It's Improved But Not Enough

I used to regularly subscribe to this magazine. But then it seemed that about 80% of the magazine was either about outer space or computers. Well, last I checked, there are many other fields of study in the science realm besides those two. I had previously enjoyed the magazine for its diversity of topics written for the general audience. But it seemed that it had started writing for a much narrower audience. So I quit.

Recently I previewed a few issues at the library. It seems that they have improved on the range of topics they cover. There are still the obligatory articles on computer technology and outer space. Still a larger proportion than I would like to see, but better. There are topics on nature, weather, archaeology, robots, physics, and health. I enjoy the articles that are about how technology and changes in technology impact our every day lives. One article told about handguns that can record the fingerprint of the person that fired it (not built yet, but the technology is available). Another article was about the search to find the perfectly balanced fly fishing rod.

Probably my favorite regular feature was, and is, Vital Signs. If you like the TV show "ER" then you'll like this feature. It is a medical feature in which a doctor is faced with a rare or unknown disease that he has to diagnose quickly. Many times the diseases affect children. What makes the articles so fascinating is that they are true stories being shared with the readers. As a mystery lover I enjoy how the doctor ferrets out the clues to lead him to a diagnosis.

Another regular feature I enjoy is R&D. This feature is actually several half-page articles on late breaking news in science, medicine, and technology. I like this short articles because they give me just enough to knowledge to stay "in-the-know." Often times I don't have the time or the patience to read through longer articles so these are just perfect. Sometimes there just isn't much known about one of these breakthroughs. It's great that it is covered here, instead of writing a long rambling article with three paragraphs of facts and two pages of speculation.

I am also pleased to see that the magazine as a low ad density. And what ads there are are mostly related to technology in some way. No fashion ads, no Rogaine ads, etc. There is a high ratio of photographs to text. This is nice also, since long, uninterrupted blocks of text are boring to read. I would like it even more if more side-bars were used, more lists, and more statistics. I still would like to see more variety, some of the stuff I saw is a re-hash of information I could get in a general news magazine. But I feel it is improved significantly enough I may actually subscribe again.