Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with magazine

Ads where a word is worth 1000 pictures

Shepherd — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:59:36 -0800

Great text-driven (print) ads from 2009? I'm currently working on a project that involves championing the text component of advertising: finding ads where the text is front and centre as opposed to the visual, and language is used intelligently and playfully to sell an idea or concept. I've got a few things lined up, from local businesses to national campaigns, but I'd like to see more ads, most likely print/billboard ads (but TV/Web is also a possibility) where the written word (i.e. visually present, a clever script read with no words on-screen won't cut it) is the star, and does its job remarkably well. Ideas?

Christmas Radio Times in US?

jules1651 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:53:18 -0800

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the new Christmas edition of the UK magazine Radio Times, either in person in NY or DC, or via the internet? Much appreciated.

Looking for a nice enlightening magazine

thirteenkiller — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:44:42 -0800

Can you help me find a good progressive magazine to get? I'm looking for something that has in-depth, credible reporting, isn't too shrill, and covers a variety of political, scientific/environmental, and cultural topics. I don't want a weekly magazine since I don't find time to read one thoroughly and it generates too much waste. I want something with lots of content in the issues and not too much advertising. I'm pretty sure I want something with a strong liberal/progressive perspective, but articles need to be well-sourced.

Mother Jones seems to fit the bill, but I'm wondering if there's something else I should look at. Utne Reader seems pretty interesting and maybe a little too esoteric, but I'd like to hear what other people think.

Game Over

Sully — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:43:49 -0800

MagazineDistributionFilter: I used to buy the videogame magazine GameInformer at my local bookstores and magazine shops. I live in Montreal, Canada. I did this for years, going out during my lunchbreak and picking it up, then reading it on the bus home after work. Then, all of a sudden this past January, all the stores stopped getting it. I looked everywhere. All the big bookstores, all the magazine store chains. It was frankly, bizarre. The only place that still seemed to get it was EB Games, and they only got a few copies. I now subscribe to the magazine, but the question of why they would suddenly stop distributing to newsstands here has plagued me. Does anyone know?

I need some advice about publishing my story.

Salvor Hardin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:04:57 -0800

Hive authors: help me publish a sci-fi story! I've written a science fiction short story (hard sci-fi). I've been told that it's pretty good, so I was thinking about trying to publish it in a periodical of some kind for the fun of it. It's a little over 5000 words. I've never done this before, and I don't read sci-fi magazines very often, so I'm looking for the following:

Suggestions on where to send in the story. How many places?

Warnings, things I should know beforehand or avoid. I'm clueless about copyright, etc.

Estimates of whether or not I can get any money from this. It'd be fine if I didn't, but I'd like to know going in.

Any other advice.

Thanks!

Thought-provoking magazines for kids?

Taft — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:26:40 -0800

Magazines for the inquisitive kid? I distinctly remember having a subscription to Muse Magazine in grade school and how it positively influenced the person I am today. I remembered this magazine when I was looking for gifts for a close friend's family. Her kids are aged around 8-12 and I want to get each of them a subscription to some thought-provoking magazines like Muse.

So my question: What are some publications you fondly remember reading as a kid that have made you into a more curious and intelligent person? Thanks.

Turkey Day is A-Okay?

Ash3000 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:30:39 -0800

About eight years ago, I read this article on some radical-leaning progressive website, about how the author had come to love Thanksgiving, despite originally viewing it as a celebration of mass murder. This is what I remember about the article:

1. I'm pretty certain I found it on the Z Magazine website (though I haven't been able to find it now.)

2. The author originally took a Howard Zinn-like approach, and felt mixed at best about celebrating a day that had a historical association with genocide.

3. Eventually she started viewing it as an opportunity to reconnect with progressive values of community and true family, and assimilated it into her politics, including (I think) reading a poem or prayer about togetherness at the gathering.

I remember sharing it with several political friends, both conservative and progressive, and all of us finding it touching. Anyone have any idea what I'm thinking of? Wanted to send it to a friend. Thanks!

Journal Of Tanzanian Meat Sciences

benzenedream — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:49:06 -0800

I'm looking for strange magazines to give as gift subscriptions. Ideas? Ideally these magazines would be moderately-priced and worth reading as an insight into other fields, even if the reader has no deep interest in the topic. Trade journals and academic publications are fine. I'm not interested in magazines that are trying to be outrageous in and of themselves.

