Acknowledgements

An acknowledgement for my own book. As an IT professional, that’s not something I ever thought I’d be writing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to write a book and an acknowledgement, but I never really expected that wonder to become an actual, legitimate reality. This whole process of writing a book has been surreal and somewhat eye-opening. Being a part of this process and seeing “how the sausage is made,” as it were, has really brought to light the hidden roles of the people that surround me. So even though this is slightly unfamiliar territory for me, the only reason this book even exists is because of the love, kindness, guidance, cooperation, patience, and encouragement of others, and I want to do my best to acknowledge those hidden figures.

Putting a book together requires a lot of time and attention. But when you have a family, including a one-year-old, having spare time and attention is a precious commodity. To that end, I have to thank my wife, Marian, who sacrificed her own time and attention and spent many a night with a screaming toddler just so that I could see this thing through. For me, love is shown more by actions than words, and to cede her time so that I could achieve my goals speaks more than a book full of love notes.

The topics and projects in this book are the result of my passion for learning and understanding technology. I share this passion with the thousands of viewers and followers on my YouTube channel. Sometimes it’s hard to continue having a presence on social media due to all the negativity surrounding those platforms, but I have a great base of subscribers and commenters on my channel who have spurred me on and supported me for years. If it wasn’t for them, I would have given up on making stuff a long time ago.

How you grow up shapes who you become when you’re older. You always hear that growing up in a large family is great, and I had the delightful benefit of being raised in a large family with my mom and dad, two brothers, and three sisters. All of them have always encouraged and supported my drive and creativity…at least to my face. Aside from my family, my biggest influence growing up was Lewis H. Hunt, our 70-year-old cattle-farming neighbor. He showed me the value of hard work and how to push through the boundaries of my perceived limitations. He was an amazing guy, and he will be missed.

Let’s be honest, if I were to try and publish a book on my own, it would probably make for the world’s greatest toilet paper. All I have is a jumbled mess of thoughts. What you’re holding in your hands right now is the product of a team of hard workers who are experts at turning monochromatic words into art. I am in humble gratitude to the team at Mango for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Finally, I would like to thank my friends at SplatSpace, my local hacker/maker space. Maker spaces in general are a great place to meet likeminded makers, share ideas, and get feedback for projects. SplatSpace is a great group of men and women who love to look at the world and see what makes it tick. They’ve inspired me and helped me refine myself as a maker. Thank you all!