ScuzzBlog: Diaries November 2019
Entry 14th November 2019: Post 01: CU Amiga Format - Sadly Missed.
CU Amiga Format - Sadly Missed.
I know that you cannot hold back the tide of years, and that all
good things come to an end ... Well, for me, some of the changes
to our social fabric and the way we do 'stuff' I sense has not
been for the greater good. It is difficult to put into words the
significance of structured argument and informative journalism
when it comes to how it influences and shapes what we are. For me,
man is naturally lazy. This is not to say that man/woman does not
labour for reward. Quite the contrary, however, when the reward is
easy to come by and can be achieved with little effort, I do
believe that man/woman will generally take the easy option.
So what has this to do with Amiga magazines. Generally, very
little, but then significantly so.
I am lucky to have grown up in a world where human interaction was
more significantly a face to face hands on kinda thing. In a time
when I needed something I would need to go get it. The point being
that in the doing, I would first need to be made aware of what it
was that I wanted. Magazines and TV were the source of information
for the most part. Each involved a trained and skilled group of
individuals dedicated in producing literature and promotional
presentations through the media. The productions were for the most
part always of a professional nature, and I rarely questioned
the authenticity or reputation of the provider.
A whole industry based around the publications of magazines also
fed photographers and all their suppliers of materials. Type face
setters and Letraset suppliers and the machinery and products that
were involved in the supply and manufacture of the written word.
Then there were the shops and distribution houses that sold the
publications, including building management, town planning and
even my own profession of architects.
The processes of simply providing information on a product and
the resources involved in selling that product could involve a
massive number of people and feed society with a rich and vibrant
community dedicated to supporting our needs.
Additionally the processes involved human interaction on a very
personal face to face level. In feeding people into our towns
and cities we created a healthy sense of being and adding to
the collective good of society in a very visible and tangible way.
So what happened ? The internet and mobile phones.
I was an ardent supporter of the paper world of magazines. I just
adored my trips into town to wend my way through all the various
shops to read and purchase magazines about that which I fascinated
my life with. This in itself did use to be a very busy and active
process with shops and streets filled with fellow human beings
going about their daily forage for product to spend their hard
won cash on. And with magazines to hand I was able to read and
marvel at the gadgets that were available, which in turn enabled
me to buy items and further my interests. Again though I would
travel to my towns and cities and interact with my community and
purchase face to face with those that sold what I needed.
Sadly the rich and vibrant tapestry of man simply faded away. Each
passing month as phones took hold less and less people visited the
town centres. Shops began to close and shelves emptied of magazines.
One by one all my most favoured publications just closed their
doors. I could list each and every shop that folded and with them
my source of printed text and beautiful multi coloured pages. It
wasn't just about defunct and fading technology it was also about
a changing attitude to the way we as humans carried on our lives.
There is no doubt it is easier to order online. It is cheaper to
create a website than to manage and run a property for the sale of
produce. It is easier to use digital technology to create pages
of internet based information, than to print and pay those involved
in the paper world of magazines. It is also cheaper to simply use
bloggers and forum posters as an excuse for serious journalism.
At every twist and turn of the internet revolution we have generated
more words than ever in the history of mankind, and yet in doing
so we have made so much noise as to silence meaningful discourse.
I do not view the world of today as to being as anything like as
rich as it was in my early years. I sense that trivia, and worse
the art of lying is now more the norm of human interaction.
Social media feeds the current society, and society gets just what
it deserves. There is no clamour to silence the empty barrels. The
sheep just bleat incessantly over and over. In time some may view
the way it was left unabated to run rampant through culture and
society and destroy the very fabric of what once was, as a
failure and want to return to more structured, organised times.
For me it is too late. The society we have today is the society
the world deserves and my time here is over.
Thankfully I have my memories of happier days when reading a
publication was a real joy and something I really looked forward
to. I would sit for hours pondering the pages of magazines and
dream of owning what was held within. I never questioned the
intention of the author, nor felt I needed to voice a reply.
The world was in perfect equilibrium. Society was in balance
simply because I was the mere recipient of text and not the excuse
for its content. That may seem a little obscure, but it makes
perfect sense if you understand what is written here.
For me there was no sadder day than the day that CU Amiga stopped
publishing its pages. And then an even worse day when Amiga
Format closed its doors for the last time. I remember those
days all too well. It signified more to me than just the closing
of a magazine, but more the sad realisation that the world that
I grew up in and loved with all my heart was dying. And society
was the author of its demise.
Nothing lasts forever. And on days like these its a reminder that
moving on is a natural thing. I embrace modern culture in all it's
efforts to progress and become better. But, and it is a big but,
I caution all those that believe human interaction is a product
of gazing into a small screen, whilst the world around them crumbles.
It may be just a small gesture to look up occasionally, and remind
yourself your world that is so valuable, important and the product
of millions of years of evolution, just may need some good old
fashioned tender loving care. Instead of just talking about it on
the internet.
You will never ever hold in your hand the pixel dust you so endlessly
weave each and every day. Just flip the switch and it all vanishes.
Me, I like stuff. Real stuff. But then I'm not of this world.
scuzz
So funny ! And what is it that you collect? Bloody computers.
I didn't say I wasn't a hypocrite though.
Anyhoo, here are some pictures of the last day of both mags. Plus a
very early edition of Amiga Format showing just how serious they were.
PS: For all those of you active on Yahoo Groups, be aware that Yahoo
have kinda pulled the plug on them. They have become simply an email
service run by the group owner. The online facities and file sharing
ends. I sense that they will now fade into history. Another sad day.
CU Amiga Format - Sadly Missed.
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