AnandTech Call for Writers: 2021
by Ryan Smith on April 23, 2021 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Call for Writers
- Site Updates
The Call for Writers is something of an annual tradition over here at AnandTech. As anyone who follows the site knows very well, the list of things we have to review/cover easily exceeds our available time. So the call for writers gives us a chance to find new talent and new opportunities to grow, be it into new coverage areas entirely or just covering more of the existing products our readers have come to enjoy over the years.
The ultimate purpose of the Call for Writers is to find new talent. To continue to grow and improve our content, we need your help. We're looking for writers with a true passion for the technology we cover, a deep understanding of what's out there and a thirst for more knowledge.
Like many other publications, the coronavirus pandemic over the past year has thrown a wrench in our coverage plans – both in terms of content and staffing. But now that we're finally starting to turn the corner on the pandemic, we're preparing to resume staffing up, expanding our coverage, and training the next generation of AnandTech editors.
To that end, we're looking for contributors to help out both with reviews as well as our short-to-medium form Pipeline coverage. The areas in particular we're looking for help with are listed below:
- News/Pipeline (PC)
- News/Pipeline (Mobile)
- Networking
- Storage (Inc. Solid State)
- GPUs (US-only)
- Systems/Laptops (US-only)
- Mobile/Smartphones (US/Canada & Europe)
- Machine Learning/Neural Networks
- Memory
- Community Manager (US-only)
- Monitors
- Home Automation/IoT
- Professional Graphics/GPU
If you find yourself at the intersection of knowledge and passion about any of those areas, and have some time to contribute, you're exactly what we're looking for. These are paid, part-time positions that we're looking to fill, with most positions open on a world-wide basis, and certain positions primed for a quick promotion to full-time. What I need is a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to talk about any one of these topics. Your sample can be in the form of a review, a pipeline post or an analysis piece - it should be something that looks like it would fit in on AnandTech.
Once you've produced it, send it on over to callforwriters@anandtech.com. Please also include a description of what subject(s) you would be interested in writing about, and some basic information about your background and where you're located. We'll read through all samples, but we can't guarantee a reply due to the sheer volume of submissions we tend to receive. If we like what you've sent and there's a potential fit on the team, we'll be in touch.
And even if we aren't, please don't hesitate in trying again next year; anyone who has applied before is welcome to apply again. 2019 was a banner year for us, for example, and we had many more good submissions than we could realistically respond to.
I'll conclude this post with a passage from our About page:
In the early days of technology reporting on the web the focus was almost exclusively on depth. We had a new medium for content that didn't come with the same restrictions as more traditional forms. We could present as much data as we felt was necessary and we could do it quicker.
As the web grew, so did the approach to gaining readership. In many cases, publishers learned from the tips and tricks of more traditional media to growing their audience. The focus shifted away from ultimate understanding of what was being reported, to producing content significantly motivated by increasing traffic, or revenue, or both. Thorough observations were out; sensationalism, link baiting, and the path to shallow 10-o'clock-news reporting were in.
While I believe it's definitely easier to produce content by going this route, I don't believe it's the only way to build a well read website.
If the above resonates with you and you'd like to help by being a part of something different, I'd encourage you to submit a writing sample.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How old do I need to be to work for AnandTech?
A: You need to be old enough to legally work in your country of residence without significant restriction. Otherwise we have no specific requirements so long as you can do the job well. Anand started the site at 14, after all...
Q: Do I need to be located in the United States to work for AnandTech?
A: Some positions do require that you be in the US for logistical reasons, and those specific positions are noted. However unless otherwise noted, most positions are open on a world-wide basis.
Q: Do I need to supply my own products for testing or contacts at companies? (i.e. do I need to be an insider?)
A: No. Assuming for the moment you have a computer to write on, then you already have the most important piece of equipment that you need. Meanwhile you will need some knowledge of the field at hand, but we will introduce you to the people you need to know for your position at AnandTech.
Q: Do I need a computer or engineering-related degree to work at AnandTech?
A: We are first and foremost looking for people with a passion to learn, and the knack to make it happen, regardless of experience or qualifications. There's a certain degree of baseline knowledge needed for any given position, but if you can read existing AnandTech articles then you're already half-way there.
Q: Why would I want to work for AnandTech?
A: Besides offering a paying job, of course, working for AnandTech is a chance to look at the cutting-edge of hardware, inform an audience of millions about what's new in the world, and help shape the tech industry for the better. Past that, over the last 24 years many of AnandTech's writers have gone on to take important roles in (or adjacent to) the tech industry, spanning everything from developing the next generation of products at companies like Samsung and Apple, to heading up investment funds, developing electric cars, and even shooting rockets into space!
Q: Is there a submission deadline?
