@2many2no What is C&EN? The ear plugs, yes, but about 25 years ago a guy I worked with told me to buy noise-canceling earphones. At the time the only ones we knew were Sony from Japan, but we were in Japan at the time, so we went to Akihabara and I bought some. I still have them.
Now things like Apple AirPods Pro are good (if you get them to stay in your ear) or the larger ones like Bose which work well but now you’re carrying more stuff to get through the TSA checkpoint. Such a friggin pain. I didn’t fly for 20 years but had to recently for a funeral but have to in a week and now I’m stressed-out.
was thinking of this song now and oddly it has pilots in the name
/youtube 21 pilots stressed out official video
@Pony - I wouldn’t buy a magazine because back in those days almost every seat back-pocket had a copy of SkyMall you could browse looking at automatic toothbrushes wineglass bottles portable saunas and the Biffy Butler Bidet that comprised a butt sprayer, toilet paper holder and iPad stand all in one!
I would get a New Yorker before a longer flight, because after reading all the cartoons and wry humorous bits, one of the articles would put me to sleep after about 30 minutes.
@heartny Nah, already too many people I don’t want to know about on the plane. And scrunched in as close as possible to maximize profits. And checking a bag costs more than the flight. Don’t get me started. “Back in the day…” “Get off my lawn…” etc.
I had to say Mad because I love Mad Magazine nostalgia. As a school kid, that more than anything prepared me for the world of marketing and politics we are in now, even if 50 years later. But that would be before my flying days so it wasn’t an honest answer, but that didn’t worry me.
What, me worry?
Always something Car related most likely. Like Car and Driver, Autoweek, or Road & Track. Automobile if it was around then.
if I’m in Europe, Top Gear.
@accelerator I had a house-mate that fell for the April 1 issue (some time in the 80’s) about Aztecs (i think) making logic computers with ropes and pulleys. “They” could make basic math computers. It was all a joke — don’t blame me, Scientific American did it. They were called the Aprufulians. April Fools, get it?
I don’t think you meant “Before you flight.” I think you meant “Before you flee,” meaning either before you flee the country because of your poster on the wall of the Post Office or before you flee the airport because of your fear of flying! The two options might lead to different magazine choices.
@phendrick I’m been a subscriber for the past few years. Their last page is a crossword puzzle titled “Caleb’s Inferno.” It’s a one-column puzzle that gets harder as you descend down towards the bottom of the page. It takes me forever to do it, even when I go online to ask for a letter here and there to confirm or deny my word guess.
If they have it, Bake. It’s a fantastic baking and pastry resource. That or Discover, Popular Science, Scientific American, Birds and Blooms or Fine Gardening.
@mschuette I remember Byte. Not still around, is it? Wired came in at a later time after the early PC days (“Personal Computer,” not “Politically Correct”) though it touched on evolving issues in a newly internet-connected world. I think I had a subscription for a while.
@pmarin looks like 1998 was the final issue, that tracks, I was just into college then. I just liked any magazine that printed code snippets, really. That or maybe a brainteaser.
@mschuette “Code snippets,” Yeah that was fun. I had the pleasure of working with some people who enjoyed the challenge of “write the most obscure yet functional code using as few characters as possible”
Back then it probably would have been cosmo but I’ve aged out of that now. Now it’s real simple, better homes and gardens, anything about cooking, loved red book before they went digital (I hate reading magazines online), stuff like that.
Not a magazine at all but wanted to mention something that amused me (and educated me) on flights at the time (1980s). You had the airline-provided earphones that still used the pneumatic tube system. For a brief time one channel was the pilots-to-air-traffic-control communication. It was really cool learning about it. For example you hear about a thunderstorm in our path and change heading to 20° and then you would feel the plane turn and actually know why. The pass-off between airport control towers and cross-country route controllers was interesting. Not sure if there are any left that haven’t been fired yet. (the guys from the 80’s probably did get to retire maybe even with benefits and pensions, but not looking as promising for the new people, or their customers — us)
@pmarin I remember those airtube headset things. On lots of flights I took back then, you had to pay for the movies and what you paid for was a headset. (This was before seatback screens, of course.) What I would do sometimes, if I didn’t have someone sitting next to me, was take the subscription return postcard out of the in-flight magazine, roll it into a cone, put the small end into the headset “jack”, and voila: a mini megaphone that allowed me to hear the audio.
