Acknowledgments

Writing a book is a huge project. When I was at school, I used to shudder at the thought of writing 1,000 words for an essay, and I was alone to do it. This book is, of course, much longer, and I enjoyed every minute of it, thanks to the team of professionals who helped me every step of the way. Take a quick look at the people involved in this project, and you will soon see what I'm talking about.

I can't thank everyone involved personally; there are just too many people, but there are a few names that I will never forget. My thanks go out to Christina Haviland, my project editor. When I knew that I would be working with her again, I was thrilled. She actually managed to put up with me for the entire duration and didn't even shout at me when I was late, despite the fact that some of the chapters were very, very late. I was also thrilled to know that I'd be working with San Dee Phillips, my copy editor. The job they did transforming raw data coming out of my brain into something readable is outstanding. Then there is Scott Fitzgerald, my technical editor, who made sure that I didn't make any mistakes. Believe me, nothing slipped by, and despite all the grumbling I did when I received the corrections, thank you! This wouldn't have been possible without you.

I would also like to thank Atmel for their time and effort, for the engineers I was in contact with to get more information, and to Tom Vu who kept on encouraging me along the way and sending me new evaluation boards to play with. My thanks also go out to Silicon Labs for its excellent UV sensor that is presented in this book and for the time it spent helping me. Thanks to Materiel.net who managed to get me a new computer, camera, and components in record time when mine broke, allowing me to get the job done. Your coffee mug is still on my desk!

Of course, this book would not have been possible without the amazing people at Arduino. I don't know if they know just how much they have changed the world of makers. Your boards have brought back the joy I had in creating gizmos and contraptions.

This has been a huge adventure, and I've met a lot of amazing people along the way. Thank you to every one of you—for your time, your suggestions, and your encouraging messages.