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

[Ivan Vegvary]

Just received the current copies of the above 2 mags. Almost 20 pages shorter than previous issues. Articles are being duplicated from one to the other. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
Feature columns like 'Smiley's Corner' are gone along with 'Questions/Answers' from readers.
I know they are sister publications so possibly drastic reduction in staff?
Ivan Vegvary

 

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016 10:37:49 -0800 (PST), Ivan Vegvary
<ivanvegvary@gmail.com> wrote:

Just received the current copies of the above 2 mags. Almost 20 pages shorter than previous issues. Articles are being duplicated from one to the other. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
Feature columns like 'Smiley's Corner' are gone along with 'Questions/Answers' from readers.
I know they are sister publications so possibly drastic reduction in staff?
Ivan Vegvary

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

 

[Michael Black]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016, Ivan Vegvary wrote:

Just received the current copies of the above 2 mags. Almost 20 pages shorter than previous issues. Articles are being duplicated from one to the other. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
Feature columns like 'Smiley's Corner' are gone along with 'Questions/Answers' from readers.
I know they are sister publications so possibly drastic reduction in staff?
Ivan Vegvary

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

 

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016 16:02:08 -0500, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca>
wrote:

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016, Ivan Vegvary wrote:

Just received the current copies of the above 2 mags. Almost 20 pages shorter than previous issues. Articles are being duplicated from one to the other. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
Feature columns like 'Smiley's Corner' are gone along with 'Questions/Answers' from readers.
I know they are sister publications so possibly drastic reduction in staff?
Ivan Vegvary

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

 

[John Larkin]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016 10:37:49 -0800 (PST), Ivan Vegvary
<ivanvegvary@gmail.com> wrote:

Just received the current copies of the above 2 mags. Almost 20 pages shorter than previous issues. Articles are being duplicated from one to the other. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
Feature columns like 'Smiley's Corner' are gone along with 'Questions/Answers' from readers.
I know they are sister publications so possibly drastic reduction in staff?
Ivan Vegvary

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


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc
picosecond timing precision measurement

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[Tim Wescott]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016 10:37:49 -0800, Ivan Vegvary wrote:

Just received the current copies of the above 2 mags. Almost 20 pages
shorter than previous issues. Articles are being duplicated from one to
the other. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
Feature columns like 'Smiley's Corner' are gone along with
'Questions/Answers' from readers.
I know they are sister publications so possibly drastic reduction in
staff?
Ivan Vegvary

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
11 tablet plus a Calculus book in some 'lectronic book format is going to
be cheaper than the gawdaful price that my kids are paying for Calculus
books, and then the bottom will fall out of that market, too.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

 

On Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 3:21:10 PM UTC-8, Tim Wescott wrote:

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016 10:37:49 -0800, Ivan Vegvary wrote:

Just received the current copies of the above 2 mags. Almost 20 pages
shorter than previous issues. Articles are being duplicated from one to
the other. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
Feature columns like 'Smiley's Corner' are gone along with
'Questions/Answers' from readers.
I know they are sister publications so possibly drastic reduction in
staff?
Ivan Vegvary

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
11 tablet plus a Calculus book in some 'lectronic book format is going to
be cheaper than the gawdaful price that my kids are paying for Calculus
books, and then the bottom will fall out of that market, too.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

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