WIRED's new job

[EEVblog]

They have a new job opening:
https://www.wired.com/about/wired-jobs/wired-hiring-senior-writer/

I love how a job requirement is

The ability to point at a technology and tell us how it’s going to change our future.

But not something like this:

Ability to critically analyse new products & concepts for practical viability"

[Brumby]

They're avoiding any possibility of confusing applicants.

Besides, after reading that, it seems to me they are looking for a social media type junkie - not an engineer.  They want articles to attract traffic - seemingly from those who like to strut around with the latest gadgets, no matter how useful (or not) they really are.

It's all just air and rainbows.

Like Snapchat found out.  One tweet from Kylie Jenner and Snapchat stock loses $1.3 billion.

Social media has more to answer for than it has benefitted society - IMHO - and the media aren't far behind.

[Cerebus]

... it seems to me they are looking for a social media type junkie - not an engineer.

Well the job title is "Senior Writer", so that excludes most engineering types on grammar and spelling grounds before you even get started on the meat of the job. 

[Cerebus]

I love how a job requirement is

The ability to point at a technology and tell us how it’s going to change our future.

But not something like this:

Ability to critically analyse new products & concepts for practical viability"

Well those two aren't mutually exclusive. "It won't change our future because it can't work" is a perfectly acceptable answer that fits both criteria.

[floobydust]

I think Wired has a lot of technology fantasy articles, for that crowd.
It's hilarious to look at old issues/articles and see how their hype of a tech or idea fell flat on their ass.
Just a bubble gum magazine.

[8bitgasm]

Just a bubble gum magazine.

Couldn't have coined it any better.  I would love something the caliber of 1980s-era Byte magazine to surface; Maximum PC may be the strongest magazine left, even that is bit of a stretch - some issues are downright bad.  Nuts and Volts and Circuit Cellar are good, but a little too technical to pick up and just leaf through for relaxation reading. 

Wish all the incarnations of Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi and Arduino magazines would just buzz off and vanish off store racks. They must be the equivalent of click-bait for magazine readers who know no better.

[Brumby]

Wish all the incarnations of Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi and Arduino magazines would just buzz off and vanish off store racks. They must be the equivalent of click-bait for magazine readers who know no better.

No.  These are the publications for today's entry level enthusiasts.

Component level interest is further down the track ... assuming they will travel that far.

[8bitgasm]

Do you really think entry level enthusiasts are buying a magazine over a book?  I think a genuine entry level enthusiast, especially one who is serious, would research book reviews and purchase a book over a magazine. 

I feel the magazines are click bait in the sense a casual shopper maybe heard of one of those items and has a general curiosity, buys the book believing this is some sort of plug and play product instruction manual; then realizes the depth and brevity is too large to understand from a magazine.

[DimitriP]

... it seems to me they are looking for a social media type junkie - not an engineer.

Well the job title is "Senior Writer", so that excludes most engineering types on grammar and spelling grounds before you even get started on the meat of the job. 

It doesn't have to come true, it just needs to fill the paper with words that "reed gud".

[Brumby]

Nicely put.

[Brumby]

Do you really think entry level enthusiasts are buying a magazine over a book?

ABSOLUTELY - given the magazine is worth the effort.

Care to weigh up my collection of EA and ETI magazines against my collection of books?

I think a genuine entry level enthusiast, especially one who is serious, would research book reviews and purchase a book

That might happen over time, but only if there was a specific subject that was being dealt with where the published material didn't get dated too quickly.

over a magazine.

Still not convinced.


Example: Say I wanted to build my own laser cutter - and I wanted the mechanism to be flexible enough to have a 3D print head option.  What books would I get?

[DimitriP]

Example: Say I wanted to build my own laser cutter - and I wanted the mechanism to be flexible enough to have a 3D print head option.  What books would I get?

"Laser cutting with 3D print head option for Dummies"
Yous twos are discussing two different points.
 True , you'll find more "ready made" type projects in magazines.  And after connecting everything together and the blue smoke comes out somone that hasn't "read a book" will come here asking how to troubleshoot the controller that "quit working after a spark".

It's the same elephant. Eventually you need to feel all around to get an idea of what it's like.
If you keep grabbing the tail, it's thin with a bushy end. Quite small and harmless. What could go wrong ?