Web Designer - England - Incls CD-Rom

This is a must-read for the webmaster, web host, or web designer. It is chock full of reviews, articles, and tutorials that keep the web-head ahead of the pack.

Each issue has a CD with typically cool stuff...trial or full programs (both PC and MAC), add-ins for Adobe titles, website templates, graphics, fonts, and more. Heck, the software alone is worth the price of the mag.

I'm building quite a library of images, fonts, templates, and icons just from the CDs in the issues I've purchased.

Incidentally, this is a UK (British) publication. This explains (a) the high price, (b) the funky spelling of some words, and (c) the prices listed in pounds.

I suggest you buy a few issues from a local store to see if you're going to get your money's worth from a subscription. I happen to live about 60 miles from the nearest bookstore chain that carries this title. Driving time and fuel costs make a subscription worth it for me. (I want that disk!)

Enjoy!

Phoenix Home & Garden

I have subscribed to 'Phoenix Home & Garden' for many years, and I look forward to every issue. There are loads of useful articles about living in Arizona (or any desert environment) including realty, water conservation, and, of course, design. The magazine has great examples of outstanding Southwest architecture and design in every issue, though I wish they would talk more about sub-$1,000,000 homes. All in all, the text and articles are well done, consistently informative, and beautifully illustrated with outstanding color photographs.

The bad news about 'Phoenix Home & Garden' is similar to that for 'Architectural Digest': too many ads. The magazine is simply gargantuan and an enormous percentage of it is taken up with advertising, some of which is only tangentially related to the focus of the magazine. While the content of the magazine is quite good, it is very annoying turning through page after page of ads to finally reach the next article. This unfortunate trend makes the magazine much less reader-friendly, and is responsible for the reduction to three stars in my rating.

Phoenix Home and Garden is easily one of the best "home and garden" type magazines currently available. I highly recommend it to anyone with a flair (or even a modicum of interest) for design and a desire to live comfortably in a low maintenance home situated in ANY desert environment. They've left nothing out!

A typical issue might include several dynamic design solutions, i.e. for custom lighting, creative storage, etc.

In depth interviews with architects and designers who bring decades of experience to the table and offer hot new ideas for age old problems. Feature stories showcasing creative renovations or simple design solutions that bring life back to tired, sun baked Arizona homes are always full of wonderful surprises that range from easy do at home to the more difficult and challanging projects for professionals.

There are still more interviews with interesting people "in the news" and terrific stories about some of AZ's more facinating historical personages and locales. You'll find a variety of miscellaneous interest stories about upcoming exciting events to attend in Arizona. In fact, the last several pages of the magazine are dedicated to hundreds of listings (and contact information) for places to go, things to do, and people to see, including (but not limited to) benifits and fund raisers, wine tastings, and tours. There are pages upon pages of listings for the various theatre groups, opera performances, symphony and ballet performances, as well as numerous listings directed towards childrens performing arts. I particularly appreciate the listings for the exhibits and shows at the many museums and cultural arts centers. There are listings for special events, fairs, dance and music concerts and cultural festivals, including the much anticipated Sadona Jazz Festival (a personal favorite)! The featured artists and magnificant art exhibitions at the numerous gallerys and museums are also listed, sometimes with showcase insets to wet your appetite.

Awards cerimonies, marketplaces, planetarium shows, expos, golf tours, the list goes on and on.

Of course no desert home and garden publication would be complete without the requisite articles about the use of outdoor architure to capture and frame the scenic desert mountains, or the fabulous landscaping ideas that include low maintainence gardening tips (that everyone can appreciate). Even several of AZ's garden societies are listed with their contact information.

I always look forward to trying any of the dozens of recipes from some of Arizona's popular restaurants and world famous chefs. Hundreds of restaurants are listed by catagory, i.e. international, continental, french, italian, mexican, southwestern, asian, etc. You will also find a few schedules for cooking classes hosted by some of AZ's most prestigeous culinary schools and/or chefs.

Special editions, including the popular Physicians issue, are practical and extremely handy to have as convenient reference guides.

All in all, this is THE magazine!

