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I used to be a subscriber for years a long time ago. I’m not sure where you got this opinion unless you are basing things on recent years. There was always some

I used to be a subscriber for years a long time ago. I’m not sure where you got this opinion unless you are basing things on recent years. There was always something interesting in them.

kelipso 2y ago
It's kind of the default opinion in academia. Same goes for most popsci stuff I guess.
tocs3 2y ago
I used to enjoy the magazine and am basing my negative opinion (expressed above) on reading experience on more recent readings. I used to enjoy the amateur scientist and mathematical recreation the most. Then those sections disappeared. I have not been reading it recently so maybe things have changed some.
- wrs 2y ago
  You are not wrong. Check the archives before the 2000s and it’s a very different magazine. A while back, the editorial direction changed. It used to be aimed at scientists who might be in a different field from the article, or amateurs/nonscientists who were at that level. Then it became more for nonscientists who are somewhat interested in the topic. The new editors seemed to wish it was Discover magazine, and now it basically is. Bear in mind this is a magazine that published complete plans for building an argon laser in your garage. Including the glassblowing.
  - 2muchcoffeeman 2y ago
    I only had a subscription during the early 2000s. I think it was still a good magazine. There were still some interesting articles and things to learn.
- 2muchcoffeeman 2y ago
  Yes, I fully agree. It’s 2025 now, so it’s actually been bad for a while. I do sometimes wonder if I should get a current subscription to get access to the archive though.
sumtechguy 2y ago
Sometimes magazines change management/ownership/other. On the outside they look similar but they lose that 'something' that made them interesting to read. For example For me this happened with both Dr. Dobbs and MSJ (renamed to MSDN). Both had large management changes and became very quickly something else. Not nearly as engaging or interesting. I realized I had not looked at either in a year. Skimmed them for anything I wanted to read and found nothing. I dropped the sub.

I used to be a subscriber for years a long time ago. I’m not sure where you got this opinion unless you are basing things on recent years. There was always something interesting in them.

kelipso 2y ago

It's kind of the default opinion in academia. Same goes for most popsci stuff I guess.

tocs3 2y ago

I used to enjoy the magazine and am basing my negative opinion (expressed above) on reading experience on more recent readings. I used to enjoy the amateur scientist and mathematical recreation the most. Then those sections disappeared. I have not been reading it recently so maybe things have changed some.

wrs 2y ago
You are not wrong. Check the archives before the 2000s and it’s a very different magazine. A while back, the editorial direction changed. It used to be aimed at scientists who might be in a different field from the article, or amateurs/nonscientists who were at that level. Then it became more for nonscientists who are somewhat interested in the topic. The new editors seemed to wish it was Discover magazine, and now it basically is. Bear in mind this is a magazine that published complete plans for building an argon laser in your garage. Including the glassblowing.
- 2muchcoffeeman 2y ago
  I only had a subscription during the early 2000s. I think it was still a good magazine. There were still some interesting articles and things to learn.
2muchcoffeeman 2y ago
Yes, I fully agree. It’s 2025 now, so it’s actually been bad for a while. I do sometimes wonder if I should get a current subscription to get access to the archive though.

sumtechguy 2y ago

Sometimes magazines change management/ownership/other. On the outside they look similar but they lose that 'something' that made them interesting to read. For example For me this happened with both Dr. Dobbs and MSJ (renamed to MSDN). Both had large management changes and became very quickly something else. Not nearly as engaging or interesting. I realized I had not looked at either in a year. Skimmed them for anything I wanted to read and found nothing. I dropped the sub.