I keep meaning to post about articles that have hit print, and I always forget. But not this month!

In the new issue of .net magazine I’ve written the cover feature, which is about ditching the day job to become a freelance web designer/developer. The emphasis is on the nuts and bolts of freelancing – taking the plunge, how to find work, what to watch out for and so on, and it features interviews with people who’ve been there, done that and have the overdrafts to prove it.

On a related note, creative types might be interested in Gaping Void’s How to be creative, a long essay that covers everything from selling out to writer’s block. It’s currently zooming around the blogosphere, and deservedly so: it’s very opinionated but contains lots of very good advice.

I’ve also written the cover feature for the new issue of MacFormat, which takes a look at Apple’s strategy and some of the things it could, should or shouldn’t do (and some things we really wish it would do, but know deep in our hearts that it won’t). Thanks to the vagaries of print publishing it was written before the announcement of the 4G iPod and the new iMac; we were right about the 4G iPod, but Apple clearly doesn’t agree with our case for a headless iMac. The article also looks at some of the really smart things Apple is doing in music, corporate IT, creative industries and software, and it’s designed to be good argument fuel for Apple lovers and haters alike.

Last but not least, I’ve got a big feature in the current edition of PC Plus that takes a look at the world of counterfeiting – especially chips, mobile phone equipment and computer consumables. The article rubbishes some of the more ridiculous claims of the anti-counterfeit lobby, but also highlights some of the things you might want to think about before shelling out on counterfeit goods. It may not be funding Osama Bin Laden, but counterfeiting is anything but a victimless crime.

And of course, all three magazines are also packed with the usual fine writing and general magazine goodness you’d expect :-)