A casual place for banter and anything that doesn't fit in anywhere else.
Have chat and a natter. Talk about anything and everything.
Keep it casual.
Here:
Elsewhere:
suggestions because i think they're well written, no political inclination intended - always read a broad range of opinions
The Economist (I find the whole thing a bit too much, too niche, but for core articles it's very well written and sourced)
Readers Digest - fantastic variety of short human-based stories
National Geographic - same
Spectator - for a certain point of view
Guardian Weekly - for a certain point of view
If you're into music production, I find Computer Music & Future Music both to be interesting enough to keep me looking at them
Others people have already mentioned in Private Eye & New Scientist
Might fall foul of your 'not too heavy' politics requirement but I love my Private Eye subscription.
It's one of two magazines I still buy; the other being Viz comic, the other end of the spectrum.
I used to enjoy Fortean Times too; not sure whether the quality of the articles declined, or if my tastes got more refined. Probably a bit of both
The Guardian does a weekly magazine of their long form articles. I’ve impulse bought it a few times when going on long journeys and it’s very good.
I’ve considered subscribing but it’s £18 per month (discounted from £27 for the 1st year) and that’s a lot for me.
Oh neat, that's one I've never really considered but it sounds ideal!
The subscription lets you use the App ad free and some other bits like their food guide, and most of the time it’s real journalism without the usual right wing bias… which apparently makes it left wing… but to me it’s just center/apolitical.
This is likely to be an unpopular suggestion because of who it is and it being a paid service, but Apple News+ has actually got me back into reading magazines for the first time in at least a decade.
I’m already locked in to Apple because of all the family’s devices, so I pay for Apple One which covers all the family’s music and storage subscriptions etc, but one of the elements I get more use of than I ever expected are the magazines available as part of News+.
There’s a ton of them available such as National Geographic, Time, Empire, New Scientist etc, which I regularly read. Probably better experienced on an iPad rather than a phone due to the format, but it’s been great to have access to all of them without having to buy a physical magazine, although that may actually be what you’re after.
There’s a list of the publications here, some of which are crap, but a lot of which are things I would read if they were to hand on a coffee table.
Anyway, the reason for the recommendation is, there’s a lot of choice, and since it’s essentially a paid subscription to all of them, you can easily sample some and see which publications appeal.
Options:
Best bet might be sampling a few and see what tickles your fancy.
Note that New Scientist was acquired by the Daily Mail in 2021...
I hadn't considered the BBC ones, that's a good suggestion. I like the sound of Prospect, but unfortunately it doesn't appear to be available via my library - perhaps once to buy physically if I see it around. Thank you!
Yes, the library is a good option for testing out a lot of magazines before you commit.
Fortran Times is less entertaining read than Fortean Times!
First seven characters are comments, for sorting the cards automatically if you drop them on the floor, obviously. Strictly 80 characters per line.
This guy Forteans.
Spellchecker! I thought I had you properly trained!
I can second new scientist, I don't get a copy often anymore but it's still a great magazine
Does your local library membership include electronic magazines via an app like PressReader? Mine does and there are a ton of free magazines of all genres. In general they have the last three months worth of issues and it might help you find one you like before you buy a paper copy (if indeed that's your style). Subscriptions are nearly always massively cheaper than buying in the shops.
I particularly enjoy Uncut, as being the best of all the music magazines IMHO. One of the only ones I read cover to cover is Linux Format. And I have a subscription to Retrogamer, but to be honest that's not very good anymore and I won't be renewing it.
Yes my local library does have PressReader and I was thinking of checking out the magazines that way like you say :) There are a huge number of options on there though!
It's a shame that Retrogamer has fallen in quality. Do you know of any other gaming magazines that have pieces worth reading?
I find about 20-25% of Retrogamer still worth reading. I wonder if it's as much because it feels like they are retreading old ground or dredging up obscure and not especially interesting content.
Sadly Wireframe is no more, that was my favourite magazine of the last few years... I enjoy Switch Player and Debug Magazine, but these are both boutique low run mags that you need to order directly. I don't rate the mainstream gaming magazines much, to be honest.
Debug sounds interesting. Looking at the website, it sounds like it focuses on upcoming indie games? Is it long form content, or mostly previews/reviews?
It's mostly reviews, previews, short features and interviews. Quite traditional. Issues 1 and 2 are free to download as PDFs on their website if you want to check them out.