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omosubi
Lapham's Quarterly - each issue (4x a year) looks at a different topic with a focus on history and showing various perspectives across times and cultures. each issue has writing from the ancients through this year.
Cabinet - I used to subscribe to this one but my subscription lapsed. it is kind of a hipster magazine and some of the stuff in there is obtuse garbage but every once in a while they hit it. this is a good example - http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/52/hodes.php
Harper's is usually pretty good though I've never subscribed.
If you live in a big city there are usually a couple really high quality newstands that carry 100s or 1000s of magazines - I love browsing those. recently I came away from one with an issue of Fantasic man, Reason mag, and Harpers. always worth a trip.
Another good place to view magazines is art school libraries. they usually have some more wacky ones like adbusters or BITCH and some of them are true visual feasts. of course they are more liberal so you won't find stuff like the american conservative or anything murdoch owned but every once in a while you will come across something really amazing.
bamurphymac1
Just finished the piece on pallets. What a fantastic story, a slice of the world i’d never considered.
subpixel
Which one?
dewey
The linked one, I assume: https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/52/hodes.php
croissants
Just subscribed to Lapham's. I've read a few pieces from them over the years, but somehow this description clinched actual subscription.
AstroJetson
Well that's yet another rabbit hole that residents of hacker news have tossed me down. The article about pallets was very cool and rekindled my interest in building things out of the wood from closed pallets.
omosubi
well now I feel dumb for pointing out that a journal with the term quarterly in the title is published 4x a year lol - here's the link https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/
another thing to add - if you want back issues of magazines you can usually get them pretty cheap at https://www.abebooks.com
carapace
Heh... Whatever. It's gratifying to see Lapham's Quarterly at the top of the thread. Cheers!
yuy910616
I've been reading the Economist for about 10 years. It provides great coverage on big issues, and recently, some fun ones (billie eilish comes to mind).
It's unique in that it feels "slower", more deliberate, and thoughtful than most newspaper/tv channels. It gives context and covers multiple viewpoints before giving an opinion. Its daily espresso newsletter and quarterly tech issues are always interesting too.
I've subscribed to NYT and WSJ over the years, but none feels as differentiated as the Economist. (Haven't tried Financial Times, if someone has and likes them, please do share your thoughts)
klelatti
The obituaries in the Economist (at the back) are often poignant and insightful, and sometimes cover individuals who deserve to be better known.
I remember a joint obit in 2008 of Jack Scott (weather forecaster) and Reg Varney (who starred in British sitcom On The Buses). Not an expected pairing.
https://www.economist.com/obituary/2008/12/04/jack-scott-and...
fiftyacorn
reg varney - the first person to publicly use a cash machine
klelatti
And the first cash machine used cheques with radioactive Carbon 14 rather than plastic cards!
bobthepanda
The Economist is great, but it definitely wears its biases on its sleeve; it hasn’t quite found a problem the free market can’t solve.
aitait
I tend to disagree. While a pro market magazine, it often suggests strong government actions. I think you have never dealt with real fee market fetishists.
The only annoying things is the double Christmas issue and the "New Year outlook". They always write the same. The world has never been better and everything becomes better and next year will be better than the last.
dredmorbius
Free-market propaganda is quite literally The Economist's design intent:
And now we beg to submit the following detail of the plans which we have thoroughly organised to carry into effect these objects of our ardent desires, in the following PROSPECTUS of a weekly paper, to be published every Saturday, and to be called THE ECONOMIST, which will contain— First.—ORIGINAL LEADING ARTICLES, in which free-trade principles will be most rigidly applied to all the important questions of the day—political events—and parliamentary discussions; and particularly to all such as relate immediately to revenue, commerce, and agriculture; or otherwise affect the material interests of the country.
lordgrenville
It is biased, but I wouldn't agree with that (just for example, they oppose ACA repeal).
What I like most about it is how many of the articles are structured sort-of dialectically: "Here is a problem, here is what we think should be done, here are one or more alternative proposals and arguments against what we suggested, here's why we think that despite that this is the best of the options." It gives you the impression that the writer has considered opposing ideas, weighed up the trade-offs, and nominated the least bad course of action. Of course it's easy to find places they were wrong (supporting the Vietnam and Iraq II wars didn't age well), but it's so much better than most periodicals and op-eds where the writer only argues their own view as the only wise and moral option.
dukeyukey
I don't know about that, they definitely encourage government intervention in certain situations; they aren't market-is-lord types.
specialist
I was fine with The Economist. They advocate their beliefs, still want to reduce human suffering, still consider opposing views with respect.
