Writing and illustrating this book was a lot of fun. The support and comments of my family and friends made it even more fun. I’d like to thank the following people for their helpful suggestions and ideas:
David Pescovitz, Kelly Sparks, Gareth Branwyn, Cory Doctorow, Douglas Rushkoff, Susan Sheridan, Jim Leftwich, Marc Weingarten, Wendy Frauenfelder, Alberta Chu, Kevin Kelly, Jenn Shreve, Carl Schaefer, Craig Shapiro, and Elizabeth Kruger looked at my drawings and experiments and gave me great advice.
My father, Lew, is a garage scientist of the highest order, and built a lot of neat toys for me when I was a kid, including a miniature radio transmitter and a digital wristwatch, back when people had never even heard of them. He was, and still is, a great inspiration, as is my mother, Nina, who never became too upset when I made a mistake, such as setting my neighbor’s kitchen on fire while making smoke bombs or filling the house with thick black smoke while making fingerprint powder.
I wish to thank my editor, Alan Rapp, who worked with me for months to develop the book’s concept. His gentle support and creative ideas were the perfect launching pad for this book. Thanks also to my copy editor, Jeff Campbell, and designer, Ayako Akazawa, for their great work.
Finally, I want to thank the two most important contributors: my wife, Carla, who gave me all sorts of terrific ideas for the drawings, and my daughter, Sarina, who eagerly tested the experiments and provided honest feedback as only a four-year-old can.
Thank you all!