I received an interesting press release in my e-mail inbox today about a new magazine called Arc from the team at New Scientist.
A new magazine about the future from the makers of New Scientist
February 2012 will see the debut of Arc, a bold new digital publication from the makers of New Scientist.
Arc will explore the future through cutting-edge science fiction and forward-looking essays by some of the world’s most celebrated authors – backed up with columns by thinkers and practitioners from the worlds of books, design, gaming, film and more.
Arc 1.1 is edited by Simon Ings, author of acclaimed genre-spanning novels The Weight of Numbers and Dead Water. Simon, who made his name with a trio of ground-breaking cyberpunk novels, is a frequent commentator on science, science fiction and all points in between.
“Arc is an experiment in how we talk about the future,” Simon explains. “We wanted to get past sterile ‘visions’ and dream up futures that evoke textures and flavours and passions.” The response, he says, has been amazing. “I feel like the dog that caught the-car,” he says. “The appetite to be part of this project has been huge. Writers have seized the opportunity to showcase their thoughts, their dreams, their anxieties and their opinions about our future.”
For New Scientist editor Sumit Paul-Choudhury, Arc is an opportunity to explore new territory. “We’ve known for many years that our readers are fascinated by the future and all the possibilities it raises. But as a magazine of science fact, we can’t indulge that fascination very often,” he explains. “Arc will explore the endless vistas opened up by today’s science and technology. While it’s a very different venture from New Scientist, it will share its unique combination of intelligence, wit and charm.”
John MacFarlane, Online Publisher of New Scientist, says “I am thrilled to be involved in the launch of this new title. The combination of superb content and an innovative digital publishing model make for a very exciting project and I am sure a broad range of readers will love Arc.”
Arc 1.1 will be available from mid-February 2012 on iPad, Kindle and as a limited print edition.
Interested readers are invited to register to find out more at www.arcfinity.org
New Scientist, the world’s leading science & technology weekly magazine, was launched in 1956 “for all those men and women who are interested in scientific discovery, and in its industrial, commercial and social consequences”. The brand’s mission is no different today – New Scientist reports, explores and interprets the results of human endeavour, explaining why a development is significant as well as putting social and cultural context around it, delivering more insight than any other current affairs or science source.
For any further information contact David Hunt at New Scientist on 020 7611 1286 or [email protected]
Interesting concept for a magazine and digital only which will allow me to put my brand-spanking new Kindle to good use (I’m getting one for Christmas). I do like reading a good essay and since leaving university I have really missed researching and writing them.
Further, I don’t get to do as many discussion pieces of futuristic concepts as I would like. I have written some pieces based on articles I have read in New Scientist but its format doesn’t always make for good discussions relevant to my blog. In a similar way, few works of (modern) science fiction are entirely about concepts that can be explored in a big way as they were say, at the dawn of the space age.
This magazine might make for an interesting read. If I sign up I’ll give an honest opinion in the new year.