Remember print magazines?

Overzealous — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:14:06 -0800

My wife reads my Esquire and Wired magazines and is looking for a print magazine strong enough for a man but PH balanced for a woman. She says she reads about 80% of Wired and 60% of Esquire (but is usually irked by the fact that any women on the pages are mostly naked). She tried Vanity Fair but was put off by the "society page" elements around New England/NYC money. Vogue, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Elle and etc are not it. Nor are Oprah or Martha Stewart.

I suggested Bust but while that was partway there, it has elements of indie rock/Riot Grrl and "this is how you embroider a hipster jean jacket with cassette tapes" that aren't really up her alley.

She's looking for something that is about 3 photo shoots and articles from Vanity Fair, 2 pages of Lucky, one tip from Real Simple, 3 tech/culture/gadget articles each from Wired and Esquire, a health article from Prevention, a smattering of political information (especially around issues involving women, but not overly militaristic), an overview of 5 TV shows worth watching, a new book or two to read and 2 new bands to check out.

No haute coture, no scrawny models, no articles about New England royalty, no gossip about Jon and Kate, not much/any craft or sewing...just a smart magazine for smart women. Does it exist?

Intellectual periodicals in Spanish

Mummy of a Lady Named Jemutesonekh — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:49:09 -0800

What are the most interesting intellectual periodicals in Spanish? Is there a close equivalent to the London Review of Books? To Dissent? To n+1? What distinguishes the slate of intellectual periodicals available in Spanish from that in English?

My girlfriend is getting a bit suspicious that I keep googling for a "nice rack."

history is a weapon — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 08:10:59 -0800

I can't believe I'm asking this, but I want a magazine rack next to my toilet and can't seem to find one anywhere that doesn't look like it belongs at my grandparents' house. Dimensions about 6 1/2" width (from toilet to wall), the height is less important, and the depth is up to 17" or so.
Ideally, it would be a like a simple metal bin, but not weaved wire, wire mesh, or plastic thing. It'd be nice if it looked sturdy.
I'm in NYC and I'd love to see it and pick it up in person if possible. I went to all these yuppie furniture places (like ABC Carpet and Home) and came up completely empty handed. Does anyone know where I can pick up a cool industrial looking magazine rack or a simple metal box with roughly those dimensions? If it's not in NYC, that's fine. I just need a place to store the current month worth of magazines.

I promise my next question will involve the overthrow of the capitalist state.

Help me find a magazine

djstig — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:23:14 -0800

Help me find a specific magazine. I saw a childrens art magazine a few months ago somewhere, possible on Mefi, and I can't remember what it was called.

It was based in London and had a screenprinted (or screenprint-like) colourful cover. I think it had a one word title as its name, but I may be wrong. There where a number of back issues that could be ordered, about 8 or 9 (again I think)as well as being able to get a subscription. On the website for the magazine I think there where links to a hard backed issue, or other books that the same artists had made.

Just having a quick google now and found Anorak - The Happy Mag For Kids, it isn't that one!

I hope these clues are specific enough as I would like to be able to buy a subscription for my sister and my nephew. Thanks.

Drupal structure? Help me structure my structure!

suedehead — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:12:11 -0800

I'm trying to create a magazine via Drupal, and I'm having some problems using node references. Should I be using books or taxonomies? Or can you just help me iron this problem out with what I'm doing now? I'm having trouble trying to determine the best possible structure for a Drupal 6 installation.

Some information about the site I'm making:

it's an online magazine organized into less than 10 articles grouped underneath a single issue. I don't have a use for categories for each article or each issue -- all I need is the structure.

Each article has around ten images associated with it. In addition, I need to designate a 'representative image' for each article that will show up as a thumbnail in the issue page. Also, each article will have small links to the other articles within the same issue.

So far I've been creating three node types: 1) an Issue type, 2) an Article type, 3) an Image type, using Imagefield. Each Image references the Article that it's part of, and each Article references the Issue that it's part of. Also, the 'representative image' for each Article is a node reference to an Image. I'm using custom php code to tie it all together, and it's working, albeit I'm working pretty slowly. Here's a diagram:



Issue --- Article

      --- Article

      --- Article --- Image

		  --- Image

		  --- Image

But now I'm starting to think that I'm overthinking this, and that I should use the book module. The problem with that is that the book module seems to have limited flexibility in terms of making custom themes/layout. I can't even find a good google result how to customize the Book tree that appears within the Book navigation menu.

