Chris Maxcer is a writer — mostly freelance and mostly business and consumer technology, though he’s published short fiction and has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing — the diploma is packed away in some box, hasn’t seen it in years. He recently completed a screenplay, "Naked with the Pollywogs," which he says was a kick in the pants to write. (And while there is nakedness and there are pollywogs, they don't go together, exactly, because, well . . . that's just messed up.)

Technology reporting and analysis, though, is what’s been paying the bills. For tech clips, check out his Tech Clips page for samples from publications like TechNewsWorld, MacNewsWorld, E-Commerce Times, LinuxInsider, System iNEWS Magazine, SAP NetWeaver magazine, SearchOracle.com, Work.com, and 1to1 Magazine.

Chris’s work regularly hits the Google Sci/Tech pages, and Apple even picked up one of his iPhone reviews and promoted it on their site — way cool, especially since the review was tempered with some negative criticisms. Walt Mossberg, David Pogue — who are those guys, anyway? <g>

As for resume-type titles, Chris has been a news editor, web editor, web producer, and business development manager for Penton Media, where he’s produced more than 100 biz-tech webcasts and dozens of podcasts.

He’s also written for Men's Health, Men's Edge, and Women's Health & Fitness.*

If you want to get a hold of him, drop a note: firstnamelastname at gmail dot com.

And if you prefer the first-person version of this page, go to Home. <g>

1. *For Women's Health & Fitness, Chris spent a year as the Answer Man, the mag's go-to guy for relationship questions, and while the gig didn’t pay that much and his friends teased him mercilessly, he could always end every argument with, "Pfff. What do you know, anyway? Who's the Answer Man here? I mean, do you have fans who want you to come visit them in Austin?" A few months before Rachael Ray's show was about to go big-time, one her producers got in touch with Chris, looking for a DVD and more about him as a possible contributor to the show. But that was before Rachael was the next Oprah — “I mean, she was the surprisingly endearing chick from the Food Network,” Chris says, “And what did I know about food? EVOO? I thought that stuff came out of spray can.” WH&F sold to a company in the UK as part of a larger deal and was closed a few months later. And Chris still uses olive oil in a spray can. Damn handy, he says. As for Rachael Ray, she’s remains surprisingly endearing.
   

When we were confined to tents during torrential downpours north of Yosemite National Park, and I had closed the back cover to my Carl Hiaasen novel, I could have used my iPhone to watch Jason Bourne, James Bond, Nicholas Angel, Ricky Bobby, and of course, Elizabeth Swann.

"I left my iPhone behind."

Each year, Chris talks to a lot of people — industry analysts, CEOs, CIOs, IT managers, spokespersons, therapists, athletes, and one year, Mr. Clean. No kidding. Chris met him in the Toronto airport. And yes, his bald head really does sparkle. In any event, sometimes Chris’s sources really nail the issue. Here’s his favorite quote of 2007:

"Given that Apple had actually stolen the trademark that Cisco owned, and Apple actually had a product on the market, Cisco had an incredible amount of power in this negotiation. To have Apple walk in and pretty much just take it ... it speaks to the amazing skill that Steve Jobs has in doing stuff like this. I can't picture anybody who is negotiating a deal with Apple and isn't scared to death. It's one of those things where you sit back in awe of how Apple can pull these kinds of things off time and time again."

— Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst, Enderle Group

"iPhone Name War Over, Victor TBA"