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We purchased Phoenix Home & Garden as a gift for our daughter last Christmas. Our daughter is a designer in the Phoenix area, loves the publication and uses it frequently in her work. The last purchase was a renewal for Christmas 2008.

The only problem was a coordination issue between Amazon and the publisher. After renewing I received an email stating the subscription order had been received and the first issue should be received in October. The original subscription did not expire until January. I had to make a couple call to find out the transaction would have been handled as a renewal in spite of what the email said. I think such information should be made available at the time of renewal.

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Nice magazine. A little to early to see what future magazines are going to be like. But so far, so good.

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I am restoring a 1928 Spanish Revival home in San Antonio, Texas. This magazine often features the classic adobe style and a modern interpretation of this style, but I can often find great sources for materials to be used in my house, including light fixtures, doors, windows, etc... In the end, my house will not look like these homes, but I am continuing to purchase this magazine for the rich network of sources and ideas on its pages. Highly recommended.

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Idea : International Advertising Art

Don't purchase subscriptions from Amazon or Magazine Express.

The following are my experiences with a subscription to Hiragana Times from Amazon.

What this page doesn't tell you is that the Japanese magazines subscribed to on Amazon are filled by a company called Magazine Express and are shipped SEAMAIL from Japan which mean you'll recieve every issue 8 to 10 after it's released.

I placed my order in January and, to date, have not recieved a single issue. After several phone calls, the Magazine Express people (who fill the Amazon subscriptions) said they had to restart my subscription for the May issues which will take 8-10 weeks due to shipping issues. So after ordering in January, I will not receive a single issue of this uncancelable magazine until possibly in late July. Very poor service.

This is unacceptable for a magazine that most US Japanese bookstores (fujisan is one) can get within a week or that you can order directly from the publisher for only a few dollars more. If I had known the shipping policy I would not have ordered and the magazine supplier, Magazine Express will not cancel the subscrition.

I advise avoiding ALL Amazon magazine subsriptions due to their poorly stated policies.

**Update, I wrote this review in June. It is now July 8th and I've just been informed I must wait until August 15th to see if an issue arrives. I ordered the magazine on January 9th and I have had no resolution from either Magazine Express or Amazon who provides no way to contact anyone within Amazon about magazine orders. I reiterate, buying magazines from Amazon if a poor idea.

This is by far the best design magazine anywhere. The price might be daunting but, beyond being on the bleeding edge content-wise, issues are typically loaded with custom papers, finishes, a fold out poster, postcards, and other generally inspiring material. If you are tired of yuppie design rags and are looking for great work that spans an incredible range (every month), this is it. Not for "8 ways to better drop shadows" types. This is the real deal.

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I have read this mag thru and thru, and for some 20 + years now it has continued to be at the top of the crop. It is the most superbly laid out and designed magazine with excellant content,that I have ever seen. To be totally honest, I would much rather read and browse this any day over "Print" magazine. This is almost like a graphic design book, that just gets published every 2 months where the best designers in the world are given each about 30 pages to just go nuts on. I found it deep in the stacks of the university library one day and have been hooked ever since...also for those of you who can read/write japanese, german, and english you can have your pick while reading...

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Muscle & Fitness (1-year auto-renewal)

Muscle and fitness is a decent magazine. its like most all else out there. a bit slim, but good articles beyond just working out.

theres not magically gonna be a new bodypart that appears in a future magazine. you can only train the bodyparts you have. so all the posts saying "its the same articles, big chest, huge arms, etc"

those are the ones that might wanna start reading the articles a bit more than "judging a book by its cover.....or title spot"

reason being, i;ve read this since the beginning of highschool and am now a college graduate for three years now. over 10 years of reading this magazine and yea... its the same bodyparts mentioned in a certain rotation...

HOWEVER EACH ARTICLE HAS SHOWN DIFFERENT METHODS FROM MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

its like baking a pie people.... apple pie consists of crust, install the apples, bake,then eat.

however not every apple pie is made nor tastes the same.

if more people would quick bickering over the bodyparts covered (which are limited being that humans havent changed much over the past hundred years as far as bodyparts are concerned) and pay more attention to:

1) the nutrition studies

2) different methods and tips from various people to work a part

3) new breakthroughs in supplements and nutrition.

