Just as vague questions of cosmology and consciousness make up just about every other cover of New Scientist today, fantastical futurist gadgets were at one point the safe default for the covers of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. Like lots of the other cover staples, the monowheel has to some degree come to pass, but hardly to the extent that you might have been led to believe it might in 1917. Or 1923. Or 1938. You get the idea. [RoadsideResort]

There really is nothing quite like geeking out on the past’s vision of the future, and PopSci and PopMech are among the best for that, from the fantastic covers to the equally fantastic cigarette ads. Google’s growing magazine collection also features New York Magazine, Ebony, the Bulletin of Atomic Sciences and more. Each page has its own URL, so it’s a blogger’s paradise. Say goodbye to doing work for the rest of the afternoon. [Official Google Blog]

Not only that, but you can enter the mag’s other competitions, which include the chance to win a $900 Blu-ray pack, a $900 Tamron lens and a $140 STM bag. That’s a lot of value for your purchase, right there.

The timeframe for the free Spore giveaway probably ends fairly soon, so you should get subscribing sooner rather than later…

[PopSci]