I’ve spent a lot of time learning about technical subjects but in the last few years I’ve branched out into business, applied psychology, economy, and a varied amount of fiction. Learning about all those subjects has made me the kinda-well-read person you know and love, but what about things that are a bit more current?

I tried the newspaper but that was a little too surgical – I could have an interesting conversation with someone who read the same story, but that had a limited shelf life of 48 hours. I certainly didn’t feel any more informed than I did before and I had to keep my Kindle’s wireless on in order to get the new issue in the morning which ate its battery.

Courtney Sajben of the Zumba in Hickory crew told me (over appetizers at The Cheesecake Factory) that there are five magazines that she reads that give her a well-rounded view of the world. In no particular order: Time, National Geographic, Scientific American, and Reader’s Digest. Yes, I know that’s four.

Being a fan of experimentation (e.g., 30 days without soda) and having the utmost respect for Courtney and everything she’s accomplished at this early stage in her life, I was on board. If these are the big five, I can work with that. I make time for everything else that’s important to me and this is no different.

First up, Scientific American. It took me 6 hours to get through it. I know this because that’s how long I was on a plane from Portland to Baltimore. I really enjoyed everything but the space program stuff. Nothing against my space geeks, but when everything they’re talking about either happened millions of years ago or won’t happen for another 5 billion years it’s hard to get into it. The stories about DNA and optogenetics were tasty.

On to Reader’s Digest. I used to read this when I lived with my mom, but the only parts that I remembered were the various flavors of jokes in the middle. I’m happy to report that they’re still there but nestled between some pretty good articles. As the name suggests, the stories are bite-sized so it’s perfect for a quick read during breaks. I usually plow through the entire magazine in one sitting.

National Geographic was a feature on, you guessed it, space! I did skim it, but I confess that I didn’t read it cover to cover. The special edition on the oil spill was very interesting, though. The latest issue had stories on migration patterns, inventions and the Sudan. The pictures are amazing – just like taking a trip around the world without leaving your living room. Some of the stories were heart-wrenching, but knowing what’s going on in is the first step to changing it.

Last but not least is Time Magazine. This one is all over the place depending on what’s going on at the (heh heh) time. The last couple issues have been about the elections but they’ve been oddly unbiased (or at least evenly biased). Before that was an issue on Alzheimers and other stories. I have on my desk the next two issues – The United States of Amerijuana and Who Needs Marriage. Staying on top of these when they come out weekly has been a challenge. I get them sent to the house, but if I’m on the road I have to either buy a copy or let them stack up.

I’m 2 issues in on the monthly magazines and I have to say it’s been a success. I find myself recalling details about articles that I’ve read that have added to conversations I would have normally either just listened to without commenting or avoided altogether. Case in point, tonight I was talking to a good friend of mine about Norway (don’t ask) and she had a vague recollection about their independence when it came to oil. I know I only skimmed over the two-page graphic with all the oil production, but I was able to remember that they were about on par with Saudi Arabia and the whole of the US (~2k barrels/day) but that their drilling was almost exclusively shallow whereas the 3/4 of the US’s drilling is deep (>400 meters).

Two thumbs up, folks. Read the mags and we’ll chat. It’ll be awesome.