I’ve gotten one of those discount deals to subscribe to Popular Science. I’m strongly considering it. I read the Atlantic, the New Yorker, and the Chicago Sun Times
often during my 30-45 minute transit rides. I’m not a scientist, I work in the financial markets in Chicago. However, I used to love to borrow my dad’s copies of Scientific American. I enjoy astronomy and physics, and most of my reading these days is Sci Fi books.
Subscribe to Scientific American instead. Challenging read, perhaps, for non-scientists–but more “real” science and less “gee whiz” future technology.
I wouldn’t really recommend it*. It’s been awhile since I read an issue, but from what I remember there’s less science articles and more gadget porn sort of stuff. Discover, I think, is a better magazine for the science enthusiast.
errr that’s Pop. Sci. I meant. Second the* Scientific American recommendation.
PopSci has spent about fifty years running the same circular slate of cover and filler articles on the same almost-here or wait-10-years premise. Every time I glance at a new issue, I see something that was covered equally breathlessly when I was a kid reading my dad’s copies.
I guess they’re the men’s equivalent of women’s magazines that run the same endless cycle of shopping, makeup and hot-sex tip articles.
Science News magazine is also good.
Science magazine is good, but pretty darn technical. Frankly, most of it goes way over my head (and I’m no slouch, thank’ee!)
I’ve been a steady subscriber to Scientific American since 1968. However, they do have a political agenda, and always have. (Doesn’t bother me, since it coincides with my own views, but it might not be welcomed by all.)
While it doesn’t go into any depth, it is very well geared to present on iPad. Some of the articles have animations and videos that go with them. Some of the ads do too, but you don’t have to play them. I was impressed with the quality. For $15, it’s worth it, IMO.
Moved Cafe Society --> IMHO.
Scientific American has been considerably dumbed down in recent years. You are unlikely to see an article of real depth and that might be what you seek. They used to have occasional articles on math, but that hasn’t happened in 30 years. So it might be just at the level you like.
I have gotten hooked on American Scientist. Although I still subscribe to SciAm.
It looks good on the iPad, therefore recommended. You’re kidding, right?
It depends on what you’re looking for in a periodical. If you want real, hard science you want to look into a journal like Science.
If you just want something to thumb through during your down times, Popular Science is fine. It’s like the US Magazine of science periodicals. If you want to go even shallower, Mental Floss is the Highlights for Children of science periodicals.
Why would I be? Presentation is half the game, for almost everything. We’re not talking white paper level about any of these publications so it’s all fluff to one degree or another. It might as well look good while you’re reading it. Some of the contraptions written about are better grasped if you can see them in motion. A moving picture is worth a thousand words per frame.