I suppose it’s not exactly groundbreaking or revolutionary, but Seed is a new science magazine in the same vein as Discover, Scientific American or Science. It’s not as commercialized or plastic as Discover, not as stodgy and old school as Scientific American, and not as technical as Science. What it is, however, is a periodic look into the world of science as culture. Science not solely as a method, hobby or body of knowledge, but rather science as a social binding agent and source of personal subjectivity. Much like Wired has examined the interface between society and technology, teasing out the effect one has on the other, Seed attempts to examine the overlap between society and hard science, and does so while preserving the authenticity of its subject matter.

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the magazine is its art design. It places photography and art at a premium, and what results is both a visual and textually interesting read. You often feel like you are reading an art magazine, with intelligent staff writing and mature layouts, yet without the looming sense of paying 6 dollars to look at pretty pictures for 20 minutes.

So, there you go. A glowing endorsement for something that doesn’t quite fit into the bounds of oceaninformatics, but is exciting enough that I think you’ll forgive me. Oh, and this month’s issue has an article about a new NOAA ship that is being built as a remote sensing operation, where ROV’s roam the ocean floor and scientists around the world can monitor the data output from their home computers. Now that’s pretty OI if you ask me…