And I would sometimes bring along my Sony AIR-8 radio receiver to listen to the banter on the aircraft frequencies. I don’t think that’s allowed anymore.
When I was on flights in the 80s, they had comics. Like graphic novel collections of Casper or stuff. I still have those to this day (though they have had to be taped back together)
Robb Report
It should be, “Before your flight”
PC Magazine or one of the like…
Plane & Pilot
But mostly, I would just bring one of the issue that came to my mailbox earlier that month…
Back then, it would have been Popular Mechanics.
In fact, the first time I had a Popular Mechanics magazine was in the airport… in 1996…
I’m on my Game Boy.
Sports Illustrated.
Wired
Your. Not you.
At least you got the first one right.
I would volunteer to do copyright editing for a very small fee. Maybe free shipping?
How long is the flight?
Under 2 hours, C&EN
Over 2 hours, ear plugs and Valium
@2many2no What is C&EN? The ear plugs, yes, but about 25 years ago a guy I worked with told me to buy noise-canceling earphones. At the time the only ones we knew were Sony from Japan, but we were in Japan at the time, so we went to Akihabara and I bought some. I still have them.
Now things like Apple AirPods Pro are good (if you get them to stay in your ear) or the larger ones like Bose which work well but now you’re carrying more stuff to get through the TSA checkpoint. Such a friggin pain. I didn’t fly for 20 years but had to recently for a funeral but have to in a week and now I’m stressed-out.
was thinking of this song now and oddly it has pilots in the name
/youtube 21 pilots stressed out official video
I wouldn’t buy a magazine, because back in those days I never traveled without at least two books in my carry on bag.
@Pony - I wouldn’t buy a magazine because back in those days almost every seat back-pocket had a copy of SkyMall you could browse looking at automatic toothbrushes wineglass bottles portable saunas and the Biffy Butler Bidet that comprised a butt sprayer, toilet paper holder and iPad stand all in one!
@aetris @Pony Yeah, kind of like Sidedeal in catalog form!
I would get a New Yorker before a longer flight, because after reading all the cartoons and wry humorous bits, one of the articles would put me to sleep after about 30 minutes.
Modern Sperm or Swingle.
Guns & Ammo or Soldier of Fortune
People
@heartny Nah, already too many people I don’t want to know about on the plane. And scrunched in as close as possible to maximize profits. And checking a bag costs more than the flight. Don’t get me started. “Back in the day…” “Get off my lawn…” etc.
Computer Shopper, PC Magazine
@jeffguay Ah, that brings back memories. IIRC, Computer Shopper was the size of a phone book.
@sjk3
Yep… That’s the one!
I had to say Mad because I love Mad Magazine nostalgia. As a school kid, that more than anything prepared me for the world of marketing and politics we are in now, even if 50 years later. But that would be before my flying days so it wasn’t an honest answer, but that didn’t worry me.
What, me worry?
@pmarin
ISWYDT
Always something Car related most likely. Like Car and Driver, Autoweek, or Road & Track. Automobile if it was around then.
if I’m in Europe, Top Gear.
No love for TIME or NEWSWEEK ?
Scientific American. I know, geek fest.
@accelerator I had a house-mate that fell for the April 1 issue (some time in the 80’s) about Aztecs (i think) making logic computers with ropes and pulleys. “They” could make basic math computers. It was all a joke — don’t blame me, Scientific American did it. They were called the Aprufulians. April Fools, get it?
@accelerator I used to get Scientific American and Popular Science. I preferred Pop Sci.