So what should I be doing in terms of structure? Should I be using Taxonomy, or Book? Or should I just continue to customize things by using node references and hacking php code to tie everything together? Has anyone had similar experiences with Drupal and found the best possible way for this sort of website? Thanks!

I want your money. That's what I want.

santojulieta — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:33:53 -0800

What can I do with my old DVDs and magazines? This is a two'fer question. I have a variety of older stuff like standard DVDs and old-but-popular magazines that I no longer want, but I do want to reap some financial benefit from those items. Here's the question then:

DVDs - I still like the DVDs I have, but I'd like to replace many of them with BluRay copies. Is there somewhere I can trade the oldies in for Amazon or Best Buy or other retailer credit? Or a similar solution. FWIW, I've sold before with OK luck on half.com.

Magazines - I have four or five years of Martha Stewart, MS Wedding, ReadyMade, and some other magazines that are in excellent to OK condition. How can I convert these to cashmoney?

Rolling Stone: Yay or Nay?

the NATURAL — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:04:18 -0800

Subscription to Rolling Stone: worth it? The main issue isn't the music/movies/pop culture coverage, which I could get timelier and probably more unadulterated in EW -- I'm attracted to magazine writing (Esquire and the NY'er are two of my favorites) and I'm curious if Rolling Stone still runs upper-echelon pieces -- scrolling through the Amazon reviews, people seem to take issue with apparent declining quality in the magazine's writing. Obviously, I could just buy issues for a while, but saving money is always a good thing -- and none of my friends subscribe.

The current issue, featuring an evaluation of the Obama presidency including input from Paul Krugman, looked promising -- and after watching Generation Kill and reading the book, I went back and read Evan Wright's original piece on the RS site, and it was amazing. If I had been subscribing at the time, and had received that in the mail, it would've been like Christmas. Can I expect this on a semi-regular basis, or are these pieces just rare exceptions to the norm?

If it's something in between, would it be worth $20 to just take the plunge for a year and go along for the ride?

Thanks, MeFites.

Do you remember a magazine for left-handed people?

melodykramer — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:51:26 -0800

When I was about 7 (1992ish) my parents got me a subscription to a magazine for left-handed people. The magazine opened backwards and contained stories and features about famous lefties. I tried Googling for it but have no idea what this magazine was or if it still exists. Anyone know anything about it? I remember being really excited about this magazine and subscribed for at least a year. I'm pretty sure it was the early 90s because they wrote about George Bush Sr. (I think he was a cover boy once.)

I'm feeling nostalgic and this would be quite nice to see again. Thank you in advance.

How to Submit Query to Magazine?

goalyeehah — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:44:21 -0800

How does one submit a professional query to a national magazine? I am a yoga teacher looking to submit some pieces to Yoga Journal for possible publication. I have never submitted a query before. What does this consist of and what is the best way to approach it?

Undercover is the night

heather-b — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:01:36 -0800

Do you know of any undercover nonfiction stories that don’t involve cops/detectives? I’m looking to read any magazine articles/books (not blogs) about how someone went undercover as someone else and wrote about their adventures: e.g., another profession. I really like what is revealed in stories like this. Much like here and here. Can you help?

Inked in my memory

alice ayres — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:28:53 -0800

Please help me find this magazine advertisement or tattoo/model. In the October 1997 issue of Teen or YM magazine with Jared Leto on the cover, there was a Calvin Klein advertisement that featured a model with a unique rose tattoo. The small tattoo was located on her shoulder or on her arm off right off her shoulder, and it was of a rose. The head/petals of the rose looked like an @ symbol. It was not the AOL rose tho ( @--->---). The stem was not like a typical thorny rose stem, and I believe a snake/serpent was wrapped around that part.

I don't recall any distinguishing characteristics about the model, but she was white.

Other things to note:
1) I am very certain about the issue, but as time passes, I am less certain about which magazine.
2) I have searched the online CK ads archive, but I think it is not complete. The ad was not in black and white, and it was not a celebrity model ad either. The feel of the ad was like this one, but I remember something about a purplish, reddish hue in the background like this one.
3) She wasn't standing, but I think she might have been laying in some contrived pose on water or a branch.
4) I have called the YM and Teen back issue departments, but they do not do back issues that far.

