Poptronics Is Gone???

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neilsmorr
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by neilsmorr »

I remember Electronics World (US), a really great magazine. I still have most of the issues I got in New Zealand until it died. I also used to get Electronics Australia (Australia - amongst other names), another great magazine which finally died a few years ago. I'm afraid most people are now operators of devices, and no longer understand or care what is in them.<p>Neil
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by neilsmorr »

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Neil:
I remember Electronics World (US), a really great magazine. I still have most of the issues I got in New Zealand until it died. I also used to get Electronics Australia (amongst other names), another great magazine which finally died a few years ago. I'm afraid most people are now operators of devices, and no longer understand or care what is in them.<p>Neil<hr></blockquote>
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haklesup
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by haklesup »

Neil- You're preaching to the choir here.<p>Have you ever noticed how long your stuff lasts and how soon those "operators" break theirs and ask you to fix it.<p>It's not just Poptronics. Many magazines have gone out of print last year. I think it's partly the internet stealing readership but it is also the loss of much of the advertizing $s since this is the first place many companies cut back. You know the end is near when the binding goes from perfect bound to staple (N&V excepted)
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by Dean Huster »

Actually, Popular Electronics/Electronics Now/Poptronics went from "stapled" to "perfect bound". I don't know that the binding is indicative of anything .... Good grief ... look how long Mother Earth News and Southern Living have been stapled!<p>However, Radio-Electronics did go from bound to a stapled format with their September 1990 issue -- no spine markings to read on a bookshelf and covers ripped off in mailing.<p>What you look out for are name changes and the "fantastic and wonderful" combining of titles: Electronics World (formerly Radio & TV News until May 1959) was combined into Popular Electronics in January 1971 (Popular Electronics including Electronic World) and then it disappeared (Popular Electronics only) in January 1974. In November 1982, Popular Electronics changed its name to Computers & Electronics and then died sometime toward the end of 1984 as I recall.<p>Gernsback bought the old Popular Electronics title and took their Hands-On Electronics that they'd been publishing and combined them together as Hands-On Electronics combined with Popular Electronics -- familiar move? That lasted three months and then it was just Popular Electronics again. Then with the January 2000 issue, Popular Electronics and Electronics Now were combined into Poptronics, which as we all know, died with the January 2003 issue along with Gernsback Publishing.<p>Radio-Electronics had a subheading under it's title in the late 1950s of "Television-Servicing-High Fidelity". That subheading disappeared with the June 1969 issue and with the July 1970 issue, the subheading was "For men with ideas in electronics". Well, in March 1974, they must've decided that wasn't PC, so changed it to "The magazine for new ideas in electronics." The subheading was dropped entirely again in March 1980 then reappeared for one issue (October 1982) just as it was. Then the next issue had it changed to "Computers-Video-Stereo-Technology-Service". <p>Here's what's really funny. In July 1992, the title changed to Radio-Electronics combined with Electronics Now. There hadn't been any Electronics Now at this point, so where did it come from? With that July 1992 issue, "Radio-Electronics" had a large typeface while "Electronics Now" had a small typeface. With the November 1992 issue, both "titles" had equal size typeface. Then in January 1993, "Radio-Electronics" had the small typeface and "Electronics Now" had the large typeface, but "Radio-Electronics" still lead the two titles -- weird. Then with the March 1993 issue, the new title was Electronics Now combined with Radio-Electtonics. Throughout 1993, "Radio Electronics" progressively gets a smaller and smaller typeface -- really funny! In December 1995, I guess the typeface got so small that it disappeared entirely so the title was officially Electronics Now. Then, of course, it was going in January 2000.<p>Modern Electronics was a really neat hobbyist magazine, emphasizing construction and not personal computers. Trouble is, it couldn't keep a publisher, going from Cowan to "Modern Electronic, Inc., to CQ Communications. I don't know the full publishing years of Modern Electronics. I have issues as early as February 1978 and as late as February 1991, but I don't have a clue as to its publishing history. Do any of you?<p>Dean<p>[ January 13, 2003: Message edited by: Dean Huster ]</p>
Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).

