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Some of you might recall my post on Incredibly Specific Dating Sites. In the same vein, it seems there’s a magazine for just about everyone, too. Check out these five I recently discovered, and be sure to share some of your own finds in the comments below. Don’t be ashamed if you subscribe to one either! Apparently 17,000 lifting industry professionals around the world fork over £158 per year for the first magazine on the list below.
1. Cranes Today Magazine
If you’re in the crane business, operate one, or just plain have a love of all contraptions large and lift-y, subscribe to Cranes Today. In it, you’ll find stories about international surveys, new products, corporate mergers/acquisitions, new regulations and standards, crane attachments, components and cool ancillary crane equipment. If you’re in the mood for one of the most exciting, action-packed YouTube videos you’ll ever see, follow this link and scroll to the last one at the bottom.
2. The Chimney Sweep News
Calling all chimney sweep wannabes and the people who love them, here’s a publication worth every penny of the $99/annual subscription rate. A bi-monthly, The Chimney Sweep News features articles with the following headlines: “Sweeping Hawaii with an Island Boy,” “Forensic Corner: Wrong Size/Type Flue Liner,” and my personal favorite: “Spread a Consistent Image,” By Sooty Bob Daniels (not joking!). Yes, if you’ve just got a casual curiosity about flues or you’re really determined to find out how next year’s code changes might affect you, this is the rag for you.
3. Total Arb
With article titles like “A TREEmendously Moving Experience,” who can argue with the arborist’s magazine, Total Arb? Need to know more about chainsaw starter maintenance? Wanna know what’s the best new woodchipper on the market? Need the lowdown on what’s legal and what’s not when it comes to tree hauling? Want to learn a few new rope tricks? Total Arb is for you.
4. The Ukulele Occasional
I haven’t decided if by occasional they mean, it’s only published occasionally or it’s for people who only play the ukulele occasionally (and let’s face it: who plays the ukulele that often anyway?) Whatever the meaning, this is THE magazine dedicated to all aspects of ukulele culture. “Our goal is to entertain uke enthusiasts with articles, rare photos, reviews and instruction centered around everyone’s favorite instrument,” goes the copy on their Web site.Here are a couple of my favorite articles so far: An extremely thorough history of the uke’s nearly-forgotten stepbrother, the tiple. And the one on how to work with those pesky friction pegs on older ukes. Fascinating stuff! (Honestly. I’m a new subscriber.)
5. Sweep Magazine
Don’t let the title of this rag fool you. Nope, it’s not another one for the occasional chimney sweep, rather a magazine for curlers. With headlines like Alberta, Alberta, Alberta – Why is it the ICE? I think you know what kind of curling I’m talking about. If not, head on over to their Web site and check them out. Now if they’d only come up with magazines for skijoring and shovel racing. What? You don’t think they’re real winter sports? Check out Ethan Trex’s piece on Winter Sports The Olympics Are Missing.
I was wondering when you guys would bring curling into an article. I’ve been curling for 12 years and I’m pretty fully convinced there’s no better sport out there.
posted by Kaitie on 5-29-2008 at 3:59 am
I will say that I have a fascination with the ukulele. I recently went to Hawaii and bought myself a ukulele, now I just have to learn how to play it. I just might have to subscribe to a new magazine (even though I have tried to cut back)
posted by Aimee on 5-29-2008 at 5:16 am
Almost every industry and industry association has their own magazine, so I’m certain you could find ones that are vastly more specific than that. A huge number of the working writers out there make their living writing for industry specific rags of that sort. They might not know all that much about logging industry heavy equipment or running an old fashioned ice cream parlour, but they do the interviews and write the pieces they’re assigned.
posted by Jacquilynne on 5-29-2008 at 7:14 am
One of my ex-boyfriends was a crane operator (I called it “driving a crane” and called him Crane Boy) and so we had Crane Today sitting around the house all the time. Let me tell you, it is pretty dry stuff, unless they had articles on crane accidents. Nothing like a crane accident story to liven up the mag.
posted by Kristina on 5-29-2008 at 7:31 am
You forgot Progressive Grocer.
posted by Su on 5-29-2008 at 8:11 am
I lived in a house in Tallahassee that received “VHS Rental Weekly” (or some such), and I used to read it over breakfast every morning. It’s amazing how many column inches they devoted to VHS rentals in the ’90s.
posted by Chris Higgins on 5-29-2008 at 12:22 pm
i am a member of the International Clarinet Association. four times a year “The Clarinet” magazine graces my mailbox. good stuff.
Clarinetfest 2008 or bust!!!
posted by the creature on 5-29-2008 at 3:24 pm
These are specific? Apparently you’ve never seen the Mad Magazine spoofs on specific magazines. They would do things like “nose hair tweezer engraver’s monthly” and other VERY specific items. While it still does some parodys, they were much better 20 years ago…
posted by GiftofGab on 5-29-2008 at 4:03 pm
My Father, a scientist, used to subscribe to a magazine that I always thought was a total crack-up. “Lubes n’ Greases.” Took on whole new comedic interpretations as I got older…
posted by Tribling on 5-29-2008 at 6:36 pm
My mom worked for an industrial contractor, heating A/C ventilation, fire supression(sprinklers) division. In her office, I saw a copy of a mag that was devoted to ductwork and air-handling units. Everything you wanted to know about ductwork, and the people who install it. Even the ads were for such things as specific parts for industrial size HVAC units.
posted by Tdave on 6-2-2008 at 2:24 am