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  1. Congrats on the Marantz! I just finished your side of the tape, now I gotsta put my thinking noodle on and start working on a reply. Will it involve more robot pigeons? Who knows!

    1. Well, the Robot Pigeon theme was very creative – sparked some nice ideas from both of us recipients. I have faith in your decision – continuation or new theme! (:

    2. There are many subjects that warrant creative investigations by our respective agents. :) Looking forward to the next round as always! Also I must confess, I was also given an offer I couldn’t refuse either. Tape pals onward! -Mitchell

  2. I’d love to join Tape Pals, it sounds like a great time! If only I had a half-decent tape recorder…
    All I got is a crummy boombox from the 80’s, Black Plastic C**p. That thing barely even works! I’ll let you know if I do ever get a decent tape recorder, Maybe then I could join! You got any recommendations for an affordable recorder?

    1. Well, anything you get these days is going to be old and probably needs belts, so far as cassette decks go. The three of us doing the current “Tape Pals 3-Way” tape (the format of the concept limits the participants to 3 because there’s 2 sides on the tape, and the recipient always gets a tape containing the other 2 participants recordings, one on each side) using Marantz decks, but that’s just because we all happened to have them.

      If you’re interested in starting *another* Tape Pals 3-Way Tape, feel free to go for it. I can shoot you the rulesheet and instructions, and you can steal whatever ideas you like from the one we’re running, and there’s no reason you couldn’t do it with any tape recorder you have or can find. Doesn’t really even have to be Compact Cassette. You could use Microcassette or whatever tape format you can find where two other people you can recruit also have the ability to play/record that format (reel tapes, anyone? – Lucas Dul can handle those!)

      Anyway, the logistics of the two-sided tape pretty much require that each 3-Way group be a triad, and that seems to help in making sure the tape doesn’t get lost or forgotten the way these things seem to in larger participant groups. This tape has gone around 3 times now successfully. That’s far better than the Typospigeon Project, and is creeping up on the Sequential Letter, which at iteration 5 seems to be struggling to get round after more than half a year. I think it’s a pretty good format for a fun activity/creativity inspiring package to share among a couple friends.

      1. Good news: I got a tape deck! A nice prosumer model from Pioneer, made in the late 80’s! It’s missing a pinch roller though, which causes minor dropouts, but you hardly notice them after a minute or two. It even has Dolby C noise reduction! Do you think you could send me a copy of the rules & what have you? I got plenty of ideas if I do get involved!

        1. Nice! (:
          Yeah, let me type up a sheet to PDF. I’ll post a generalized instruction set on the blog in a couple days.

      2. Ah, the good ol’ Typospigeon! It’s been a decade now since he/she was heard from.

  3. Are you using a cotton ribbon to type those notes?

    1. Nope, cheap nylon ribbon from ebay years ago.

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