Rockets Magazine no longer printed.

Hi Team. Just got an email the magazine is going to emag and no longer going to be printed due to cost. Just wondering what everyone thinks. I am glad we still have the mag but wish we would have had a choice. I would gladly pay the additional 20 % or what about going to 4 issues instead of 6 per year. I know it seems to be the trend today but there was something about sitting on the couch with the kid and seeing your buddies rockets in print revisiting it and something you can hold in your hand. I guess to me it was like getting the century or Estes catalog in the mail. I guess I am getting old. Larry W

Wow, what a bummer. I would also agree to an increased rate to continue to receive a printed magazine.

You can still sit on the couch with your kids, you just need a tablet to do so. :wink:

At least I was not screwed by them like a certain other publisher. I was given a credit to use towards purchase of DVD's or photos from their website.

I still like too hold paper in my hands.....guess it's a sign of the times....*sigh*:sigh:

If I had a Subscription I would be extremely miffed and Cancel it.
I collect and save Books and Magazines. They work even when the Power goes out.
An E-Zine is worthless after an EMP Event unless you printed it out beforehand.

Would like to hold the mag in my hands but I think the E-Zine is ok. Love the links to the videos! Can show my friends on a tablet, can't do that with paper. And I can lower the volume when I need to.......some will get it, all in fun. :eyeroll:

I am not a Rockets subscriber but I do not like e-publications as a rule and rarely read them. I am not a technophobe. I have a degree in electrical engineering and dearly love my computers and gadgets, but although I have a Kindle app on my tablet and like reading books on it occasionally, the magazines that I get come on paper. The ones that have transitioned to electronic formats simply don't get read. Paper sits next to my recliner (or other places) until I pick it up and read it (sometimes a little at a time), but generally I never seem to find the time to "pick up" electronic copies of anything. My church is doing the same thing with a magazine that I generally read (not always, but some of the time) and I doubt very much that I will read it at all in its new format.

For me, magazines need be on paper or not bother with the effort at all.

[edit] On the other hand, I subscribe to a couple magazines that offer and electronic "extended format" where you can dig deeper and find more information on articles of interest. That particular tool I find useful (though I don't use if often either).

I love print magazines. I like the fact, I CAN ARCHIVE IT, and when I need to review something, I have it at my finger tips. I have gone to websites to try and find past articles, that were in a printed magazine, and get the electronic run around. Even when you give the correct name of the article, you get this message, "Search found no results, try different key words or different search criteria". I know some of you have had the same problem when you go to search online for things.

But such is the modern world we share with the internet. If the U.S. were ever hit with a EMP event, we would all be lost without our phones, tablets or computers. That is our whole lives. Like women, you can live with them, but you can't survive without them.

goldlizard said:

I love print magazines. I like the fact, I CAN ARCHIVE IT, and when I need to review something, I have it at my finger tips. I have gone to websites to try and find past articles, that were in a printed magazine, and get the electronic run around. Even when you give the correct name of the article, you get this message, "Search found no results, try different key words or different search criteria". I know some of you have had the same problem when you go to search online for things.

But such is the modern world we share with the internet. If the U.S. were ever hit with a EMP event, we would all be lost without our phones, tablets or computers. That is our whole lives. Like women, you can live with them, but you can't survive without them.

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I'll Survive just fine without them.:wink:

This will probably have the effect to drive up the value of older magazines which were printed. If others follow suit, then it almost certainly will.

The email begins with

Dear Subscribers, Supporters and Friends,

We have concluded our latest production contract and have been advised by our printer that the price to produce the print version of the magazine will be going up 20%. Given this drastic increase and the ever increasing costs associated with mailing it has become cost prohibitive to continue with the print version of the magazine, without passing along the costs to our subscribers. Since we started the magazine eight years ago we have never increased the subscription or mailing price and as a result of the current circumstances we don't want to burden our loyal subscribers will an increase. That is the bad news.

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and then goes on to state where the ezine version will be available.

Yeah, I would have preferred to get 4 per year instead of 6, or pay the extra 20%, but I think that there is / was a problem then went deeper than just the printers. The magazine has been later and later getting to us, and over the last year, it has been like getting a unicorn appear in your mailbox; you knew that they were out there, but when was yours gonna arrive!!
If the move to ezine means that the publications appear on time, then isn't that at least one BIG step forward??
This move also loosens the constraints on what gets published. The last note i had from the magazine said that they had so much material stocked up, and so much new stuff coming in, that they were going to have to start skipping to catch up with the events that are happening NOW. Reading launch reports is nice, but reading about one that happened 13 months ago, in a magazine that just arrived? not so much.
I see fatter issues in the future as they burn through the backlog of articles that they have.

Best of luck to the publishers and all who sail on her!