4) and perhaps the other nicknacks sections of new products outside the gym world

more people would learn more and less people would be out of shape in this country.

if you actually wanna read a magazine for articles different methods and nutrition studies, this is a decent one.

if you are one of the idiots who just look at pictures or article titles and ASSume its all the same and T&A then come to the conclusion without thouroughly reading, that the magazine is bad, go for a picture book instead.

This is how a subscription to muscle and fitness will go: Issue 1 -building a massive chest, Issue 2 -the secret to huge biceps, Issue 3 the secret to a massive chest, etc., ad nauseam. And, every other issue or so will treat some issue about weight training and bedroom performance. If this is what you are after, this magazine might be for you. But don't expect much in the way of cutting-edge science or research. Lift weights. Buy our supplements. Get bigger.

It seems like every other ad is pushing some new, state-of-the-art supplement that will give you the results of anabolic steroids without any of the adverse health effects. The before and after shots are a riot. The worst was a user that was soft and bloated on day 1; on day 3 he was well defined and cut, with a great tan to match!

Ultimately, the only way this magazine is going to help you is if looking at grotesque, chemically-enhanced physiques with sprayed-on sweat motivates you. Personally, I would be happy if I could build the muscle mass of some of the women bodybuilders featured in the magazine. (I could use the manly jaw line, too.)

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I can remember the day like it was yesterday; I was at Thrifty Drugstore and I glanced over the magazine rack. There was a copy of Muscle & Fitness. On the cover was a glossy color picture of Dennis Tinerino and some blonde babe. I was so incredibly impressed by that body! Hers wasn't too shabby, either.

I felt kind of embarrassed buying that magazine because I was, at the time, 6'1" and weighed 106 pounds. I had real long, blonde hair and so I had to be really careful not to stand in corners because people might've mistaken me for a mop and used me to try and clean their floors.

I remember reading that magazine cover to cover. It was pure inspiration which was sorely lacking in my personal universe at the time. I was 15 years old and I felt abandoned by life. I really didn't feel like I fit in anywhere.

But after reading that magazine, I dragged out my dad's old blue plastic York barbells and dumbells and his old Sears weight bench and set up a little place in the garage and started working out. At first, I didn't want anyone to know so when everyone was fast asleep, I'd tiptoe to the garage, turn on my Realistic Stereo from Radio Shack to three and workout from 1-2 in the morning.

This magazine really offered some great advice at the time but what I really liked were the pictures. Bodybuilding wasn't the 'freakshow' that it is today. There were some massive guys, but there weren't guys walking around at 300lbs with 25" biceps. Bodybuilding back then still had style and class. I immediately took a liking to Frank Zane. He wasn't super huge, but his body looked like it was sculpted from pure granite. One time the Mr. Olympia was on ABC sports and I used the Beta-tape player (remember those?) to tape his posing routine. Every morning and every night I watched that tape until it literally disentegrated from so much viewing.

I finally "went public" with working out because people began to notice that something was different. In fact, I got to play on the football team instead of being used as a yardage marker. Muscle & Fitness was still my Bible and I ordered all kinds of Weider related products. I once saved up my allowance for a month to get a container of chocolate 'gain weight pills'...I bought them because the same guy that was oin the cover of the first M&F I bought, Dennis Tinerino, was also peddling these. I thought for sure that if I took those pills, I'd look like him in another six or seven weeks.

God, those pills were awful.

I graduated from the garage to a real gym when I was 16 and I kept making progress. Bodybuilding took over my life. Even though my self esteem improved somewhat, it was hard to let go of all those mean and horrible things other kids used to say to me. I thought if I could just get to 160lbs...if I could just get to 175lbs...if I could just get to 200lbs...then I would be happy.

But I was never happy.

I started taking steroids right after I graduated high school and I still wasn't making the gains I wanted to.

One night, in a "roid rage" I was involved in a pretty horrible car accident. My right arm was almost completely torn off. My arm was spared but I was despondent because I couldn't go to the gym.

