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Magazines I Subscribe To

Sep 07, 2003 8:46 PM
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(Forgive me for ending that title with a preposition, but "Magazines to which I subscribe" sounds pretentious.)

I read lots of magazines, and my subscriptions change every half-year or so (Cook's Illustrated and The Economist may soon join the list), but here is the current list of print magazines:
  • Reason: essays and news with a moderately libertarian bent. Thankfully, it's not entirely about politics; there's also thoughtful discussion of culture and technology. Many of their editors and writers are also bloggers.
  • Forbes: the best business/investment magazine out there. Some of the cultural coverage is pretentious, but is an interesting window into the lives of millionaire executives nonetheless. I disagree with their political essays about half the time, but definitely appreciate how they won't beat around the bush.
  • Fast Company: coverage of new ideas about business and careers, but more abstract and less nuts-and-bolts than typical biz magazines. It can get a little new-age sometimes, but hey — most new ideas sound weird at first. I wear a t-shirt and jeans to work and know some college dropouts who make six figures during the recession. That would have sounded absurd ten years ago.
  • CPU: discussion and reviews of the latest and best hardware and, to a lesser extent, software. Hardware is definitely the weakest link in my understanding of computers, and I knew I needed to read up on it. This isn't one of the mags that are perpetually serving the beginners' audience with covers like "50 Cool Things You Can Do with AOL". It's technical, but not dry. These guys go into lots of detail and talk a lot of shit.
  • Discover: the latest science news for an audience of educated laymen. Not too deep, not too shallow; just right.
  • The Jerusalem Report: English-language coverage of news and trends in Israel. It's nice to be able to read about something other than the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, though it does have ample coverage of that. Lots of cultural and even some religious commentary. Published by the same people as the Jerusalem Post, but further right.

Comments: Magazines I Subscribe To

I am shocked by the number of magazines, even for an avid reader.

I would suggest that, even for the layperson, Scientific American is a step above Discover.

What don't you get from Ha'aretz, Israel Insider, J-Post, etc., that you need this other magazine?

Posted by: Dan on September 9, 2003 12:10 PM | permalink

I've heard good things about Scientific American. For now, Discover will do, though I may pick up S.A. at a newsstand at some point.

I find the Jerusalem Post and Israel Insider sites to be annoying to look at and hard to skim. I already read Ha'aretz, but it's the difference between a magazine and a newspaper, and between online and dead-tree, really.

Posted by: Joe Grossberg on September 9, 2003 12:53 PM | permalink

No more comments! Either someone has violated Godwin's Law, I'm tired of the discussion or, most likely, the ten-week window has closed. You can, however, contact me through email.