I don’t think you meant “Before you flight.” I think you meant “Before you flee,” meaning either before you flee the country because of your poster on the wall of the Post Office or before you flee the airport because of your fear of flying! The two options might lead to different magazine choices.
Definitely Mad, OR Cracked (remember that?), because I already had a subscription to Omni and Popular Science. Yeah, I’m a nerd.
@ETFrisco I really miss Omni.
I don’t
I never took a flight without a book and a spare in carryon and more in checked luggage. I have paid overage charge for books
Popular Mechanics, Car and Driver, or Hot Rod.
Readers Digest
The Atlantic
@ItalianScallion Back when i had the time, used to love their cryptic puzzles. (And Harper’s puzzles.)
And they definitely ate time.
@phendrick I’m been a subscriber for the past few years. Their last page is a crossword puzzle titled “Caleb’s Inferno.” It’s a one-column puzzle that gets harder as you descend down towards the bottom of the page. It takes me forever to do it, even when I go online to ask for a letter here and there to confirm or deny my word guess.
@ItalianScallion the inferno is an entirely different type of puzzle (have worked on it, but not my cup of tea); much preferred the older ones (try one, if you like a challenge to your thinking; can find old ones in archives)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Cox_and_Henry_Rathvon
Rolling Stone
@jitc …wanna see my picture on the cover
If they have it, Bake. It’s a fantastic baking and pastry resource. That or Discover, Popular Science, Scientific American, Birds and Blooms or Fine Gardening.
Pop Sci, PC Mag/PC World, Byte, Wired, anything techy.
@mschuette I remember Byte. Not still around, is it? Wired came in at a later time after the early PC days (“Personal Computer,” not “Politically Correct”) though it touched on evolving issues in a newly internet-connected world. I think I had a subscription for a while.
@pmarin looks like 1998 was the final issue, that tracks, I was just into college then. I just liked any magazine that printed code snippets, really. That or maybe a brainteaser.
@mschuette “Code snippets,” Yeah that was fun. I had the pleasure of working with some people who enjoyed the challenge of “write the most obscure yet functional code using as few characters as possible”
@pmarin the IOCCC (International Obfuscated C Code Contest) is back on if you need fresh examples of such in(s)anity.
@mschuette @pmarin when did anyone ever?
Time, Newsweek, Life, Games or National Geographic depending on how long the flight
Back then it probably would have been cosmo but I’ve aged out of that now. Now it’s real simple, better homes and gardens, anything about cooking, loved red book before they went digital (I hate reading magazines online), stuff like that.
Not a magazine at all but wanted to mention something that amused me (and educated me) on flights at the time (1980s). You had the airline-provided earphones that still used the pneumatic tube system. For a brief time one channel was the pilots-to-air-traffic-control communication. It was really cool learning about it. For example you hear about a thunderstorm in our path and change heading to 20° and then you would feel the plane turn and actually know why. The pass-off between airport control towers and cross-country route controllers was interesting. Not sure if there are any left that haven’t been fired yet. (the guys from the 80’s probably did get to retire maybe even with benefits and pensions, but not looking as promising for the new people, or their customers — us)
@pmarin I remember those airtube headset things. On lots of flights I took back then, you had to pay for the movies and what you paid for was a headset. (This was before seatback screens, of course.) What I would do sometimes, if I didn’t have someone sitting next to me, was take the subscription return postcard out of the in-flight magazine, roll it into a cone, put the small end into the headset “jack”, and voila: a mini megaphone that allowed me to hear the audio.
And I would sometimes bring along my Sony AIR-8 radio receiver to listen to the banter on the aircraft frequencies. I don’t think that’s allowed anymore.
Pencil Puzzles and Word Games
@llangley I remember doing those, and having them on planes even though I rarely did them there.
When I was on flights in the 80s, they had comics. Like graphic novel collections of Casper or stuff. I still have those to this day (though they have had to be taped back together)