Bob Buskirk

Position: Founder, Webmaster, Editor-in-Chief
Concentration: Displays, SSD’s, Laptops & Full Systems
E-mail: bbuskirk@thinkcomputers.org
Age: 27
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Background: About 10 years of computer experience. Been messing around with electronics since I was 5, got into computers when I was in highschool, been modding them ever since then. Very interested in how things work and their design.
Hobbies: Computers, gaming, modding, movies, anime, hockey, music
Links: Blog | Facebook | View Posts

Colin Dean

Position: Staff Writer
Concentration: Networking, Power Supplies, Linux
E-mail: cdean@thinkcomputers.org
Age: 26
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Background: I started out on a Commodore 64 my mother brought home from school and eventually moved up to an Apple IIe, then a Mac Performa 600, then 6320, then a Compaq 5000T, then a Sager 5680, then a few custom-built high-performance rigs. I hold a B.S. in computer science from Westminster College (PA) and minor in writing with a focus on journalism, as well as a M.S. in business education from Robert Morris University.
Hobbies: Programming, punditry, languages (computer–PHP, Scheme, and Smalltalk are my favorites–and spoken–I speak English fluently and know enough Esperanto, German, and Spanish to get me in trouble), journalism, web design, cooking
Links: CAD.cx | View Posts

Jack Wager

Position: Staff Writer
Concentration: Peripherals, Gaming, Consoles
E-mail: jack@thinkcomputers.org
Age: 26
Location: San Diego, CA
Background: Got my first computer when I was 8 and have been addicted ever since. Persuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, an avid gamer, tech nerd and internet addict.
Hobbies: Wasting time on the internet, playing games (XBOX360), programming, DJ’ing, learning new technology and anything to do with really fast cars.
Links: View Posts

Nik Parenti

Position: Staff Writer
Concentration: Gaming Products
E-mail: nparenti@pittco.org
Age: 25
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Background: I’ve been reviewing PC products from the age of 14 when I built my first rig. Those reviews may not have been for a website but my friends who were also into PC’s heard plenty of them. I started writing for Thinkcomputers a couple years ago with a focus on mobile products. Recently I’ve made the shift to PC gaming periphials and I’ve never looked back.
Hobbies: Gaming, building computers, hanging with my girlfriend, hockey, football.
Links: CST | View Posts

Adam Wilson

Position: Staff Writer
Concentration: Power Supplies, Mainstream Socket Motherboards, Enthusiast Products
Age: 24
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Background: My dad was always into tech. He owned a Mattel Intellivision, which introduced me to games; a CDTV, which introduced me to keyboard+mouse computing, and was always creating over-the-top sound systems that would push the boundaries for the given time. I always found the things he brought home with him to be fascinating. My first real computer was a Windows 95 prebuilt that my sister bought, along with AOL as an ISP. I initially spent time exploring the internet, but found myself learning CSS and HTML as a hobby and building websites for school friends whilst occasionally helping my school out building sites for whatever purpose they needed.

As I hit 14, I became interested in how this stuff all works at a technical level; learning all I could about computer hardware, and I’ve followed it ever since. Sometimes my interests wander into other tech areas like handheld devices, but in the end my main passion always lies with what can go inside that box you call a desktop. Over the years, I’ve built and maintained numerous machines; for myself, family, friends, and on occasion people who were willing to pay me to do it. I’ve become a fully-fledged PC enthusiast with dabblings in anything from custom cases or case mods, to overclocking with extreme cooling methods.. No components submersed in non-conductive oil yet.. but who knows for the future?
Hobbies: Computers, video games, case modding, writing, good booze, hiking, quad bikes, jetskis, snowmobiles.
Links: View Posts

Mark Howland

Position: Staff Writer
Concentration: Social Media, Systems, Gaming
E-mail: marklive@thinkcomputers.org
Age: 27
Location: Austin, TX
Background: Hardcore techy, as soon as I can walk and understand the concept of buttons, I would be pushing them. I love new tech, and all upcoming tech. I’m also a hardcore gamer, play games weekly.
Hobbies: Computers, tech, movies, hockey, gaming
Links: View Posts

Frank Stroupe

Position: Staff Writer
Concentration: Motherboards, Memory, Video Cards
E-mail: fstroupe@thinkcomputers.org
Age: 51
Location: NE Mississippi
Background: first operated a computer during a basic programming course I took in college in the mid-1970s. The computer used IBM punch cards (do not spindle, fold, or mutilate). After owning a couple of early console games, in 1986 I purchased my first PC, sporting an 8088 processor, 256K of memory, and no hard drive. Around that time I first saw Windows 1.0…I thought it was silly and would never fly.

For the next 16 years I was a software kind of guy, but in early 2002 I decided to do my first build, a Socket A with an Abit NF7-S mobo…and never looked back. About a year later I became a reviewer for The Overclock Intelligence Agency. I joined the ThinkComputers staff in May 2007, and am currently the motherboard/memory reviewer…though I help Bob out wherever I can.

Though my first computer experience was programming, I don’t do any, I’m mostly into hardware, Photoshop, digital multitrack recording, and I dabble in HTML and CSS.
Hobbies: music (listening and creating), history, genealogy, vacuum tube electronics
Links: Blog | View Posts