"Nuts and Volts" and "Servo" in decline?

A while back there was a mention of some friend of Smiley that died and his column went away shortly thereafter. I looked online and haven't found out why. Eric

But what state is it in otherwise?

Every so often I check the nuts and volts website, and all they throw at us immediately is a sort of blog, which seems to duplicate the "Make" party line. It does not give an appealing image of the magazine, especially given they've been around before "Make" was a glimmer in someone's eye.

Michael

I liked the old format of the magazine, when it was physically larger and not so slick. But I do like the new version too. I tried Servo when it was first published but Servo is really aimed at a different crowd, more of the "Make" type crowd. The servos I deal with are the type used in machine tools. Though I am working on a thumb for my backhoe that will incorporate a hydraulic servo cylinder so that the thumb will move with the hoe. No electronics involved. I can see why Nuts and Volts is the way it is but there is a recent article about tubes and since I am feeling like building a tube amp, just because I want to, because they look cool to me, I am hoping there is an article soon about building a tube amp. Eric

EDN and EE Times sorts of mags are either pitiful or gone.

All print media is in decline. Pretty much everything either needs to transition successfully to the web (with a very different publication model), or die.

Textbooks, at least, seem to have some life, but at some point an 8-1/2 x

I flip through EDN and then pitch it. They send me renewal notices every month or something. With threats they will cancel.. I wish they would! It's been going on for years! Maybe 3-5 years ago I tried to renew it.. I filled out their questionnaire, and they said I didn't qualify for free delivery. (I figured that would be the end of it...)

George H.

It's a constant battle to try to cancel NASA Tech Briefs; they keep restarting it. I comes in a plastic bag so to properly recycle it, you have to unwrap the stupid thing first.

The microwave and optics mags are still fat, have decent articles, and are worth browsing. "High Speed Electronics" is OK, sort of a hybrid.

Electronic Design is a sad farce. They will post any nonsense as an "idea for design" and the mag is so thin it practically floats away.

I browse the semi web sites (TI, ADI, LTC, etc) and check their new product lists, to keep up. The Digikey new products flyer is worth looking at.

Any chance your kids can get the ISBN of the textbooks and then buy them from Amazon? Usually they're cheaper there than from the school bookstore.

Michael