Free (DRM-free) The Magazine: Year One + Kickstarter [Culture & Science Articles]

[ATDrake]

Claiming tonight's 3rd feature ebook thread early, since I'm reminded that there's less than a day left for the associated Kickstarter that goes with this freebie, oops.

The Magazine: The Book (Year One) is a best-of compilation of 40 reader-selected articles from the now-defunct online periodical, which had a firm emphasis on mainly cultural phenomena and a few science/tech-oriented stories during its two years of publication.

There are nature exploration stories, gaming development ones, stuff on high-tech tools for farms as well as traditional farm life, the lost arts of letterpress and typewriter repair, the difficulties of nudist colony recruitment and parenting (separate difficulties, mind you); really, all sorts of things of perhaps esoteric but lovingly presented interest.

And if it does indeed turn out to be of interest to you, The Magazine (not to be confused with the Canadian kids publication of the same name) also has a current Kickstarter project to compile a complete archive of all 58 issues of their publication in e-book format, which is already fully funded (which I myself backed last week).

The Year One freebie sampler ebook can be gotten via direct download @ The Magazine's website (DRM-free ePub, Mobi, & PDF available worldwide), where you'll also find online reading links to any stories you might particularly want to share.

The Kickstarter project, which ends at 5 PM Pacific Standard Time today (March 4th), can be found here @ The Magazine: The Complete Archives, and a $20 USD pledge will get you a DRM-free ePub/Mobi/PDF bundle of the entire thing. It's already fully funded, and into the bonus stretch goals which include access to the planners' next publication about vintage technology.

While this may seem a bit pricey considering this is the Deals forum and we usually post (mostly fiction) bargains for under $5, please keep in mind that this compiles 58 issues worth of stuff (at at average of 4 articles + 1 editorial per issue, from the looks of their back issue archive listing), and also, this is fairly high-ish quality non-fiction reporting and essays, and it works out to just under 9 cents per, assuming 232 articles in total, and even if you assume a deep-discount subscription cost of 99 cents per issue, that would have still worked out to $58 for the lot.

The Magazine generously made 1 story from each issue free for online reading (full listing here if you care to browse), and here are some of my picks for the most interesting-looking ones which helped convince me to splurge on their project when I discovered their website last week:

• Blinded by the Light: A probe hurtling towards Mercury stops talking, as Messenger team member Chris Krupiarz recalls.
• How to Move a Wood Bison: The chutes, ladders, and waiting games behind a plan to restore a giant mammal to Alaska.
• Pilgrims’ Progress: A woman grew up repeating the past at Plimoth Plantation.
• My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Michigan: Can you really fall in love with someone who you’ve never met in person? What if they don’t exist at all?
• A Bicycle Built for Six: The Netherlands has elevated bikes far above cars in the transportation hierarchy.
• My Cup of Tea: The forgotten art of proper tea.
• Sint’s Abilities:A Canadian embraces a Dutch holiday tradition while keeping her own.
• Redshirts in the Coffee Shop: This cosplay is pretty serious.

And this has been the (advance!) selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

Because I completely forgot to post it sooner before I got the this-project-is-ending-now reminder aarghdammit! it's really nifty and I hope that a lot of people can at least enjoy the freebie ebook even if they happen to miss out on supporting the Kickstarter which they might have been interested in.

Which has Science! and Culture! and Cool Stuff! in it.

Enjoy!

Description
The ebook editions contain these stories:

A Beacon of Hope by John Patrick Pullen. A dying city glows with optimism over its plan for a giant lava lamp.

Clarion Call by Kellie M. Walsh. Original to the collection. Marian Call is an Alaskan musician who has built her career bit by bit through connections with fans. Marian is the perfect intersection of community, Internet, travel, and artistry that we look for in all of our articles and profiles.

Boldly Gone by Chris Higgins. Portland’s Trek in the Park reaches the end of its five-year journey to perform episodes from The Original Series. Photos by the author.

Everyday Superheroes by Serenity Caldwell. The mask isn’t coming off any time soon. Illustration by Jacob Souva.

Redshirts in the Coffee Shop by Gabe Bullard. Serious cosplay. Photos by the author.

The Everending Story by Kevin Purdy. The greatest video game sequel never authorized remains incomplete.

Choose Your Character by Brianna Wu. Faced with change, an all-female indie dev team evolves to a higher form. Illustration by the team.

