Mark Tyson

Mark Tyson

News Editor

Mark's enthusiasm for computers dampened at an early age by the rubber-keyed Sinclair Spectrum 48K and feelings of Commodore 64 envy. However, in the mid-80s, hope in a digital future was rekindled by the purchase of an Atari 520 STe. Since that time Mark has used a multitude of computers for fun and professional endeavors. He often owned both Macs and PCs but went cold on the former after OS9 was killed off, and warmed to the latter with the introduction of Windows XP.

Early work years were spent in artwork and reprographics but in the late noughties, Mark started to blog about computers, Taiwanese food culture, and guitar design. This activity led to a full-time position writing about breaking PC tech news for HEXUS, for the best part of a decade. When HEXUS was abruptly closed, Mark helped with the foundation of Club386, before finding a new home at Tom's Hardware.

When not wearing through the keycap legends on his PC keyboards, Mark can be found wandering the computer malls of Taiwan's neon-lit conurbations and enjoying local and international cuisine.

Articles by: Mark Tyson

Internet illustration

The Taliban begins implementing fiber optic internet ban to ‘prevent immorality’ in Afghanistan — swathes of the country plunged into cyberspace darkness

By Mark Tyson published

Afghanistan’s fiber networks are being disconnected by the governing Taliban to 'prevent immorality.'

Apple Store umeda

Japanese city implements two-hour daily recreational smartphone usage limit — ordinance comes into effect from October 1, no enforcement or penalties proposed

By Mark Tyson published

A draft ordinance, proposing a limit of two hours of recreational smartphone use, passed a vote in Toyoaki City, Japan.

Byte Shop wooden cased Apple-1 computer auction

Rare wooden-cased Apple-1 computer blasts past auctioneer estimate — sells for almost half a million dollars

By Mark Tyson published

A very rare Apple-1 computer sold for a significant amount more money than auctioneer estimates, in Boston this weekend.

Therac radiation therapy machine

Notorious software bug was killing people 40 years ago — at least three people died after radiation doses that were 100x too strong from the buggy Therac-25 radiation therapy machine

By Mark Tyson published

Often cited as the world’s first lethal software bug, at least three people died between 1985 and 1987, after receiving doses of radiation that were 100x too powerful.

Commodore 64 Ultimate sales

Commodore 64 Ultimate eclipses 10,000 units sold milestone — rebooted firm gives huge thank you to fans

By Mark Tyson published

Commodore 64 Ultimate sales eclipse the 10,000 units sold milestone.

WeAct 0.96 Inch USB Secondary Screen

PC second screen costs just $2.57 on AliExpress — but this sub-1-inch USB-connected display won’t be for everyone

By Mark Tyson published

Postage stamp sized second screen is cheap but of questionable value.

ComMarker Omni X UV Laser

ComMarker Omni X review: a refined 5W UV laser cutter and engraver

By Mark Tyson published

ComMarker has launched its new Omni X, delivering several advantages over its predecessor, the Omni 1.

Apollo A6000 next-gen Amiga

‘Proper next-gen Amiga’ launched by Apollo Computing — promises full FPGA-powered backwards compatibility with its new 68080 chip

By Mark Tyson published

Apollo Computing stepped forward to reveal its 'Proper next-gen Amiga' to the masses earlier this week.

Jam-resistant Kamikaze strike drones from Ukraine

Ukraine reveals jammer-resistant Kamikaze strike drones — 31-mile range ordinance promises ’a new level of enemy destruction far behind the front lines’

By Mark Tyson published

Ukraine has finished testing a new kamikaze strike drone design, which it says can overcome the hurdles presented by Russian electronic warfare.

Baffling PC cable management produced this ‘monstrosity’

Repairer brands customer’s gaming PC a ‘monstrosity’ — skin lacerating cable management technique provokes horror

By Mark Tyson published

A PC repair professional was sent a system which had seen some 'baffling' modifications.

Deepseek logo on an iPhone

China foes get worse results using DeepSeek, research suggests — CrowdStrike finds nearly twice as many flaws in AI-generated code for IS, Falun Gong, Tibet, and Taiwan

By Mark Tyson published

Research suggests that your DeepSeek AI results can be of drastically lower quality if you trigger China’s geopolitically sensitive tripwires.

