Model Railroad Hobbyist Issue 1: A Review

January 10th is here and now we available to download the very first copy of Mode railroad Hobbyist, the electronic magazine that editor Joe Fugate envisions is the ideal media format for modern computer applications. I will begin by stating my initial reaction from the moment I pointed my browser to the MRH website

Our first stop is the MRH website to download the issue. Here we hit our first sign of trouble:

“GROWING PAINS! Because of excessive unexpected server load, the main site home page is currently redirecting to this page. You may download issue 1 using the buttons below. We expect to have our newer, more robust full web site up and online sometime later in the week of January 12th.”

In short, the website has exceeded server load and now the main features of the MRH website are out of commission for the moment, with some features simply not being available during the move. We quickly find the reason for this server overload: the file is 77MB; in zipped format my copy is 76.3 MB and my copy unzipped to 78.7MB. Regardless of our current state of advancement, this download will present a very real issue to those on intermittent or slow connections. At this point we can say this current publication is not friendly to those on the gray side of the Digital Divide.

We also see a couple other features that might be problematic. First, this PDF can only be properly viewed in Adobe Acrobat version 9 or similar programs. Acrobat 8 will apparently not work, even though I was able to open the document without issues in that version the first time I previewed the edition. In order to access everything, we will need to upgrade our version of acrobat in the same moment we get this first issue if we have not already done so; Acrobat Reader 9 is a 33.5 MB download and includes other upgrades such as Active-X controls. I am supportive of keeping up with technology, but I also appreciate a degree of backwards compatibility. This publication could be user-friendlier if the acrobat foundation was set to an earlier release build.

We nonetheless download the edition and finally get it open on the computer having completely updated our software. . Instantly we are told that the viewer is trying to go to full screen and then that we need additional components in order to run special features within the magazine. I let the full screen mode take over, but I instantly did not like it so I reverted by to a screen where I can see MRH nestled within the ever-familiar windows environment. In this manner I can see the windows bar at the bottom of my screen and the menu bars at the top of my screen. I very rarely ever use my computer to do a single task at once, and at this very moment I have Adobe 9 open to view the issue, an instance of Internet explorer open and actively pointed to three websites via tabs, and an instance of windows Explorer aimed at the folder I store my copies of MRH. I am not comfortable at my computer if I cannot see at the very leas the program controls in the header and other computer activity in the footer so full screen mode will not be a selling point for me.

The magazine opens up to the title page including sound, fading, and fly in animation to build up the cover. The editor has encouraged subscribers to print out articles and even the magazine and distribute it. However, given the rich images and the colored background, I personally cringe at the thought of printing out even one page of this 129-page edition. The ink bill makes me unlikely to print out this magazine any time soon!

The magazine then has advertiser content mixed in, as we confront our first ads behind the cover. The ads are typical of the model railroad industry only now we see that we can click on the ads and go straight to a link as set by the manufacturers. The first Ad, from BLMA, is hot-linked; when I click on the BLMA ad, my computer activates my instance of Internet explorer and opens the page in the first available tab. I would prefer perhaps if it opened in a tab of its own, considering that current page in the first tab is being used for other purposes. This forced navigation away from that page means I will be leaving the manufacturer website sooner than later to get back to where I wanted to be on the Internet. I would suggest that manufacturers set up their links to open in either a new instance of the web browser or within a new tab. The first option will be best for those who have not upgraded to internet Explorer 7, which would be everybody still using Windows 2000 or less.

I notice that not all ads work perfectly, as the second presentation, by Dallas Models, does not fully work as the text says it should work. At least, I did not know it worked because my mouse cursor did not change to when it floated over areas that are hot-linked but after I started clicking on things, the cursor did indeed start changing. It would be better if the pointer changes upon rollover, or if the links highlight upon rollover to provide the user with instant feedback that they are doing things right. I do believe that as this is a new idea, it will take both advertisers and the magazine staff time to perfect this medium.

The third article by fast tracks has three embedded videos featuring three of their products. I turned all three on at once and thus I got to experience out of synch music; that was my own fault but I could not turn any one of the videos off or mute them once they had started. These features might be nice. Otherwise, the advertisement works as it should; my mouse pointer provides me with instant feedback as I roll over features that can be interacted with about the page.

It is with the fourth page that we finally reach the table of contents, a glossy page of hyper linked articles with descriptions and page numbers. I notice that if the mouse pointer is not on a link, it has a little down arrow suggesting moving forward in the magazine. I also notice that the articles are hyper linked to take me directly to the articles. And here I make a new discovery: there are no back buttons to take me back to the previous page I was on before I made my article selection. Indeed, I have to thumb through all the material between the first feature article and the table of contents to get back to that page!

There are a number of experiments on these pages with combining text over images. The effect is nice, but in some cases it makes it difficult to read the text. My eyes are still young and good, but I predict that older readers may have difficulty. Now in this electronic format it might be possible for the image to be hyper linked, and upon clicking the image you are taken to a full screen view of that specific image. Clicking once would then return the user to the magazine. This would make it possible to gray out or block out parts of images completely with body text background bubbles while still allowing users to see the beautiful background pictures without detracting from the importance of the text.

Not soon after the pages of contents we find a page with the typical publication data and appearing with it are a couple more advertisements. At this point I am now bothered by the fact that the links from the manufacturers are not previewed as they are in Internet explorer. That is to say, when I roll over a hyperlink in Internet Explorer, a little indicator appears that shows me precisely what the link is where I am going. While I think I can trust the content of MRH, I like having the additional security that comes with this extra information.