A: We have a tentative end point for May 10th
65 Comments
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Smell This - Friday, April 23, 2021 - link
I'd love to do Home Automation/IoT but worry devices are tethered, data-mining behemoths. There is likely a reason that X10 mechanicals are still around after 30+ years.
philehidiot - Friday, April 23, 2021 - link
If you have the ability to analyse the traffic coming out of it, you might well be able to inform consumers on this point. I've often wondered about this and I know people who have taken the firmware apart to see what they do.Just imagine if you could do for IOT what Anand did for IOPS on SSDs?
I bet you could do some kind of MITM magic and Bettercap / Wireshark it to see what data is flowing? I could imagine some very interesting data very relevant to consumers using these systems.
flyingpants265 - Tuesday, April 27, 2021 - link
What on earth? So just block them from your network, use VPN/iptables. Actually, using anything that needs you to "log in" to a service in order to communicate with your own devices is for plebs. So what you'd want is a cheaper, better, faster version of X10 or something like that.On that note, it's blatantly obvious that we should all be using open-source/free software Linux phones and computers, but we don't, simply because nobody has bothered to make a good version of Linux, or a good version of a Linux phone. Or has established regulations that require hardware to be free (unlocked bootloaders, open-source chips and so on) so that everyone can install a free version of Linux on any Android/iPhone.
Keep in mind that if you're "concerned about data mining" (as many tech-savvy people are now), the real concern is that the CIA/NSA alone, can intercept and record all traffic on the ISP level, and circumvent just about any encryption, through various novel methods like infiltrating the groups that create the encryption software, or automatically identifying and attacking endpoints that send encrypted data. So it's likely that everything's going to end up in a massive centralized database, but you're making it harder for them in the meantime. And at least your info won't be in EVERY corporate database.
philehidiot - Friday, May 7, 2021 - link
GCHQ has been intercepting communications since the first undersea cables and radio towers. Their connections are still there in the little shed where cables landed in the UK. Radio intercept towers were one of the last great projects of the British Empire. This lot all work together and have been doing so for a long, long time.But saying "there's no point because the government can see it" or saying "it's for plebs", just block the traffic, ignores the issue. You only ever find out the extent to which this spying happens if you look. Sometimes, an examination into this kind of thing is interesting and worthwhile for its own sake.
Linustechtips12#6900xt - Friday, April 23, 2021 - link
My submission will be soon! best of luck to all!Tomatotech - Friday, April 23, 2021 - link
I’d love to see more exploration of the cloud gaming space. There’s a good few plug and play providers out there like GeForce Now, and slightly more involved semi-DIY options like PaperSpace, and then the truly hardcore are building cloud gaming VMs on Microsoft Azure / Amazon Web Services / Google Cloud.Why buy a GPU for $1000 (when available) when you can rent the same quality GPU for $1 per hour and use it on any of your devices and screens?
TheinsanegamerN - Friday, April 23, 2021 - link
Because all those services still have latency issues, and no matter how much marketing you throw at a problem you cant defeat physics.There's also the small issue of image quality being terrible unless you have the top 1% of speeds in america. Given how networks are oversubscribed you'll be dealing with 720P low settings and 0 AA just to try to keep 30 FPS.
Even a budget computer from two generations ago gives a better experience. Multiple reviewers on youtube have demonstrated this, with gamer nexus being one of the more in depth ones. It doesnt even save you much in the way of money unless you spend all day gaming on a fixed price, even then it's highly suspect.
Tomatotech - Monday, April 26, 2021 - link
That's very parochial of you. Let's list the ways you're wrong:* Are you suggesting that AnandTech should only report on American tech? Have you seen how much of the front page deals with tech from outside the USA?
* The story below this, on the Cerebras Wafer Scale Engine discusses a CPU with 850,000 cores, priced in the umpteen millions. I loved the story, but it's unlikely anybody in the Anandtech audience will program or even get near one.
* Many games don't need millisecond latency. Are you dismissing every game that isn't a FPS? And many people play FPS on cloud GPUs quite happily for fun as it's still better than the potato they have at home.
* Anandtech serves the world, much of which has better internet speeds than the USA. Even in the USA, many people use cloud GPUs. It's a new area of tech. Should AnandTech ignore it on your say so?
* Geforce Now tops out at 1080p. In my limited testing, I get 60fps quite easily from it, and 1440k 60fps from Paperspace. It does depend on the game and the level of GPU you're renting. I don't have a 4K monitor so I haven't tested 4k.
* Like many adults, I have kids and a job so I only game a few hours a week. $1 per hour suits people like me far better than explaining to my more sensible half why I spent $XXXX on a GPU for a computer that wasn't even broken.
Machinus - Monday, April 26, 2021 - link
cloud service is horrible value for consumersflyingpants265 - Tuesday, April 27, 2021 - link
It's horrible in just about every way, but it doesn't matter because most people are fundamentally plebs who cannot understand the issues no matter how many times they are explained to them, no matter the amount of detail.