(Credit: Michael Muchmore)
After nearly 40 years in the industry, most of it at PCMag and all of it at Ziff Davis, I’m stepping away from the keyboard. Allow me to mark the occasion with a look back at my journey, along with some sage advice on how to approach today’s technology trends and challenges from a true tech vet.
A Brief Account of My Long and Fortunate Career
When I started at PC Magazine in 1987 (it was an actual magazine back then), Windows didn’t exist. Only the text-based DOS for PCs was available, though Apple’s Macintosh graphical interface computers had been around for three years. The web was far in the future, too, though we had good-old bulletin boards, or BBSes. AI was only in the research phase, with neural networks, the initial kernel of today’s generative AI services, just starting to gather steam. A PC with a 4.77MHz CPU and a 10MB hard drive sold for more than $3,000. I clearly remember how excited people were when CPUs reached 16MHz (that’s right, MHz, not GHz). PC Magazine’s April 1987 cover art celebrated that milestone with physical speed limit signs that were specially made just for the photo shoot. One still hangs in PC Labs today.
For the first few years of my career at PC Magazine, I was definitely the new kid in the newsroom, starting as a proofreader. Then, I moved on to be a copy editor, a tips editor (in the Solutions section), an editor leading enterprise software coverage, and a display reviewer. After a stint at Ziff Davis’s ExtremeTech, I took over the duties of lead software analyst in 2008. At the time, I was the only person reviewing non-game or non-antivirus software at the site. Now, we have multiple teams covering software, with 10 full-time staffers across three teams and several regular freelance contributors.
My first big story as a lead analyst for the software team was a review of Windows 7 at its 2009 launch. I’m proud to say that it was the very last cover story to grace the print version of PC Magazine. That operating system launched in New York City, with Steve Ballmer characteristically enthused. But I traveled across the country several times for other big launches from Apple, Google, and Microsoft. I covered not just major launches like Windows 8 and 10, but also big Internet Explorer unveilings. At the time, the now-reviled browser had more than 90% of the browser market share; few probably remember that it was the default web browser on Apple Macs early on.
I attended the Microsoft Build conference every year from 2011 until the pandemic turned it into an online show in 2020. Perhaps the coolest one of those involved getting an early look at the HoloLens AR headset in 2015. Microsoft was clearly ahead of the curve here, since Apple didn’t launch its Vision Pro headset until eight years later. Of course, Microsoft’s device is now kaput, and Apple’s doesn’t seem to be faring much better.
(Credit: PCMag)I’ve also attended a couple of spiffy PDC conferences in Los Angeles, Google I/O in San Francisco, and a few more ChromeOS launches. More recently, I covered a pair of Apple WWDCs, in which Apple Intelligence was the watchword of the day. It’s always been a thrill to be among the first to see groundbreaking new technologies, and I’ve cherished the opportunity to represent PCMag at all of these events.
And Now, Some Parting Wisdom...
So, after all these years of reporting, testing, reviewing, comparing, loving, and sometimes hating technology, I’ll leave you with a handful of lessons—some hard-earned, some surprising—that have shaped how I use, evaluate, and think about tech every day. Whether you’re a power user or just curious, these are the principles that have consistently served me well.
Keep Tech Journalism Alive
I’m deeply worried about AI chatbots and search tools, particularly Google’s AI Overviews, destroying tech journalism—and other types as well. What happens if these AI tools push websites out of business? Where will they get their data? My guess is that they’ll get it directly from the tech vendors’ PR and from user comment forums. That doesn’t seem like a good replacement for stringent, repeatable testing from proven experts. Therefore, I urge you: Don’t just get the answer from an AI overview and leave. Give source sites a click! Happily, Bing’s AI answers have long provided full source links, and Google is moving toward surfacing them as well.
Embrace New Technologies
Fear has accompanied every tech innovation in history, from cars to computers. The latest is AI. I’ve found AI to be a wonderful tool, particularly for getting at very specific nuggets of knowledge (which I verify by going to the source sites, as recommended above). I use Copilot and Alexa+ daily, but with the knowledge that they are digital tools, not conscious entities. The fear that AI will take jobs might have some substance, but I believe it will mostly remove the irksome parts of current jobs. It has a ways to go, particularly in the area of AI agents. Often, when I use a customer service AI chatbot, I still ask to speak with an actual human.
Give All Tech Companies Their Due
Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, along with smaller names in tech, all have vehement proponents and detractors. Keep two things in mind: None of them is your friend, and they’re all trying to monetize you. But also keep in mind that each is made up of people—in most cases, very good people. I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of them at many companies. The vast majority are brilliant individuals who want to make people’s lives better with technology, all while making their company’s tech the best.
Don’t Sleep on ChromeOS or Linux
If all you do is browse the web, just get a Chromebook. Don’t waste your money on a Mac or Windows PC. ChromeOS is as slick as the other desktop operating systems, but it also feels simpler, installs updates automatically, and runs a large library of Android apps. You also benefit from Google’s latest AI helpers, which the company is adding judiciously. People with more tech-savvy and patience should get along well with Linux distros, such as Mint and Ubuntu, which you can easily run on older machines. If you need to play video games or do serious business at a large corporation, get a Windows PC. And if you run Apple-proprietary software like Final Cut Pro, or just need to show off your bougie credentials, get a Mac.
Take Breaks From Tech
I know that the ever-present allure of gaming, messaging, social media, streaming, and web browsing is strong. Go for a walk without your phone, and don’t keep checking for it every minute. Look up at the world. Observe. Chat with a stranger. Leave your computer off for a full day. Your life will be richer and happier if you interact with the real world more. Our Digital Detox article has some good advice on how to do this.
And don’t doomscroll! Do what I call joyscrolling, instead. I scan Instagram for things I enjoy, not things that annoy me—no politics or news, just birds, music, and sports.
Limit AI in Your Photos and Videos
I’ve gotten to the point where I yawn when I hear another photo app has added an AI background-removal tool. What’s wrong with having the actual, real background in the photo? Don’t you want some context about what was really there when you took the photo? I must admit, however, that I do find object-removal features useful in situations when a distracting object or person draws attention away from the subject.
Not everyone can spot an AI-generated video with certainty, but I suspect most people can feel the difference. These videos still just have an unnatural, unpleasant aura. Video software makers like Adobe have done well to introduce these features sparingly. For example, Premiere has a feature that can extend a clip by a few seconds, just to fit your project's composition. Final Cut uses AI to let you find clips based on objects or actions that appear in them. Those are great uses for AI in video editing.
Shoot Raw Photos
This sounds a little like the old Jack Benny joke in which someone in the cast said they’d just gone hunting: “Did you hunt bear?” And the answer: “No, I was dressed to kill!” Shooting in the raw camera format gives you so many more options for improving the image on your PC afterward, including correcting white balance, adjusting brightness, and reducing noise. You can shoot raw images from many phones now as well.
So Long, and Thanks for Reading All These Years!
I’m no longer in the springtime of life, though I’m not old enough to have listened to Jack Benny’s original broadcasts. I listen using an Amazon Echo with the Old-Time Radio skill. (It’s brilliant stuff; you should try it!) It’s a reminder that the latest technology not only introduces new features but also makes older content easier to consume. Everything old is new again.
It’s been a wonderful trip, with many brilliant, kind PCMag editors and writers and dazzling new tech to witness. I’m moving away from full-time tech journalism to concentrate on birding, music, and travel. But you’ll still see my bylines on PCMag from time to time. I'm not ready to give it all up just yet.