Spotlight: Russell T. Baer of MacGizmoGuy
Originally Published in Palm Springs Life Magazine, Spring Edition 2008
An Interview With Apple Tech Guru MacGizmoGuy
In the Spotlight, we look behind the scenes at the people that help you discover the Apple gear and OSX software you love. This week we talked with Russell Baer aka MacGizmoGuy.
What’s your name? Russell T. Baer
What’s the company’s name? MacGizmoGuy LLC
Where are you located? Palm Springs, California: The Desert Oasis
What’s your website address? https://macgizmoguy.com
What’s your Twitter/X ID? @macgizmoguy
Where's Your FaceBook Page? https://facebook.com/macgizmoguy
How long have you been an Apple Fanatic?
I was in college and utterly captivated by the Apple Lisa and it's mouse when it was previewed in the early 1980's. So I've been dabbling in the notion of 'Personal Computing' ever since it was not only possible, but becoming affordable for the average person. I instantly saw Apple's personal computers as a Swiss Army Knife that could uniquely unleash anyone's true creativity and potential.
What Is Your Technical Background?
After achieving my AA Liberal Arts degree at Minneapolis Community College (MCC) in 1984, I migrated across campus to MTI - the Minneapolis Technical Institute and completed a 9 month certificate in Computer Operations in 1985, the year after the Apple Macintosh was introduced. I worked for over a decade in corporate retail and banking IT departments prior to becoming a freelance consultant. During that stretch I became A+ Certified Computer Technician, and an Apple Certified Macintosh Service Tech through Drake/Prometric testing centers. Eventually I joined the ACN: the official Apple Consultants Network of independent tech's supporting the Apple platform long before the Apple Store roll-out and their Genius Bar services. I was an 'Apple Genius' long before that became an official job position within their retail division!
How long have you been a Mac Webmaster?
I spent a decade and a half doing on-site Apple-specific tech support back when very few people did. I assisted literally thousands of people with their Apple computers, accessories and gadgets over the years. I then took all that first-hand experience with helping people choose, purchase, set up and use their Macintosh peripherals - and began creating websites to help everyone in our global Mac community make better Apple gadget buying decisions.
What Mac and iOS Gadgets do you personally use?
I had bought a factory certified, refurbished 2012 razor-thin 11 inch MacBook Air with leading-edge ThunderBolt and USB 3.0 ports. Amazing 2.4 pound powerhouse to create and publish with - anywhere! Love it. Strangely though, I'm not an iPhone guy. I've never owned a cellular phone! But I do have a recent iPod Touch with Skype that I use to make occasional Wi-Fi calls with, check email and keep track of website activity. I really am Mac-centric and stay primarily focused on OSX and the laptop and desktop Macintosh scene. Apple's sphere of influence has gotten so huge, it's almost impossible to be great at iPad, iPhone, iPod world in addition to everything MacOS.
What’s your favorite thing about the Macintosh platform?
Having seen every computer operating system come and go: From CPM to DOS to Atari and AmigaOS on to the Mac and Windows - the sheer elegance of Mac OSX is unmatched. I'm not an Apple Fanboy for it's own sake, I'm not religious about Apple computers. They're just tools, no more - no less. I simply recognize and respect that Apple really does have the most intuitive and advanced computer operating system in the world, with world-class, elegant hardware to match. It's simply the best computing platform bar none, both technically and aesthetically. I like hunting down and identifying world-class Mac accessories that are a worthy match.
What do you do when you’re not being a Mac Geek?
I love gardening! Specifically, water gardening: Growing water lilies, lotus and pond plants on my sun-drenched desert patio. I know, crazy right?!? I should be growing cacti and succulents! But water gardening is a lifetime passion of mine and growing aquatic plants in a scorching arid desert environment is one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced in life. I'm also an exercise and fitness fanatic. Coping and keeping up with Apple's relentless tech innovations is very challenging. I need to lift weights at the gym and spend swim time in the pool to get off my butt and away from my MacBook to de-stress and process things.
What should we expect from you next?
Focus! I have a lot of Mac gizmo and gadget review sites, too many perhaps. My challenge in the year ahead is to take what the majority Macintosh users want for their personalized Mac setup - and really hone-in on helping them find 'Insanely Great Mac Accessories' that will serve them well for years to come. I'll also focus on building my Brand and Marketing skills to make MacGizmoGuy a respected and recognized name as someone who truly has dedicated their life knowledge to being expert in All Things Macintosh.