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MicroRem
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by MicroRem »

But what happened to Electronics Illustrated??
(I think it got absorbed by Mechanics Illustrated?)
Tom
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by Larry Lemieux »

Dean,<p>I think while Modern Electronics was published by CQ Communications, the name was changed to ComputerCraft and then to MicroComputer Journal in January 1994. In early 1996, the title was taken over by Bill Gates (Midnight Engineering), and was published somewhat sporadically until the end of 1999. It was then combined with his other publication,(Robotics Digest), and another that he was starting, (Internet Entrepreneur), into Midnight Engineering. As far as I know, there was only one issue published of the combined mag. The last time I spoke with Bill, (early 2000), he was publishing a regional real estate for sale magazine and a local city magazine, for the town he lives in. His intention was to keep Midnight Engineering alive, but I haven't seen any issues since the first "combined" mag in 2000.
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by Dean Huster »

That's Mechanix Illustrated, Tom. The writer in me always hated the way they spelled it, although I always liked Tektronix. Go figure. Electronics Illustrated was a bi-monthly publication and I think it just ceased to exist one day, much like Poptronics -- which by the way, is spelled "Poptronix" (grrrr) for their on-line, interactive version. I started reading and subscribing to it in May 1963 and my last issue on hand here is September 1972. I don't know when it started or when it stopped (I was in the Navy at the time and Mom didn't see much importance in renewing subscriptions to electronics magazines for me(another grrrrrr!). I don't see why it would have been absorbed by Mechanix Illustrated since they contained different subject matter except for the occasional electrical article a couple of times a year in MI. I only assume that they were same publisher. I know that Electronics Illustrated was Fawcett Publications. Was MI?<p>Well, Larry, if Modern Electronics changed its name to Computer Craft or Microcomputer Journal, that would explain why it died. It caught the dreaded Popular-Electronics-to-Computers-&-Electronics disease that is always fatal. The electronics guys don't want to see computer articles and drop their subscriptions. The computer guys are offended by the smell of solder flux vapors and they drop their subscriptions. And the magazine dies.<p>Dean
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Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).

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greg123
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by greg123 »

Interesting....<p>Does anybody know anything about the new poptronics website...Poptronix?<p>According to an email i just received from Larry Steckler, the new Poptronix site will be seperate from Poptronics Interactive. <p>If gernsback is gone, who will publish the site?
The reason i ask is because I just renewed my subscription to both the Magazine and The Interactive site before the demise. Larry mentioned subscribers will get somthing else for their money....i am not holding my breath.
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by Dean Huster »

Although Gernsback is gone, "Poptronix" is the new "publishing" arm that handles the on-line version .... well, it's no longer a version, now, is it? Apparently, that's the direction that Larry S. is taking for an electronics "magazine".<p>I've heard that they're negotiating with Nuts & Volts and Everyday Practical Electronics ("EPE") in the U.K. to pick up the remaining subscriptions that folks had to Poptronics. That would be a gamble on the part of the prospective periodicals, essentially tossing out freebies to these folks while hoping that the "subscribers" will renew their subscription to the new titles. I think it would be a gamble that would pay off for them, though.<p>Greg, holding your breath would certainly not be a good idea. I was told on two different occasions that "something wonderful is going to happen to the Gernsback website". The first time was the introduction of the interactive version. Wonderful? The second time was the demise of Gernsback. Wonderful?<p>Exhale now.<p>Dean
Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).

R.I.P.
vkluge
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by vkluge »

Free subscriptions to Nuts & Volts and EPE for subscribers to Poptronics? Gee... I was one of those who had just renewed their subscription to Poptronics in November (renewal for 2 years beginning March 2003). So much for being proactive and ordering ahead for an extended period. I was also a subscriber to Robotics Science and Technologies Magazine for 2 years and they went belly up after 8 issues. I believe that haklesup (above post) was at least partially correct in stating that the Internet is partly responsible for the demise of good technical publications. We are in a virtual "online library" these days where a word or phrase search on any topic can bring a multitude of pertinent articles and discussions to your screen in a matter of moments. People - to a large degree - don't want to pay for a publication that they might not have time to sit and read, when they can get the same info on the net. Or so they think. Unfortunately, most of them don't consider that the info on the web can lack validation and/or accuracy since there are no restraints to uploading.

