bukys (12/16/82)
After receiving a blurb that sounded interesting, I subscribed to "The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" for a year. If you are not familiar with this publication, let me jog your memory: these are the people of the "n minutes to midnight" symbol, where "n" is tweaked depending on the staff's perception of current affairs. I discovered that TbofAS is a well-produced rag with little connection to scientists, atomic or otherwise. They are able to capitalize on the fame of a few scientists (particularly Einstein) who had some connection with what the Bulletin had once been. But the outlook of the magazine is fanatically anti-technology. (Need I say anti-nuclear power and pro-unilateral disarmament?) Most of the articles are by regulars whose only apparent qualification is activism regarding the aforementioned topics. There is an occasional very informative article about some topic, but all in all there is little to recommend this magazine. There are occasional articles or letters to the editor/readership from people with better qualifications (some of whom are even on the editorial board). In technical areas the statements are often dissenting. But I am glad I subscribed. My subscription put my name on a mailing list leading to my discovery of a worthwhile journal which I probably would not have found otherwise: "The American Spectator", a conservative political review. Liudvikas Bukys ...!seismo!rochester!bukys