I'm a retired journalist and technology analyst in Silicon Valley. Most recently I was a senior technology analyst for The Linley Group and a senior editor of Microprocessor Report, for which I have written more than 500 articles. (TechInsights acquired The Linley Group and MPR in 2021.) In retirement, I joined the MPR Editorial Board and still review drafts of upcoming articles.

My time at MPR started in 1999, but I detoured in 2000–2002 to work as a technical analyst and writer for ARC Cores (later ARC International). ARC was a British company that designed and licensed configurable microprocessor cores, peripheral IP, development tools, and software for embedded systems. It was later acquired by Synopsys.

My full-time journalism career began in 1977 and I began covering technology in 1982. Before MPR, I was a senior editor at Byte Magazine for six years. At Byte, I wrote nearly 200 articles about microprocessors, Java, thin-client computing, computer reliability, data compression, broadband communications, and other topics.

Before joining Byte, I was the editor of several magazines covering personal computers and electronic games, such as Compute!, Compute!'s Gazette, Compute!'s Atari ST Disk & Magazine, Compute!'s PC & PCjr Magazine, and Game Player's magazine. In the 1980s, I was the launch editor of five computer magazines and a technology newsletter.

In 1984, I created Nessie, the world's first photography videogame. I also wrote two other classic computer games: Tank Duel (for Atari eight-bit computers) and Cut-Off! (for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20). I've been a co-author, contributor, or editor of more than 20 books on subjects as varied as computer programming, the Civil War, and mass murder. My bestseller was Advanced Amiga BASIC for the Commodore Amiga computer. I also wrote a technology column for various computer magazines continuously for nearly 23 years, which may be a world record.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Kent State University in 1977, I started my career as a daily newspaper reporter. I was introduced to computers when the newspaper switched from manual typewriters to VDTs in the late 1970s, and I bought my first computer in 1981. Hobbies include photography, guitar, and recreational programming on Macs, PCs, and Linux computers. My personal web site is The Electric Brain.