As far as the free subscriptions - if that indeed came to pass - well, I already subscribe to Nuts and Volts and EPE... and Discover ... and Popular Mechanics and Popular Science and Circuit Cellar.... ( Hope my wife doesn't read this <g&gt ;) . I also had subscribed to the Interactive Poptronics. So additional free copies wouldn't be helpful. I enjoyed reading the ads in the magazines, but I hate getting swamped with Pop-up Ads when reading the online stuff - free or not!<p>Sorry to hear that you gave up on your magazine idea Dean, but it was probably the much safer and saner decision to make. I'll just have to look for your writing in other publications <s>.<p>Vince Kluge
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DAVID
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by DAVID »

i'm sorry to that poptronics is gone, in both forms.
god, it was good while it lasted.
but really, should we get all upset about it's demise? if you haven't subscribed to nuts & volts you should now. i don't think i could afford the postage for a mag out of australia, not that they aren't any good, but you know the cost ...<p>if you( i mean those who post) aren't afraid of oing to a engineering on-lone magazine, you can try [url=http://http:\\www.e-insite.net/ednmag]edn home page[/url]edn, which i think stands for "electronic design news". it appears biweekly on a thursday of every month, so the next on is jan.23rd.
most of the articles are in .pdf format,and you should pay attention to their "design ideas" column which has some good ideas.<p>anyay , i hope that sooths the angry i've seen over poptronics demise.
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by greg123 »

If you are still looking to reach the poptronics site, try this link: Poptronics Magazine<p>You can still get stuff from the FTP site, so all the downloadable stuff is still there, and so is the old issue content. <p>I know, i have a lot of time on my hands. <p>Dean, sorry to hear about your mag. It sounded really good.<p>[ January 16, 2003: Message edited by: Greg ]</p>
Timothy Rasch
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by Timothy Rasch »

I received my Poptronics January 2003 too. I should be getting February 2003 soon if their in busisness yet.I am worried too about my subscription. What magazine gets my mailing list now? will there be a refund for part of my subscription? Nuts And Volts seems the only magazine left in which I will keep on renewing.EPE magazine is hard to get in Green Bay,Wisconsin. I have bought some though. This is a very good magazine like Nuts And Volts. I have Popular Electronics dating back to 1969. Some circuits are still usefull while others parts are obsolete. Tim Rasch send email to [email protected]
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by bodgy »

You can subscribe to the PDF version of EPE from the US site.<p>Though I have to say I prefer paper copies as being easier to read. Yes I know I could just print it out - ig I had a laser printer I would do just that!<p>Colin
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Re: Poptronics Is Gone???

Post by Dean Huster »

Tim, you won't be getting a February 2003 issue. January 2003 was their last issue to go to press. The magazine usually ships out around the end of the month, so you should have received your January issue at the end of November. Do you see your February issue yet? Nope.<p>If (I say IF) the other magazines take up the subscriptions of Poptronics and you already have a subscription to "the other magazine", I'm certain that they'll append the issues to extend your subscription. If it gets duplicated, which is likely, just contact "N & V" and see if they won't combine the two subscriptions.<p>You guys are kinda making me sorry I bailed out of the new magazine idea, however I do have to be practical about it. I just have to figure out how to do something similar without all of the liabilities and lack of financial reimbursement! Like most of you, I'm really in love with the compendium format with loose-leaf pages vs. a bound format.<p>Dean
Dean Huster, Electronics Curmudgeon
Contributing Editor emeritus, "Q & A", of the former "Poptronics" magazine (formerly "Popular Electronics" and "Electronics Now" magazines).

R.I.P.
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