When I was finally able to go back to the gym, I returned to the same old tricks. I began to notice that Muscle & Fitness was saying the same old thing. I began to get really disillusioned about bodybuilding. I stopped lifting altogether. I distanced myself as much as possible from the sport.

About ten years ago, I gradually got back into it. Not to where I once was, but I decided to make it fun and have a good time doing it. I even bought a copy of M&F....

Same old stuff. I mean, all the people that are in the magazine now are different, but it's the same old stuff that I read 25 years ago. The 'champions' now are HUGE and grotesque. There are people like Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman who are weighing close to 300lbs at 5'11".

What the hell, man?

I think what really gets me now is all the advertising. You are paying six bucks for a magazine that is 80% ads. The ads these days even 'disguise' themselves to look like training articles, but they're still ads.

My suggestion is to look on e-bay and maybe buy some older versions of the magazine. Give yourself the opportunity to look at the 'golden days' of the sport. Yes, steroid use was happening even back then but it wasn't so obviously blatant as it is now.

Working out should be fun. I believe that the more fun it is, the more productive you will be. I know I'll never be Mr. Olympia, but so what...I won a bigger prize...I won my own self-appreciation.

Here's hoping you appreciate the gift that is the body.

Peace and Blessings,

john 'the Light Coach'

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First off I suscribe to the Magazine. I personally Enjoy reading it. I agree there are alot of advertisments, but this is a commerical publication and has about the same ad as other magazines.

Now, This Magazine is not for Beginers, Or Novices, For people who focus soley on Natural bodybuilding, Nor Is it for Athletes who competively plays sports. This Magazine focuses On a specific demographicPowerlifter, Bodybuilders and enthusists Of the sport/art. It also focues and reaching goals through legal supplements and drinks. The excerises and routines In the magazine, or geared towards people with intermediate to advance knowledge of lifting.

I DO NOT recommend this magazine for anyone starting out or wants a natural path to bodybuilding. I DO recommend this for those individuals who are competitvely bdoy building and those who have a good base of knnowledge on Lifting

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I have been reading this mag off and on for the past 20 years. As other reviews have said, I think I am just reading the same tired old stuff from three or four issues ago. "Big Guns!" "Huge Chest!" "Massive Gains!" These seem to be the ones you'll see featured about every other month in here. As for adds? Don't get me started on adds! When half of your magazine is adds, it spells trouble. Not only that, they need to specify to people who may not already know, "This mag's training tips are for people who do not work for a living and can spend 6-8 hours a day in the gym, eat 8-10 meals a day and spend MASSIVE amounts of cash on supplements." In other words, people with no real responsibilities other than taking care of their physiques (Which as far as jobs go, that's a great one to have). I teach all day and into the night, literally, for me to eat and train like they require, I'd have to quit my day job, sell my kids into slavery, and become a homeless person. In which case I'd have no money to have a gym membership. I think you get the idea.

On the positive side, the photos are awe-inspiring. Also, to be realistic, it's a mag that has been around for decades upon decades. How many different ways can you say, "Lift heavy, eat like a horse, and train like you have no other responsibilities in life"? It just becomes repetitive any way you slice it. My recommendation would be to buy an issue or two every decade or so. Buy January's "BIG GUNS" issue, and then February's "HUGE CHEST". Then wait a decade and repeat.

Good luck!

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Sporting Classics

If you like the writings of Robert Ruark, Gene Hill, or Gordon MacQuarrie, you'll love this magazine. It contains stories about fishing and hunting and is a real throwback to when America loved the sporting life. There are typically a dozen stories about deer hunting, duck hunting, big game hunting, fly fishing, deep sea fishing, firearms, and a host of other related subjects. One thing that I love about this magazine is that the stories encompass a wide range of hunting and fishing experiences. There are simple tales of duck or deer hunts or small-stream trout fishing in which I could do/participate in myself, lots of tales of hunting and fishing as a youth learning life's lessons, and some stories about safaris for big game and other worldwide type hunts that most of us can only dream about. The quality of the writing varies over a wide range, some stories much better than others, but all are worth reading. This magazine has sort of an elitist aura around it, and many of the advertisements are for very expensive firearms or guided hunting and fishing trips to exotic locals that I'll never be able to afford. If that is your thing, great, if not, so what? I wouldn't let this prevent you from subscribing if you like outdoors stories. America seems to have largely forgotten our sportsman's heritage and the literature of Ruark and his contemporaries disdained by an ignorant masses. This magazine is the antidote. A copy or two of this magazine given to an anti-gun fanatic may help to explain to them the allure of hunting, the outdoors, conservation, respect for the land and the animals, and gun ownership. A great magazine, I wish there was more like this available.