Strange Game by John Siracusa. The lessons from the game Journey can apply to all of human endeavor.

Roll for Initiative by Scott McNulty. I cast a spell of +10 confidence. Illustration by Matt Bors.

Look Within by Lisa Schmeiser. The author examines her detachment during her pregnancy and her desire for more information. Photo illustration by Michelle K. Martin.

Just Desert by Colleen Hubbard. Africa, a devil, and Burning Man meet in Eastern Europe’s little desert. Photos by the author.

Down from the Mountaintop by Tim Heffernan. Derham Giuliani charmed the Southern Californian mountain ranges of their reptile and insect secrets. Illustration by Olivia Warnecke.

Summit Cum Laude by Christa Mrgan. The straightest path has pitfalls in life and hiking. Photos by Neven Mrgan.

Hoe Down by Cara Parks. Small-scale farmers have turned to high tech to invent the tools they need. Photos by the author.

Laid Out by Nancy Gohring. A hen’s egg-producing years are short; her life is relatively long. Photos by Joe Ray.

A Bicycle Built for Six by Lianne Bergeron. The Netherlands has elevated bikes far above cars in the transportation hierarchy. Photos by the author.

Three Strikes, You Shout by Philip Michaels. Moneyball documented a change in baseball, but not everyone has done their homework. Illustration by Jenn Manley Lee.

You Are Boring by Scott Simpson. Tell me more about your food blog, please.

Instant Memories by Maarten Muns. The Impossible Project has earned its name by re-inventing instant film for Polaroid cameras. Photos by Laura Muns.

A Ribbon Runs Through It by Erin McKean. When one sews one’s own clothes, the questions have a common thread. Illustration by Caty Bartholomew.

How to Make a Baby by Gina Trapani. The path to parenthood isn’t always straightforward.

The Paste-Up by Carolyn Roberts. The smell of rubber cement is her madeleine. Illustration by Jacob Souva.

The Wet Shave by Lex Friedman. A relaxing, rewarding, and self-indulgent morning routine.

Icecapades by Alison Hallett. Clear ice — ice without any bubbles — produces a slower melt and a lot of obsession. Photos by Pat Moran.

Wood Stock by Jacqui Cheng. A once-obscure bit of printing history on the shores of Lake Michigan finds rekindled interest. Photos by the author.

Tiny Furniture by Thaddeus Hunt. A smaller house expanded Tad and his wife’s view. Illustration by Dominic Flask.

Light Motif by David Erik Nelson. 
A pinhole lens cap finally brings infinite focus and undistorted images to digital cameras. Photos by Wade Patrick Brooks.

How He Met My Mother by Jason Snell. The unlikely sequences that lead to a new life. Photos by the author’s father.

Head Games by Carren Jao. A new species has emerged in the living room; what can we learn from him? Carren stalks the wily video-game developer — her husband.

Inkheart by Nancy Gohring. Letterpress printing has been revived as a craft after its commercial death. Nancy meets up with Carl Montford, the godfather of letterpress in Seattle, and a number of other people engaged in the art. Photos by your faithful editor, Glenn.

Carriage Return by Richard Moss. The last typewriter repairman in Melbourne, Australia, considers hanging up his tools. Photos by the author.

Mechanically Attached by Morgen Jahnke. A coin-operated museum proves common ground between a litterateur and a geek. Illustration by Naftali Beder.

Re-Enabled by Steven Aquino. iOS’s impact on those with impairments isn’t just a marketing slide; it’s profound. Steven explains his first-hand experience.

What Lies Beneath by Alison Hallett. Dwindling nudist colonies have trouble finding new members. Photos by Pat Moran.

Pinball Wizards by Brittany Shoot. Keeping machines in play, one location scout and data field at a time. Photos by the author.

Sink Your Teeth In by Julio Ojeda-Zapata. Nerdy pleasures deserve to be shared, especially when sweet or savory.

Flaws and All by Manjula Martin. John Vanderslice adores digital technology — except when it comes to audio. Photos by the author.

Code Dependency by Mark Siegal. A sculpture on the grounds of the CIA, Kryptos, presents an enduring mystery that resists solutions. Photos by…well, we can’t say.

Playing to Lose by Chris Higgins. How competitive Tetris players approach an unwinnable game. Photos by the author.

The Sound of Silence by Glenn Fleishman. America’s archive of audio recordings remains quietly out of range of hearing. Photos by the author.