I hate ambulance chase style reporting. So I most like the magazine-style news recap of current events, giving stuff 1-4 weeks to settle down before picking over the wreckage. None of the USA imitators have ever done as well (Newsweek).
I don't like unsigned bylines, but I get that's their thing.
With so many poor imitators, their dry wit (editorial voice) now just sounds snarky. I'm so done with it. As a Gen X, Boomers and my fellow Gen X exhaust me.
I canceled my subscription over their support for the second Iraq War. I can carry a grudge. I haven't resumed The Atlantic for the same reason.
But I've since filled my attention budget with more left leaning content. Neoliberalism had it's day. I'm interested in what comes next. Not becoming a curmudgeon yelling at the kids to get off my lawn. So I doubt I'll ever resub to The Economist.
I do miss the both special topic and the regional focus issues.
trailrunner46
If you like the Economist then you might like Bloomberg Business Week. I know I expected it to be bad but it’s actually wonderful. The design team is amazing. I find it the perfect mix of business/economy and pop culture. Often there are 2 or 3 long form articles on a truly fascinating subject.
soupfordummies
Their journalists do a year end “jealousy list” website that is always creatively designed and filled with a TROVE of great articles from the year from all over. I never really see it talked about but I get excited for it every year. Keep your eyes peeled in about a month!
TooSmugToFail
Love the Economist.
At previous work, we had Financial Times subscription. It, obviously, is a more finance-bent, but I find it a delight in journalist professionality and the deepness of commentary.
The weekend edition gives a more eclectic mix of topics and is a really informative read.
I simply love FT.
paganel
> I simply love FT.
For what it's worth I've direct email-ed two of their opinion writers and they dutifully responded (and not the standard "thank you for your email/for reading my piece" stuff), I really appreciated that. For comparison, the journalists from my country are more primadonas, I don't see them answering any readers' emails (for starters, their email addresses are not provided in the newspaper's website).
kqr
Thank you! I used to read the Economist a few years ago but had to stop for various life technical reasons. The latest one is that my infant tries to tear anything made of paper apart -- but your comment made me look up whether there's a Kindle edition of the Economist and there is! Maybe not on par with the print one for me, but certainly better than nothing!
gallegojaime
Related to the Economist's areas of writing: what do people think of Harvard Business Review? Does it have valuable content?
satya71
HBR occasionally has good pieces and does make me think. Mostly they are fluff pieces advanced by writers with vested interests.
vsskanth
You can subscribe to their newsletter. I was subscribed but eventually got bored as their content was too generic and not actionable
gallegojaime
I had my suspicions about their content being too idealistic, being directed to that 'flavor of the month' manager audience. But it's a sin that doesn't really go away with the Economist, either.
janpen
Weekly news is such a great cadence and I love the audio recording they publish with each issue.
AndrewOMartin
Private Eye. Probably only of interest to those in the UK (Ireland has The Phoenix, which appears superficially similar at least).
As far as I'm aware it's the only widely distributed investigative journalism magazine. You get to read about some scandals months or years before they break in the news, plenty never make it of course.
There are a number of regular features but the one on the state of national health by M.D. has been by far and a way the most insightful thing I've read on the state of various countries under covid. This includes how the govt. has cocked up, and frequent admissions of how covid confounded the assumptions of the medical community.
It's also got a good line in satire, reviews, absurdity and cartoons. It can be a bit of a slog to read, especially if you go page by page, but that's probably more a reflection of the value of the content than the quality of the prose.
cambalache
> Private Eye. Probably only of interest to those in the UK
I am from Latin-America, I learned about the existence of Private Eye from the famous Hawkings-Thorne-Preskill bet . To this day it's one of the publications that makes me laugh the most, right from the cover, to _pseuds corner_ (Oh man they would love HN comments section), Coleman's balls, the Lookalikes,etc.
dan-robertson
The crossword is also amusing
bradly
https://www.lowtechmagazine.com
> Low-tech Magazine questions the blind belief in technological progress, and talks about the potential of past and often forgotten knowledge and technologies when it comes to designing a sustainable society. Interesting possibilities arise when you combine old technology with new knowledge and new materials, or when you apply old concepts and traditional knowledge to modern technology.