I'm crossing my fingers that someone, somewhere loves this model, Calvin Klein, Jared Leto, tattoos, or old teen magazines, and can help me identify this tattoo.

Can you identify this surf/skate mag?

jenh — Sat, 23 May 2009 20:25:34 -0800

Long shot quest for a surf magazine published in 1989/1990... The magazine was about surfing and probably also skateboarding. Articles I can remember were about the zen nature of wave riding, the Church of the Subgenius, and pica disorders. I picked it up on a newstand in Topsail Beach, North Carolina - probably 1989. I seem to remember it all being black and white, but not 100% sure. Anyone have any clues?

Trying to find a random photo

nitsuj — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:09:38 -0800

Longshot filter: Sometime in the mid-90s, Big Brother magazine ran a photo of a male skateboarder sitting on a bench or concrete wall, skateboard in hand, and a female next to him, kissing him on his cheek. Is this photo online? I think it was in black and white, if that helps! Either the male or female was blonde -- possibly both.

Who drew these????!?

ostranenie — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:00:48 -0800

Redux: I'm looking for the name of an artist who drew for Commodore Magazine in the 80s. Now with examples and a name (Baxter). His artwork was outrageous, intense, distorted, usually three- or four-distinctive-colored (example: black, blue, white) postmodern depictions of games or concepts. (The one that stands out in my mind was an article called "The Roar of the Grease, the Smell of the Crowd." I think it was a racing game you type in the code for to be able to play.) He did various other pieces around the magazine as filler pieces. Lots of high-contrast hard edges, jumps-off-the-page drop shadows, spirals, lightning bolts, implied movement/vibration and other frantic things.

I've never seen anything like it before or since. The closest thing would probably be Run Wrake's earlier stuff (the Gang of Four video and the FSOL video) but this Baxter's work made much less use of color and more out-of-control motion and general chaos in his technique. He also used a lot of patterns instead of colors.

But all that aside I love his work and if he's still drawing, I want to at least tell him that. I'm also looking for other artists that use similar techniques or even a name for this style.

The signature looks like "Baxter."

Thanks!

submitting stories to magazine. Help!

bluestocking — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:45:56 -0800

How do I go about finding magazines to which I can send a (non-fiction memoir) piece? Sources or specific magazine titles would be appreciated, as well as anything I may not know about magazine publishing. I'm trying to help a friend publish a short piece he wrote. I know nothing about the publishing world, so forgive my neophyte confusion.

I'm not too worried about the actual presentation of it; I feel like I can fake enough knowledge to contact editors, write a cover letter, etc. However, I don't know how to start the process. How can I discover magazines that might be interested in paying to publish this story?

Any help is appreciated.

Further info:

*I'd prefer print magazines, but would consider online (my friend is in his 80's, and is adverse to anything digital, but it isn't a deal breaker).
*The piece is a non-fiction memoir piece about life on a farm
*The piece is appropriate for a children's, farm, Americana, or general interest magazine.
*The payment doesn't have to be significant, but I want him to get something for it.

Thank you!

Who are the best feature writers out there?

reenum — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:21:10 -0800

Who are the best magazine and newspaper feature writers, past and present? I've been on a magazine and newspaper kick lately. I've gotten tons of articles by Michael Lewis, William Langewiesche and Jack Hitt. For sports, I love Gary Smith. I also like to read the in-depth articles put out by ProPublica.

Could you suggest others who write deep, delving pieces about a subject? The subject itself doesn't matter; I care more that the writer have the ability to engage a reader and explain a situation or subject in an interesting way.

Thanks!

Can you recommend a short fiction journal?

charlesv — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:30:48 -0800

Looking for short fiction journals. I am looking for recommendations for good short fiction journals/magazines. They can be monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, or whatever. Preferably more often than yearly. I enjoy short fiction but don't get nearly enough of it. I don't like having to go to the store and pick out an anthology at random. I want an expert to pick out some really good pieces and send them to me on a semi-regular basis.

I am thinking of starting with McSweeny's. Can anyone recommend for/against it?

This would be bedtime reading or airplane reading.

I am male, 31. Authors whose short fiction I like include Ted Chiang, David Foster Wallace, Richard Wilbur and Isaac Bashevis Singer. I am open to any and all suggestions, whether they carry nothing but homespun American tales or fantastic tales from another galaxy.

Please don't recommend The New Yorker. It bores me.