I couldn't agree more with Utah Blaine's review. My only problem with this publication is the depressed feeling I get as I reach the last page, knowing I'll have to wait another 8 weeks to enjoy it again. If you really enjoy outdoor writing (not hook-and-bullet, horn-and-fish porn) read the big three...Gray's, Sporting Classics and Shooting Sportsman.

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I love this magazine and that is why I subscribed to it. BUT, in an email I was told that it would be 12 to 14 weeks before the first issue arrived. THAT'S A LONG TIME TO WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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really liked the magazine, the articles and the pictures are just what I want to read about, and get "lost" in. l look forward to seeing the next issues each quarter.

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Outdoor Photography

I started a subscription to Outdoor Photography last year at the recommendation of a friend. Despite the high price to receive this publication in the US, I feel it is worth it. For those of use who are used to reading fluff reviews and having 75% of the content in our magazines be product advertisements, Outdoor Photography is a refreshing change. The majority of this magazine deals with real photographers (especially amateurs) taking real photographs and the challenges along the way. Not only that, but the images in this magazine are top-notch. I enjoy reading product reviews where the reviewer isn't afraid to mention the weaknesses of a product along with its strengths. While the locations center around the UK, the techniques presented are universal.

This magagine is full of great aritcals and photos. I have learned a lot from every issues I have bought. I like to keep the issues I buy to use as a referance to use again in future. The only draw back to this magazine is the price, I think it is around $12 US Ouch I know! (it is printed in england). Although the price is high for each issues I think the magazine is well worth it becuase this magazine is not filled with 2/3rds full of advertisemnts and photo equipment store. if I want to buy equipmnent to do so on line. with other popular photo magazines we all see on every magazine stand every day if you are luck maybe get ONE good artical you can maybe learn form. Treat you self, buy an issue of Outdoor Photograpy (Not to be confused with Outdoor Photophpher although I like that magazine also, but that is a differnt magazine). If you enjoy learning new techiques and see great photos you won't be sorry you bought and issue of Outdoor Photograpy, you'll probably buy more issues like I did. I enjoy it so much I decided to buy a subscription to Outdoor Photograpy. Happy photo taking!

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(#1 REVIEWER)This used to be one of my favorite magazines, the photography is beautiful, but I recently stopped the many years of subscriptions because I felt it became rather repetitive. And given the price I decided it was not worth it for me. So maybe in a few years, I'll get another 1-year subscription. But a multi-year deal like I did before will not be in the future for me.

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I subscribed to this mag several months ago, and have deep regrets (even at the vey much lower UK price). In short the magazine is very insubstantial, full of padding, badly designed and limited in scope.

The first copy that I received contained what purported to be a review of the Olympus E3,in truth it was nothing more than a quick stroll around the block, after taking it out of the box. Large indifferent photos to demonstrate white balance etc, very little on picture quality, and a half page `jargon buster' to tell us what `camera shake is. An insult to the intelligence of an 18 year old, let alone anybody very much older. In fairness the more recent test of the Sigma compact was very much improved.

The design of the magazine is a mess. Classically elegant areas of text and photos have been jettisoned as an idea, by the "designer", in favour of a mish mash of graphic trickery, with text on photos, and a most discordant appearance. Trying to read text with all this peripheral `noise' is impossible. Good job the text is in bite size chunks, and rather prosaic anyway. Reproduction of images suffer from having their hue and saturation being `photoshopped' to within an inch of their lives ---to give a very odd and unrealistic appearance.

