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I coincidentally also subscribed to the Economist in 2011 and I can relate to the feeling of being informed. However I had to cancel my subscription in 2013 for

by chm 11y ago

I coincidentally also subscribed to the Economist in 2011 and I can relate to the feeling of being informed. However I had to cancel my subscription in 2013 for lack of time. After a while, I could never finish an issue. To be honest I have regretted my decision and I now feed on lesser quality news from "free" sources. It really is a great publication but I couldn't justify the spending or the piling up of issues. I might go back this year, been thinking about it.

tmcz26 11y ago
I had the same issue when I was up for renewal a few years back, with issues piling up and no time, but I didn't want to miss the content. I first tried the audio version of the iPhone app, but the complexity of the content was too much for a non-English native. Finally I decided for the digital version on the iPhone gap, which I read while commuting.
rm999 11y ago
I had the same issue. Then I found out the Economist puts out a audio version of their entire print edition. My podcast app downloads it automatically every Thursday (using RSS), and it provides me with more than enough content for the week. I listen to it at 1.5x speed and can get through 5-10 articles during my commute.
saryant 11y ago
If you have airline miles lying around, most programs offer a year subscription for around 5000 miles. No digital access though, just print.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
molotv 11y ago
The key to reading the Economist is to go into it not planning to read the whole thing. My approach: Read all the short blurbs in the first couple of pages, then most of the 1/2 page articles that follow, note any that seem interesting, then seek out the longer versions deeper in the issue. As you work through the issue, skip or lightly skim the rest that don't spark interest.
- kbenzle 11y ago
  Your "reading" it still, what is this 2005?? The audio edition is amazing! After three years of listening to every issue I think I may be picking up a British accent in my day to day life.
  - MichaelGG 11y ago
    How does that help with time? Nearly everyone reading it is most certainly capable of reading far, far faster than listening, no? I suppose if you have an unfortunate, long commute, it might work, but otherwise?
    - ersii 11y ago
      When you're doing physical tasks while not having to co-operate with someone else, you can listen to the audio version while continuing to execute on the physical task. You can also listen while moving your person about from place to place, which can be quite hard or inefficient to do while reading. I certainly spend a lot of time moving from one place to another. I also assume there are plenty of people who do the same.
    - fsloth 11y ago
      It's quite hard to read while making lunch, cleaning, running, cycling etc. It's also quite hard to concentrate on anything cerebral after a day of work, doing any number of these things and tending to the needs of small kids. Audio books, OTOH, make housework a joy since I can tune out of the horror of cooking and cleaning and concentrate on accumulating knowledge from one source or another. Also, much more motivation to run since simlarly, I can just observe my pulse meter occasionally and otherwise concentrate on the book.
  - pathy 11y ago
    Yes! It is amazing! I listen to it during my commute to work. Plus I get the issue on Thursday evening, as oppose to the physical copy that arrives Monday or Tuesday the following week.
cubancigar11 11y ago
I did the same - subscribed in 2007 and cancelled it in 2012. And I am here in minority but I cancelled it BECAUSE of its content. The barrage of anti China news, anti India news, and then the lack of any standing on any issue except free market. Economist consistently backtracks on everything if it somehow results in more free market. It is why it was established in the first place so why complain? The height was when they published an article saying how Iran is against hezbollah but two issues later they said Iran must stop supporting hezbollah. Then they once went on for several weeks about chinese government's crackdown on prostitution and how it is fomenting dissent. Then a train crashed and again they went harping about how dissent was just around the corner. Moving out of West in 2010 suddenly showed me how Economist is just a high end mouth piece of British government, hidden behind sophistication and the prestigious name. So I decided to just cancel my subscription.
- IkmoIkmo 11y ago
  Feels pretty familiar. Where did you end up living by the way in 2010?
  - cubancigar11 11y ago
    I am in India.

by chm 11y ago

tmcz26 11y ago

I had the same issue when I was up for renewal a few years back, with issues piling up and no time, but I didn't want to miss the content. I first tried the audio version of the iPhone app, but the complexity of the content was too much for a non-English native. Finally I decided for the digital version on the iPhone gap, which I read while commuting.

rm999 11y ago

I had the same issue. Then I found out the Economist puts out a audio version of their entire print edition. My podcast app downloads it automatically every Thursday (using RSS), and it provides me with more than enough content for the week. I listen to it at 1.5x speed and can get through 5-10 articles during my commute.

saryant 11y ago

If you have airline miles lying around, most programs offer a year subscription for around 5000 miles. No digital access though, just print.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

molotv 11y ago

The key to reading the Economist is to go into it not planning to read the whole thing. My approach: Read all the short blurbs in the first couple of pages, then most of the 1/2 page articles that follow, note any that seem interesting, then seek out the longer versions deeper in the issue. As you work through the issue, skip or lightly skim the rest that don't spark interest.

kbenzle 11y ago
Your "reading" it still, what is this 2005?? The audio edition is amazing! After three years of listening to every issue I think I may be picking up a British accent in my day to day life.
- MichaelGG 11y ago
  How does that help with time? Nearly everyone reading it is most certainly capable of reading far, far faster than listening, no? I suppose if you have an unfortunate, long commute, it might work, but otherwise?
  - ersii 11y ago
    When you're doing physical tasks while not having to co-operate with someone else, you can listen to the audio version while continuing to execute on the physical task. You can also listen while moving your person about from place to place, which can be quite hard or inefficient to do while reading. I certainly spend a lot of time moving from one place to another. I also assume there are plenty of people who do the same.
  - fsloth 11y ago
    It's quite hard to read while making lunch, cleaning, running, cycling etc. It's also quite hard to concentrate on anything cerebral after a day of work, doing any number of these things and tending to the needs of small kids. Audio books, OTOH, make housework a joy since I can tune out of the horror of cooking and cleaning and concentrate on accumulating knowledge from one source or another. Also, much more motivation to run since simlarly, I can just observe my pulse meter occasionally and otherwise concentrate on the book.
- pathy 11y ago
  Yes! It is amazing! I listen to it during my commute to work. Plus I get the issue on Thursday evening, as oppose to the physical copy that arrives Monday or Tuesday the following week.

cubancigar11 11y ago

I did the same - subscribed in 2007 and cancelled it in 2012. And I am here in minority but I cancelled it BECAUSE of its content. The barrage of anti China news, anti India news, and then the lack of any standing on any issue except free market. Economist consistently backtracks on everything if it somehow results in more free market. It is why it was established in the first place so why complain? The height was when they published an article saying how Iran is against hezbollah but two issues later they said Iran must stop supporting hezbollah. Then they once went on for several weeks about chinese government's crackdown on prostitution and how it is fomenting dissent. Then a train crashed and again they went harping about how dissent was just around the corner. Moving out of West in 2010 suddenly showed me how Economist is just a high end mouth piece of British government, hidden behind sophistication and the prestigious name. So I decided to just cancel my subscription.

IkmoIkmo 11y ago
Feels pretty familiar. Where did you end up living by the way in 2010?
- cubancigar11 11y ago
  I am in India.