OT Scientific American dropped "amateur scientist"-what year?

The post about the 1905 telescope-making manual got me to reflecting on the
decline of Scientific American and especially the "amateur scientist"
column. When I was in high school in the early '70's I spent many lunch
hours in the school library pouring over back issues. One day in the late
'70's when I was kicking around NYC I stopped by their office and bought a
copy of Vol. One of Amateur Telescope Making. This was before they sold
the publishing rights. So with all of that as an introduction, here is my
question-

Does anyone know when Scientific American dropped the "amateur scientist"
column and more-or-less simultaneously began their slide into today's
relative mediocrity?

By the way, am I alone in this opinion?

thanks-

Dan Rea
Casper Wyoming
lots of clear nights, but how do you anchor your Meade tripod to withstand
60-mph gusts?

"DB Rea" wrote in message
...
The post about the 1905 telescope-making manual got me to reflecting on
the
decline of Scientific American and especially the "amateur scientist"
column. When I was in high school in the early '70's I spent many lunch
hours in the school library pouring over back issues. One day in the late
'70's when I was kicking around NYC I stopped by their office and bought a
copy of Vol. One of Amateur Telescope Making. This was before they sold
the publishing rights. So with all of that as an introduction, here is my
question-

Does anyone know when Scientific American dropped the "amateur scientist"
column and more-or-less simultaneously began their slide into today's
relative mediocrity?

By the way, am I alone in this opinion?

thanks-

Dan Rea
Casper Wyoming
lots of clear nights, but how do you anchor your Meade tripod to withstand
60-mph gusts?

Can't answer the question, but did you know that every column since it began
is available on CD?

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 02:44:50 +0000, T.T. wrote:

Can't answer the question, but did you know that every column since it began
is available on CD?


NO I didn't know. Please provide details !

"Tom Rauschenbach" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 02:44:50 +0000, T.T. wrote:

Can't answer the question, but did you know that every column since it
began
is available on CD?


NO I didn't know. Please provide details !
Google:
amateur scientist cd

will give you plenty of suppliers, from Amazon down.
I bought mine in Australia, so the people I bought mine from wouldn't be
much use to you.
I think it is amazing.

DB Rea wrote:

Does anyone know when Scientific American dropped the "amateur scientist"
column and more-or-less simultaneously began their slide into today's
relative mediocrity?


There can be only one reason: Circulation. Did it work? Dunno!

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 02:46:31 GMT, Phil Wheeler
wrote, in part:

There can be only one reason: Circulation. Did it work? Dunno!

They dropped their "Mathematical Games" column when Martin Gardner
retired.

As for "The Amateur Scientist", the author of that column has passed
away. If they could have found even a *near* replacement for him, they
would perhaps have had a new column with a similar title.

John Savard
http://www.quadibloc.com/index.html
_________________________________________
Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server
More than 140,000 groups
Unlimited download
http://www.usenetzone.com to open account

John Savard wrote:

snip

They dropped their "Mathematical Games" column when Martin Gardner
retired.

Not as I recall: Douglas Hofstadter did quite a few, under the title
"Metamagical Themas"--these were collected and expanded in a book of
the same name--and before the column was discontinued it ran for a
while (under a new title again) in the hands of Ian Stewart (? my
recollection of this last author's name may be faulty).

--
Odysseus

Or ad revenue, of course.

It is now a paphlet, like Time. Some mags (In a feeble attempt to
appear normal) have
taken to reducing the width and height of the magazine so they can
maintain thickness.
Magazines are untimely and they are dying.

DB Rea wrote:

The post about the 1905 telescope-making manual got me to reflecting on the
decline of Scientific American and especially the "amateur scientist"
column. When I was in high school in the early '70's I spent many lunch
hours in the school library pouring over back issues. One day in the late
'70's when I was kicking around NYC I stopped by their office and bought a
copy of Vol. One of Amateur Telescope Making. This was before they sold
the publishing rights. So with all of that as an introduction, here is my
question-

Does anyone know when Scientific American dropped the "amateur scientist"
column and more-or-less simultaneously began their slide into today's
relative mediocrity?

By the way, am I alone in this opinion?

thanks-

Dan Rea
Casper Wyoming
lots of clear nights, but how do you anchor your Meade tripod to withstand
60-mph gusts?

The final column was March 2001.