Slate's Paul Boutin wrote a great review of Make magazine today.
The best magazines build a facade of practical information but really exist to let you enjoy your interests vicariously. No one picks up Car and Driver to decide whether to buy a Ferrari or an Aston Martin—we all just want to read about racing them through the Alps. Most gadget magazines are heavy on photos of the latest Nokias and Sonys—glossy photos from the front and the side and close-ups on the shiny, silver buttons. Make is for people who don't care about what stuff looks like in the outside. It's for the tinkerers who dream of overclocking the real world with Silly Putty and a soldering iron.