> Low-tech Magazine publishes at most 12 well-researched stories per year.
CoryMathews
It's partner site, no tech magazine is also great.
I always love seeing how some complex problems have been solved in such different ways than I would have imagined.
spurgu
Thanks for sharing, looks very interesting from a quick glance!
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isaac21259
It's an online zine focused on programming and hacking. If you like 2600 you'll love pagedout.
keyle
Wow this is really cool. Great find thanks!
zem
thanks, this looks really nice!
bronlund
Nice!
input_sh
Logic Magazine (https://logicmag.io/) is the only one I truly care about. I don't have their entire catalogue, but I've read everything they've produced in the last year or so. They've recently released a couple of ebooks and I'm slowly making my way through them. I'm surprised nobody mentioned them yet.
Other than that, I occasionally read 2600 and Jacobin, though I'm not as engaged with them as I am with Logic.
cambalache
> Logic Magazine (https://logicmag.io/) is the only one I truly care about.
I checked out some of the articles and meh. But hey, _de gustibus..._
sircastor
Make Magazine. I know it has its detractors here, and some of the material ends up being dated pretty quick, but it represents a mindset that I really enjoy, which is that you have the ability to transform the world around you. It’s the same thing I love about programming, but for physical objects.
aWidebrant
N+1 and The Baffler both seem to be constitutionally incapable of releasing a bad issue. Highly recommended.
Jacobin is uneven, but if you read Reason et al you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy now and then to keep up with ideological writing in the land of the living.
The Economist is an incredibly well written magazine that unfortunately - editorials aside - can't escape the compulsion of not even being wrong. Save your money and just sign up for a couple of Axios newsletters for the same effect.
I have not read Edge in years, maybe decades, but it deserves a mention for treating video games as digital art rather than consumer electronics.
dingaling
> can't escape the compulsion of not even being wrong.
On the few occasions that the E has run stories on topics I know well, it has been remarkably accurate and insightful.
All of the regional reports are written by independent, freelance correspondents so they stand or fall on the quality of their work.
cambalache
> On the few occasions that the E has run stories on topics I know well, it has been remarkably accurate and insightful.
I have had the total opposite experience, so much that it really turned me off from the magazine.From obligatory weekly reading now I get an issue every once in a while, the same happens again and I question my masochist tendencies.
LittlePeter
> can't escape the compulsion of not even being wrong.
What does this phrase mean? Is the economist not wrong? Why is that then unfortunate?
AndrewOMartin
I'd forgotten about Edge, I had a subscription for years. I only picked up a copy to occupy me during a flight but I was stunned to find it actually talking seriously about interesting stuff!
I was pretty young and probably impressionable, but the difference between EDGE and the likes of PC Gamer/Zone/Format was remarkable. Hence this remark.
undefined
randomcarbloke
Jacobin...really?
ArtWomb
If, Mondo2000, OMNI. "Speculative techno-utopianism", if one had to affix a label to the genre. Not sure if anything exists like that today?
https://archive.org/details/ifmagazine
wombatmobile
Sorry in advance for the negativity. I'd love to rediscover the joy of reading quality periodicals so I'll read other comments here and try anything that looks good.
As for my experiences lately...
I subscribed to The Atlantic after reading it online.
The print edition is disappointing for the quality of its typography and illustrations. The layout subediting should contribute a lot more to the experience. Instead, I feel like I'm wading aimlessly through a swamp without landmarks.
I like the online typography and layout of NYT and WSJ, and I subscribed to both for the quality of their newsrooms and the depth of their resources.
I lament the polarisation of journalistic publications into left and right. This is particularly jarring in the comments sections of NYT and WSJ. The partisan tropes are unedifying, repetitious and dull. I'm happier not reading them.
For hardcopy, I'm reading books.
ibn_khaldun
I for one find your criticism to be enlightening and valuable. If I may ask you to continue, what qualities do you think are signs of good experiences in print and digital literature?
wombatmobile
Good question. I’m wondering if my online experiences have changed my expectations and readiness for print.