Brain computer illustration

China targets brain computer interface race with new standard — groundwork could lead to breakthroughs as soon as 2027

By Mark Tyson published

China appears to be moving fast to establish itself as a brain computer interface (BCI) leader, and officials have just published a new medical industry standard.

Looking Glass demos new Hololuminescent Display technology

Looking Glass demos Hololuminescent Display monitors — sizes range from 16 to 85 inches, starting at $1,500

By Mark Tyson published

Looking Glass has taken the wraps off its 'magical' and slim new monitors with Hololuminescent Display (HLD) technology. Models will be available soon, starting from $1,500.

Norbauer Seneca First Edition

Norbauer's $8,000 keyboard waitlist climbs to 9 months — the world's most expensive keyboard is perpetually out of stock

By Mark Tyson published

You don’t even get wireless connectivity, lighting, a numpad, or a control knob, and the wood riser is a $290 extra.

Byte Shop wooden cased Apple-1 computer auction

Rare Apple-1 with storied ownership could fetch over $300,000 at auction — unit housed in original wood case thought to be one of just nine surviving examples

By Mark Tyson published

A rare Apple-1 housed in its original wooden case is expected to fetch more than $300,000 at auction.

Making the VapeServer

Engineer creates ‘blazingly fast’ web server powered by a disposable vape — 'VapeServer' powered by 24 MHz Arm chip with 24 kilobytes of flash, 3KB of SRAM

By Mark Tyson published

Engineer and origami artist Bogdan Ionescu has created a web server that runs on a disposable vape.

Finger Maus Ultra

Wearable finger mouse designed to deliver precision with no flat surface required — 'Finger Maus' uses '80% less plastic' than a typical mouse

By Mark Tyson published

Finger Maus is claimed to improve on your typical deskbound mouse in several ways - as a lightweight, comfortable, accurate and eco-friendly wireless pointing device.

Apple ADB to USB interface for modern PCs

I built a configurable ADB-to-USB adaptor to use a vintage 1990 Apple keyboard with modern Windows and USB — modern keyboards and magnetic switches can't compete with Alps

By Mark Tyson published

I satisfied my retro 1990s keyboard longings by building an Apple ADB to USB converter with a handful of cheap components and some cool configurable firmware.

IBM RAMAC computer and magnetic disk-based storage

IBM announced the world’s first HDD, the 3.75MB RAMAC 350 disk storage unit, 69 years ago today — unit weighed more than a ton, 50 platters ran at 1,200 RPM

By Mark Tyson published

This massive stacked magnetic disk design earned the nickname the ‘baloney slicer.’

TSMC honey

TSM-Bee? TSMC gets into the honey business after working with local beekeepers to establish hives around its fabs

By Mark Tyson published

TSMC has worked with local beekeepers in Taiwan to produce ‘Ji Mi’ – TSMC branded honey.

The FanlessVC2300S DT

Compact copper-encased 14.2-liter PC system weighs 47.4 pounds, doesn't need fans for cooling — passive ITX case is nearly twice as heavy as the aluminum shrouded version

By Mark Tyson published

The Compact FanlessVC2300S DT ITX case will be sold in a limited-edition, completely copper version.

Another nice trash find

Redditor fishes a fully-functional Core i5-9400F and GTX 1660 PC gaming rig out of the trash

By Mark Tyson published

A Redditor enjoyed a big ‘W’ after fishing out a PC packing an Intel Core i5-9400F, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660, and more

DOOMQL

DOOM multiplayer tribute gets coded in 'pure SQL' and runs at 30FPS — made from just 150 lines of code in less than a month

By Mark Tyson published

A computer scientist used only 'pure SQL' to construct a multiplayer DOOM-like game that runs at 30 FPS.

Taiwan Coast Guard officers boarded a suspicious Chinese fishing vessel this weekend

Taiwan increases defensive patrols around 24 undersea cables — closely monitoring '96 blacklisted China-linked boats' with 24-hour operations

By Mark Tyson published

Taiwan has intensified patrols around the 24 undersea cables that connect it with the global internet.

Nano11 Builder

Nano11 compresses Windows 11 install footprint to as little as 2.8GB — 'extreme experimental script' is 3.5 times smaller than Tiny11 and comes with 'none of the fluff'

By Mark Tyson published

Nano11 Builder for Windows 11 produces the smallest Windows 11 installer ISOs and finished installation sizes yet.

Other versions of this page are available with specific content for the following regions: