What's On You Coffee Table

[Alawicious]

What’s on your Coffee Table?

As I sat here this morning waiting to go home, I passed the time reading articles from one of my favorite online magazines. It’s amazing how things change. There was a time when we waited every month for the new issues to arrive at the news stand or in the mail. Now we’re only a click away from just about every magazine on the planet. However, if you still want to wait anxiously every month for the latest issue to come out, there are still printed copies available.

As I pondered these thoughts this morning, it got me thinking. Wondering actually, about the types of reading materials that grace the shelves, desks, coffee tables and yes even the bathroom counter of those here on the Board. What do you read to stay up on current events, fads, new innovations, and ordinary living? Here’s a few I grew up on. Some were subscriptions others were not.

The earliest recollection I have of buying magazines goes back to my early childhood, and every child’s favorite magazine was the comic book. My favorite was DC Comics. I loved the action stories of superheroes in far away places on far away worlds and even in my own back yard. Superman was my all time favorite hero. Even today and I still follow his story on the television series Smallville.

Once my fantasy appetite had been satisfied, I moved on to something a little more real with Popular Mechanics. I didn’t have a subscription, but my uncle had one. And when we visited I would bury myself in one after the other. I would read stories of concept designs and new ways of doing old jobs. One in particular I remember was the scissor-winged aircraft. It was supposed to revolutionize air travel. Apparently it never took off because I’ve never seen one in the air.

Another magazine called Popular Electronics held my attention as well. I liked this one better than the other “Popular” magazines because I was fascinated with how electronic gadgets worked. Everything from toaster ovens to stereo equipment mesmerized me because they had no moving parts to speak of yet they did all these cool things. I remember reading about these guys out west who were building strange devices in their garage. If it worked, it would be the coolest thing ever invented. I can’t remember what they called then, but now we call it the Home Computer. If only I knew then what I know now things would be different. Oh well life goes on.

Speaking of life, there was Life Magazine. This magazine used pictorials rather than articles to convey things happening in the world at the time of publication. I don’t remember too many of these, but I do remember seeing just one particular issue called “A Year in Pictures” (for a year somewhere in the mid seventies). The reason this particular issue stands out is one photograph. It was a picture of a little girl who couldn’t have been be more that six years old. The backdrop was either a desolate famine stricken land or a war torn country. Considering the era and the times, I would say it was the latter. She had this incredible look of sadness in her eyes, yet she was calmly watching the chaos unfold around her. I never will forget that picture.

Pictorial magazines have been around since the dawn of magazines themselves. None stand out more or bring more excitement to young boys and men than what old-timers call the “girlie” magazine. Erotic images, mostly of women, have been around as long as there have been cameras. My first experience with this came when I found one called Cavalier. I remember well, the blonde cover girl standing near the window with nothing on but a string of pearls. The pictorial was tastefully done similar to the well known publication Playboy. There are literally hundreds of magazines like this but if I subscribed to any of them it would be one of the two above. However out of respect for my wife, I choose not to. The reason being, if I spend my life imagining my body next to airbrushed babes from the magazines, she spends the same time comparing herself with them. This is true for most women.

I just read that the other day in the magazine that started this article, Men’s Health. I first discovered this magazine online reading an article “Eat this not that” as I was trying to learn ways to eat a bit healthier. When I found the site, I found a wealth of information on diets, exercise, healthy living, and even a buyer’s guide on everything from phones to bikes. If you haven’t read it, you might find it interesting.

The latest addition to my coffee table is called Sport Rider. It’s a magazine that covers all things motorcycle, specifically sportbikes. You see, I have been infected with an incurable ailment causing uncontrollable desires to feel the wind rush over my body and at times defy the laws of physics. The only fix to my problem is taking my bike out on twisted mountain roads. It’s quite exhilarating but only temporary, so I have to keep doing it over and over again. Oh woe is me! Being new to the sportbike scene, I figured I had a lot to learn about the ins and outs of proper riding etiquette and the subscription was brought to my attention by a friend on a sportbike message board. The issue has just arrived so I’m off to check it out.

There are tons and tons of magazines out there covering every topic under the sun and I’m sure whatever you’re interested or whatever you’re curious about, there’s a magazine that covers it. The publications mentioned here is just the tip of the iceberg. They’re everywhere from the doctor’s office to the quick lube shop and thousands of others online. That being said, will the printed publications fade like the evening sun giving rise to a new age of reading online magazines? I would think not. For if they did what would we do to pass the time in waiting rooms of the doctor’s office or quick lube shop?


Safe Journey
Mark

[acalliste]

I remember waiting for the next issue of Motorcyclist to come out so I could see what was new, back before there was the internet.

Now I only buy motorcycle magazines if there is something on the cover that catches my eye, or if I think I'm going to need something to read while I'm somewhere I can't use my blackberry (middle of nowhere or a plane trip).

Right now, my coffee table has a special issue of Time that looked interesting in the checkout line at the grocery store, but that I haven't had time to read yet; and a copy of a 15 year old book on the credit/debit card industry from work. And a vortex screw-on gas cap.

[Alawicious]

The gas cap seems a tad out of place

[acalliste]

Well, it's still in the packages (the cap and the base). I was going to sell them, so had them out here to get the part numbers. And they are still here.

I have motorcycle related stuff scattered all over the house.

[LaurenOE]

I don't drink Coffee, so I don't have a coffee table.
However...there is another place where I like to sit and read and this book seems to make things easier when I'm there.



Oh and the user manual for my new Pentax K7.

[acalliste]

No "coffee table" huh? What about a popcorn or ice cream table??



Oh and you were right about the camera thing. The first time I mentioned Pentax, I got "what? Pentax??"



That just makes me want one more.

[Rhetorik]

The Photographer. Made a thread about it already. Generates alot of interest/conversation from anyone who sees it

Recommended Read

[TejasRider]

I typically have some of these:
RoadRunner
Ride Texas
Roadracing World

[LaurenOE]

Originally Posted by acalliste

Oh and you were right about the camera thing. The first time I mentioned Pentax, I got "what? Pentax??"



That just makes me want one more.

Yep...Pentax is only bought by folks that know what they are looking for. There is nothing wrong with Canon or Nikon, but there are sooooooooo many camera weenies out there that don't know what their cameras or taking pictures is all about. Pentaxians - as we like to be called - are a different breed.

I shot an event last night, and it was awesome to be back doing something professional again.

[TejasRider]

<--- camera weenie