I finally have arrived at the Letter from the Editor that champions a number of features for an electronic magazine that are important in theory. I will reproduce those points here before analyzing them either standing alone, as they appear in the magazine, or both.

Joe Fugate’s Theory of Electronic Magazine Content
1. Electronic media allows for Movement.
2. The magazine cannot merely be a print edition repackaged as a PDF.
a. The orientation should be landscape to fit on the computer screen
b. The screen should go to full screen mode to fill the most screen space.
3. A page should have less contrast and lower eyestrain to make it easier to read.
a. The background color should be “toned down”; not as white as paper.
b. The font color should be slightly gray instead of black
4. Since we are in the electronic medium, we should be able to link directly to Internet content
5. The electronic distribution has the widest distribution potential, so it should mean maximum market exposure for advertisers.

These points cannot be taken lightly as they are indeed threaded throughout those points we have already seen just examining the first couple of pages. The landscape layout is a great idea. Full screen, however, is not useful to me as I still want to see my computer environment in the margins. Accessing manufacturer links from full screen mode is cumbersome and requires flipping the screen anyway; if my margins stay constant, I maintain a stable environment. The manufacturer links work very well, but I cannot see a preview of the links in my web browser before I go to them, leaving a loops for unscrupulous people to place illegal links to other content. The other points require further analysis, as my pilot navigation has not yet uncovered them.

I soon discover what the editor means by softer contrasts when I am reading the editor’s article. Now unbeknownst to him, my screen is already actually compensating for contrast issues just by me changing the angle of the screen on my laptop to the base. As such, this article was difficult for me to read because the contrast was too soft. A readjustment of my screen made it easier to read, but if I needed sharper contrast, it is now evident to me that it is imply not available.
We should keep in mind that the human eyes automatically fade the white space between two black points, as we can see by the mental image trick involving a 5x5 grid of black squares with a little white space between them. The white intersections will appear to be gray even though they are true white! I do believe that the editor may find it more effective to set up the background in a manner that it either takes on the user’s computer settings, thus being precisely as the user wants already, or if the user has some sort of control to change the background contrast color and the text color.

The editor states that the electronic copy should not merely be a warmed over PDF version of the print magazine. As I peruse the rest of this magazine, I notice that the content does not fill the spaces available to it, but rather follows a three-column format that is almost exclusive to the magazine rag world. In some cases like Page 26 or especially 92 where the text is quite mutilated to fit around the images. Throughout the issue it appears the contributors have not written their articles in direct correlation to how the content will appear on the pages next to the images. Now surprisingly enough, some pages such as page 14 do indeed make good use of the space, presenting text that fills the area rather then a preset column space and then relates closely to the content described by the images on that same page. Page 26 works well because indeed, both work together to introduce the article.

The editor makes a position concerning advertising that should be taken into context and then put into proportion. An electronic journal like this will provide manufacturers with a maximum exposure to the population the issue can be distributed to. This means that in this case, this particular issue will have problems getting got those people with slow Internet connections or no Internet connections at all. As mentioned earlier, even though the editor encourages subscribers to print this magazine off and spread it on foot, people like me are not encouraged to do so due to the potential ink run this will cost.

As I scan the journal now more quickly I am unable to find any easy methods to snip and save just those articles that are most interesting to me. I further find that I cannot highlight and copy the text, which means I cannot save snippets of information to a note file on my computer. I cannot download and save images I might like to keep as desktop wallpaper or for any other purpose. When I come to a page containing a layout, I find I cannot download the layout in an electronic format file, which would be enable me as a hobbyist to adopt and use parts of a layout I like towards my own layout plans. There are ways around these issues by using the “print screen” option, of course, but they all present barriers to advanced user access.

It appears to me that the images themselves presented the editing staff with issues as they formatted the text to fit around them. It occurs to me that with this medium, the pictures themselves can move! In this case, if I clicked on a small picture, I should be able to get a larger version of the image within a little ‘image window’ on my computer screen. I could then zoom in or resize the image far beyond the space within the content pages to suit my curiosity or other needs as I look at the pictures. The imaging as it appears seems to remain planted in the print magazine format, quite opposite to the editor’s goals. This problem should be easily correctible, which means future issues might allow better image control.

Overall I feel this magazine is well worth the wait, the effort of everyone involved and it accomplishes the goal. In this case, we see the first run of an idea and while this not perfect, perhaps even far from perfection, there is now a benchmark that is a world beyond where the mark used to be. Joe Fugate has now produced the first edition of what is an interesting experiment in foraging into previously unknown territory, and if the lessons from this experience are taken in stride, I predict this magazine will be very successful in the coming years. Naturally, future issues should perhaps be more accessible, friendlier to backdated platforms, and even more progressive on content manipulation.

I mentioned a couple manufacturers in the course of my review and in all fairness I shall take the time to mention all who have made a contribution to the model railroad hobbyist issue. In addition to those already mentioned, BLMA, Dallas Model Works, and Fast Tracks, allow me to also thank Alkem Scale Models, canyon Creek Scenics, Layout Vision, Litchfield Station, Model Railcast Show, Model Railroad Tips, Model Trains Video, Pacific Vista Publishing, QSI Solutions (Tony’s Trains), Rapido Trains, ShelfTrax, UPBids.net, and Vernonia Northern for their contributions.