New Scientist 12+

This is one of my favorite journals, so much so that I subscribe to the hard copy as well as online. Some years ago I discontinued owing to hassles related to logging in. I renewed here recently and — surprise — the same problem occurred again! The problem is that they have two email addresses for me and somehow the system chokes. This time around I think their *excellent* support has resolved the issue. We shall see. This is a popular magazine filled with articles suitable for laypersons and intelligent high school kids. I have a doctoral degree, but not in quantum physics or anthropology or math or other complex fields. Their writers are also excellent, with compelling accounts related to big ideas and world-changing science. They do their homework well. The magazine is thin, not like the old days when such publications were hefty. But if you love hands on, the high price is worth it. If you are on Apple News you can access it there as well. It’s also a WEEKLY publication, which is wonderful. I am a behavioral science guy, and the articles in my vast field are very well done and valuable. It easily earns five stars. This is not an academic science journal. It’s a popular magazine. Therein lies the greatness. It’s the science source for the rest of us.

The updated app is an all round massive improvement over the previous app. I have been reading NS back to back since I was a teenager, and after moving abroad I elected to skip the printed version in favour of the digital. This way it's always in my pocket and I evade the massive stack of finished editions. As happy I am with all the small improvements, one change from the old app, a reduction in usability is to me hard to forgive.

The app does not support landscape on mobile phones.

It does support landscape viewing on my iPad, so I can only assume it was a concious decision to restrict the switch to landscape on smaller devices. This seems to ignore the massive amount of phonecases that specifically make it easy to lay your phone down for reading hands free. I am now forced to prop my phone against objects just to be able to sip my coffee as I read. Thank god for my old iPad, but that doesn't travel with me and thus this oversight or uncomprehesable design decision takes away the only real advantage I saw to subscribing digitally. I guess I will be switching back to the printed subscribtion.

New Scientist is like talking to the smartest and most profound thinkers on my plane of existence. It’s all about profound thoughts and ideas that you can’t find talking to the people around you. It’s things that excite me and make me ask more questions! But try to explain this kind of excitement to anyone in you’re sphere of people and they smile and nod and get glazed looks in their eyes…

It’s refreshing for curious people and it’s mind bending! It’s just what I need when everything is hard and complicated in life and I need a more complex tangible reason why it is that way….Its my religion…

My most profound and powerful thought has always been that “In this life, in this plane and in this body…I will never know enough to explain the real BIG QUESTION!” But as much as I can, I’ve come through with a breakthrough that is profound, amazing, thought provoking and enough to settle my existential question. I was right all along!!! Hot Dog! I can die happy now!