to watch the entire Xbox One rant, here's a link to the full video (it gets a little NSFW for language) from the Angry Joe Show.

6 Trailer Parks In Super Posh Locales

Logan Shannon — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:31:45 +0000

Our story today on trailer parks got the Word of Mouth team dreaming about the perks of living in a home on wheels. Here's our list of some of the nicest mobile home parks in the best locations. Because even in the world of mobile real estate, it's all about location, location, location.
1. The Shady Dell

The "Quantum Internet" Explained...In Amateur Illustrations

Logan Shannon — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:23:09 +0000

A government lab announced earlier this month that it’s been operating a quantum internet at Los Alamos for the past two years. Which led us to wonder, um, WHAT IS A QUANTUM INTERNET???

What's For Dinner?

Logan Shannon — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:24:00 +0000

My mother loves to cook, and as a result she raised an entire family of food obsessed children who also love to cook. My father rarely cooked but was a big fan of eating and proclaimed after every meal, “Dear, this is the best [insert main course here] I’ve EVER had!” She would roll her eyes at his genuine but exaggerated praise and I would chime in with, “Mom, this was the worst dinner ever.” A big grin would spread across her face as she leaned over to pat my head; my mom gets me. Because she cooked an amazing, well-balanced meal nearly every night, my siblings and I were consistently robbed of what we felt was the holy grail of eating: the frozen TV dinner.

A Day In The Life Of An Intern

Logan Shannon — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:29:33 +0000

What’s a typical day like for the Word of Mouth intern at NHPR? I’m so glad you asked. (And even if you didn’t ask, I’m sure my mom and dad will be interested, so it's cool.)
8:30:09
Having really accurate clocks all over the place can make a person like me who hates being late and is mildly obsessed with numbers a little anxious. For example: I try really hard to walk into the Word of Mouth pod at exactly 8:30:00. Sadly, it has yet to happen. I’m either too early, or in this case, a wee bit late.
8:52:38

Submitted With Minimal Commentary

Sara Plourde and Logan Shannon — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:00:49 +0000

This is Taylor Quimby. On the cover of a book. Masterfully created by the impressive and talented Sara Plourde. (With a teeny bit of help from the book cover she 'borrowed' the idea from.)
BRILLIANT! Need we say more.

Our Report On Zach's Departure Was Greatly Exaggerated

Logan Shannon — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

We have great news! Yesterday’s story about Zach Nugent leaving Word of Mouth to join Disney on Ice was a silly April Fools joke. Ok, maybe it wasn’t our best April Fool’s gag; Zach as a figure skater??? (Well, it’s not THAT far-fetched, Zach is a consummate athlete and we’re fairly certain, that with a little practice he would probably make a half-decent skating fish.)
There’s a long history of April Fool’s radio pranks and we wanted to look back on some of our favorites. In no particular order:

D.I.Y. Sistine Chapel Security: How To Build Your Own Faraday Cage

Logan Shannon — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:38:56 +0000

Want to keep your home as signal-secure as the Sistine Chapel will be during the Conclave?
Today's segment on Faraday Cages really inspired my inner maker-bot so I asked Rob Fleischman to give me instructions on exactly how to make one. It really does seem surprisingly easy to create one out of a few relatively inexpensive materials easily acquired from your local hardware store.

Top 5 Quirky Travel Destinations

Logan Shannon — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:01:43 +0000

Spring is just around the corner and for many people that means one thing: vacation.

"Which One's Worse?" The Worst Jobs We've Ever Had.

Logan Shannon — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:22:40 +0000

I was so inspired by today's segment on Micro-tasking and the practice of doing mind numbing work over the internet for pennies, I thought I would interview the Word of Mouth team to see which of their worst jobs could go head to head with being an Amazon Mechanical Turk. It's a little game I like to call: Which One's Worse?
So without further ado, here's what I found out my colleagues used to do before they found their groove in public radio:

Word Of Mouth: Circa 1993

Logan Shannon — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:13:12 +0000

Our segment today on the profundity of the year 1993 brought up a lot of memories for the Word of Mouth team. I thought it might be nice to share what we were all doing in 1993.
In the year 1993 our very own Zach Nugent almost didn't make it to 1994. While on a field trip to a tree farm in a bus loaded with 8 year olds, the bus driver missed a gear and the bus started hurtling backwards. Luckily he survived the trauma went on to live the real life saga of Boy Meets World with his buddy Taylor Quimby.

Forget Westminster, Here Are The Dogs of NHPR

Logan Shannon — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:57:34 +0000

The Second Annual Dogs of NHPR is upon us, just in time for the 137th Annual Westminster Dog Show. We have a lovely selection of various breeds, and even a few other pet species thrown in for good measure.