My last issue was sub-par at best.
Allot of the pages failed to be cut correctly.
I know they had to switch printers / publishers not too long ago.
I used my credit for 2 DVD's
Trying to figure out how to download the latest issue?
It only seems to work on my phone for some reason??


JD

I'm good with the eZines. In many ways I prefer them. The best part, if I read it correctly is that the news online material is free. I am good with that too. I have the current issue on my desktop, works just fine.

I too will miss the print edition. Nothing like the feel of turning a page, or seeing two pages at a time, or the look of glossy print.

I have seen many good mags turn to digital only to then extinguish. I wish Rockets the best and will try to faithfully support them. Guess I need to buy a couple more DVD sets.

Kevin

They will reach more readers with the eZine, especially if it is free. It will be more current also since the production delay will be removed. Lastly, it could be more profitable because more eyes on ads make ads worth more. This is the way of the future. If you like paper, download it and print it yourself. I hope they choose to distribute it as a PDF.

Thank goodness it's not going away. I wish I could still read the paper version, but e-zine is much better than the alternative. In fact, in some ways, I am starting to prefer the digital versions of magazine. And, the PDF is easy to keep for future reading & reference. Knowing Bob a little since he sent me care packages in Pakistan for most of a year, he's just the nicest, most generous person--would be a shame to not have him still covering our pastime.

Rockets is dead...long live Rockets!

My church is doing the same thing with a magazine that I generally read (not always, but some of the time) and I doubt very much that I will read it at all in its new format.

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John-- I would have thought that your church would have subscribed to the cloud

SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda said:

I still like too hold paper in my hands.....guess it's a sign of the times....*sigh*:sigh:

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CONTROL P

I do not see any indication that it is free. April's edition in PDF format is $4.95 and 6 volume sets are listed at $24.95.

terryg said:

I do not see any indication that it is free. April's edition in PDF format is $4.95 and 6 volume sets are listed at $24.95.

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From the email they sent to subscribers:


The ROCKETS Magazine E-Zine will be free

When we experience an EMP, and our current society goes to ****, my biggest concern will certainly be my inability to go look at back issues of ROCKETS magazine.

Let's get real. If and when an EMP event happens, not being able to use a tablet will not be the most pressing issue in your life.

Not only is the e-zine going to be free, but I think they are planning to send it to ALL TRA members so it will get a wider readership.
I also really like to turn paper pages, but if this makes it every 2 months instead of 4-5, it will be worth it.

I don't get the mag but I still think it's a shame. I just read chapter 7 of the Grapes of Wrath the other day and I really took exception to the view of how the tractor is a dead thing and the guy that runs it doesn't care about the land... bla bla bla but then I realized I feel the same about books and "virtual" books. I HATE e-books but I admit I do have certain references in electronic format. There is something about the smell and feel of the paper and the physicalness off it I just love. I have 4 largish bookshelves here at home because I love books and paper. That's just too bad. Yes I love reading and browsing the net but that doesn't replace my books. Ever.
-Ken

What will I read in the bathroom!

Threemorewishes said:

What will I read in the bathroom!

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GT629O4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

-- Roger

I certainly prefer tech and have gone digital wherever I can. I love having all my books, magazines, etc. at my fingertips and with me on my iPad (or whatever) in an easily searchable format. Carrying around several bookcases that would fill a pickup truck is just not feasible.

I'm just waiting for them to take advantage of the platform. Right now, most are simply flat PDFs of the print version or some crappy e-zine proprietary format that will die soon anyway. Come on, use the tech! Let's have a digital magazine full of embedded videos, links to more info, spreadsheets, downloads, engaging displays! With the digital capability, the simple flat magazines of the past could be so much more....

Fred Garvin said:

I'm just waiting for them to take advantage of the platform. Right now, most are simply flat PDFs of the print version or some crappy e-zine proprietary format that will die soon anyway. Come on, use the tech! Let's have a digital magazine full of embedded videos, links to more info, spreadsheets, downloads, engaging displays! With the digital capability, the simple flat magazines of the past could be so much more....

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Kinda like the iBooks version of the TARC Handbook, perhaps? If you have an iPad or Mac, you can download the enhanced digital version of the Handbook for free:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/team-america-rocketry-challenge/id690083455?mt=11

I've only scratched the surface of the interactive capabilities of the iBooks Author format, and hope to add more interactivity to future versions of the Handbook, including video. It's free, so download and take a look, and use it to recruit kids for next year's TARC!

As an FYI, the traditional PDF version of the Handbook is available at this link:

https://www.rocketcontest.org/pdf/2014-Team_Handbook.pdf

James

Yes, getting there. I was thinking more along the lines of PADI's Digital Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving....but more up to date with today's digital lack of physical media and greater compression techniques.