Steve Bass

I first learned about computers in 1982 with an IBM PC I bought from Computerland. When I asked them for support, they said, "Don't use it in the shower."

The following day, I founded the Pasadena IBM Users Group. After 24 years, I finally closed the organization, releasing the over 2,400 former members onto the streets (http://www.pibmug.com). Be careful out there. And in the late 1980s, I co-founded the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (http://www.apcug.org), a nationwide organization serving user groups.

I'm also a Contributing Editor to PC World, writing the "Hassle-Free PC" column since 1990, the "Tips and Tweaks Online Newsletter," and dozens of articles including "Net Phones: Dialing Without Dollars," and "The Ultimate PC Troubleshooting Guide."

My "How to Fix the Biggest PC Annoyances" article has won PRSA's prestigious Excellence in Technology Journalism award.

My blog is at http://snurl.com/BassBlog. You can also subscribe to my weekly newsletter (a compilation of the week's blogs) at http://snurl.com/homeoffice (Look for "signup" at lower right corner of the page). And a collection of previous newsletters are available here: http://snurl.com/homeoffice.

I've also written for Forbes, Family Circle, and Computer Currents, and once had a syndicated newspaper column that was way more work than it was worth. But wait, there's more: I have a semi-regular spot on KPCC''s "Airtalk," an NPR affiliate radio show, and Pacifica's KPFK's "Digital Village." I'm also producing a new computer show, "Phrenology: The New Topology." It's been a bumpy road.

In a previous life, I was a licensed family therapist (hard to believe, I know); owned PCG Seminars, a training company for mental-health professionals; and met his wife while doing magic at Hollywood's Magic Castle.