Finally, given the infinite scope of the magazine title, the editors seem most reluctant to step outside of the UK. European towns, cities and wilderness are of infinite variety and beauty, before even thinking about America.

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Muscular Development

Muscular development is one of the better magazines out there on the subject of body-building, but although the average issue is almost an inch thick, there are usually only 10-20 pages of worthwhile content. Don't get me wrong. The content in those 10-20 pages is great. Very informational and entertaining to read. Great health and sex tips as well as nutrition and training information. Where this magazine goes very wrong is the advertising. While nearly all magazines are going to have advertising, Muscular Development goes way overboard. Many of the advertisements are 6-10 page ads that appear to be an actual article, but are just an oversized advertisement for the latest and greatest label on the same stuff every other company is selling. While the advice in every magazine is very good, they allow advertisements that completely contradict the information inside. The magazine comes off as hypocritical in that sense.

Although Muscular Development has the best content of any of the body building magazines, the excessive ads forced me to cancel my subscription.

Living overseas with the Army, we have an option of about 5 or 6 men's fitness magazines. This is by far the best of them that I have read and am now a devoted follower. There are changes I would love to see happen. I would like to see fewer advertisements that look like articles. All of the fitness magazines are owned by a pharmaceutical, but the ads I see most in this mag are not by the same people who own it. Of course they do what is best for the bottom line. Lately, they made a change of not requiring that their fitness girl is a DD. That is great because fake women are worse than bodybuilders on synthol. They have the best articles. I believe FLEX has better coverage of the sport, but the scientific research in this magazine is by far what makes it sell. The staff is knowledgeable and honest about the sport and the science backing their claims. I highly recommend this mag to all men who are serious about bodybuilding and fitness who aren't procrastinating by sitting on their asses waiting for a special pill to come along.

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Some people may not want to hear the truth about professional bodybuilding, like the guy who gave this magazine 1 star. To people like him I say continue living in your fantasy world and go read Muscle and Fitness. There you can keep believing that the pro's get to be 280 @ 3% body fat by using creatine. As for the rest of us who do not live in the land of Oz we can all benefit from the no-nonsense scientific articles put forth in Muscular Development. This is THE BEST magazine to read if you really want to know how to get freaky big. The beginning of the magazine is filled with excerpts from various medical and scientific journals and the articles that follow give you some great advice on `roids, supplements, contest prep, dieting and training. By far the best magazine in the business.

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Sorry, if you are looking for fitness models, look at mens fitness or the "new" format of Muscle and Fitness "the GQ of Fitness magazines".

This is in your face, hardcore professional bodybuilding at it most pure.

If you don't like frank discussions of real bodybuilding, buy something else.

Unfortunately, now that the "National Inquirer" has bought Weider productions, there are very few real bodybuilding magazines available.

IE, if you've never puked, or almost puked, after a heavy leg day, you probably just won't get it. Buy "Men's Health" and worry about what cologne you're wearing to the gym instead.

If you're really into it, this ones gotta be on the list with Int'l Musclemag and the "occasional" good copy of Flex.

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I've been lifting weights for over 25 years. Read well over 100 books, subscribed to every muscle mag out there. Been there, done it all.

I did not need any of these mags to put on muscle, so you don't either.

I do like this magazine. It is kind of hardcore and definitely is written for the 'juice head' type bodybuilder. And that is fine. However, this rag is filled to the brim with ads and product promo BS, just like every other mag out there. And that is fine too. But don't try to hustle me out of $50!!!!!!

Everyone knows the game with magazines these days have high subscriptions validated by REAL billing addresses so they can sell ADVERTISING space and make the real money! Mags do not make profits with subscribers, the profits come from ADS! That is why Muscle and Fitness can be found for as cheap as $5 for a whole year subscription! They want to keep the numbers high to sell ads and product to the readers.

Muscular Dev is no different but they are just sticking it to the subscriber by charging $50. Their market is mostly the 14 to 25 year old idiots that still believe PRO level bodybuilders do it NATURALLY without roids and won't hesitate to give over $50 cause mommy and daddy are still housing and feeding them.

I like this mag, but the price is a complete and total rip-off!