30 years ago, I’d luxuriate in a copy of Foreign Affairs, The Economist, New Yorker, Interview, NME. Each of those publications gave me subject depth I couldn’t get anywhere else, and the long form articles would provide background and context. They were another world. All I had to do was pay the cover price and find somewhere comfortable to sit without interruption.
What’s different now is I can get all the background and context I need for subjects about which I am naive online through search and Wikipedia. I don’t have to wait for next months periodical to satisfy a curiosity in a subject. So what I want from periodicals has changed. I’m just understanding this more clearly as I respond to your question.
With a magazine, I can’t search, so I want a different experience. I want what I can’t get online for free - inside information, deep subject specialty, skilful curation. The Atlantic often has that, but the curation isn’t assisted by bland typography and illustrations. New Yorker is better that way. I can tell which articles to read without trawling through 500 words.
ibn_khaldun
It's interesting that you use the word "curation" to describe designing for literature. Lately I have been looking into how museums put together exhibits and how to integrate some of their approaches into web or print publishing.
It feels like so much of what you described is lost today ie., skill and decorum in displaying words meaningfully. If I may ask, what are some personal design principles that you look for when critiquing a publication (be it print or on the Web)?
For the record I am not employed by any company or agency, I am only an individual who is trying to get a better understanding of what I should be looking for as a consumer and creator myself. To boot, I appreciate your insight and the thought processes behind it. Thank you!
TooSmugToFail
Thank you for your insight, very interesting.
I would particularly underline 'skilful curation' as a very strong selling point. The ability to see through all the noise, and select for relevance/interest.
Also, inside information is a big one. In a comment above, I said I appreciate Financial Times for their professionality of journalism: their journalists will often times investigate complex topics, calling up subjects, knocking on doors (the amazing coverage of the recent Wirecard scandal comes to mind) its exactly the type of original, often inside information that is worth paying for.
onecommentman
Do you want a totally different perspective on modern life that is well-written and will force you out of normal patterns of thinking?
Read old magazines. Not early Wired old. 1800s/early to mid 1900s old. Very old. The Spectator...of Addison and Steele. Life magazine, but not that upstart that started in the 1930s, but the original humor magazine.
A short list
Early Fortune magazines (1930s-1950s) to get a sense of the evolution of modern business and technology. Wonderful graphics.
The first hundred years of Harpers...up to, say, 1970. McClures. Saturday Evening Post. Scribners. Colliers. The Nation preWWII.
Early Scientific Americans. Read the 75th anniversary issue talking about all the early tech wonders that led to its 75th anniversary...celebrated in 1920. The issues of the 1870s have wonderful illustrations of intricate machinery.
Judge magazine and the first Life Magazine...both humor magazines about the foibles of lived modern life in the early 20th Century.
Niles Weekly Register, published 1810-1840. Learn how early US cities grew up...the bones of many Eastern cities formed during this period.
Early Popular Science and Popular Mechanics from 1920s-1950s.
Early enthusiast radio magazines from the 1910s to 1950s...the Internet of its time.
Everyday Engineering and Everyday Mechanics magazines of the late 1910s. A boy’s magazine focusing on simple projects teenagers could build on their own: movie cameras, radio telephones, small gasoline engines starting from raw iron and doing your own castings, wireless controlled torpedoes...
The illustrator art on the front covers of some of these are worth the price of admission alone. You can pick up vintage issues for anywhere from $7.00 to $50.00...mostly $15-$20.
Binge-reading ten or so issues of magazines of a given decade, say 1930s, is a psychedelic experience. You lift your eyes and your head is still in the 1930s. And you start asking interesting questions...
amerine
How do you find these?
erhserhdfd
Milk Street Kitchen is the absolute best periodical for recipes and cooking in my opinion.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/
Its by the same founder of America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated, which is another respected publication. However, Milk Street recipes tend to be simpler, less fussy and more internationally inspired. Everything I have made from them has been an absolute winner. They also have an outstanding high quality TV show free on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGcoQ4AmidJSpDUXPZoq8A
Get the top HN stories in your inbox every day.
Recently a bookstore near me that used to carry lots of interesting periodicals (including my favorite 2600) stopped all of them. So I have decided to subscribe directly. What are some of your favorite magazines/journals (tech and non-tech) that you love and wish would last for a long time to come.