Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I thank my mentor and friend, Paul Monday, for inspiring me to write and advising me throughout the process. Paul's technical expertise and drive are an invaluable resource for me and many others. His ideas have made a significant impact on the content and final form of this book.

I offer my sincere gratitude to Bill Giovinazzo, Neil Harrison, Ralph Johnson, John Neidhart, Clark Scholten, John Vlissides, and Rebecca Wirfs-Brock for their thoughtful and constructive suggestions regarding the technical content of this book.

Many current and former colleagues of mine deserve my genuine appreciation as well. Some directly influenced my personal understanding of the concepts that this book describes, and others directed my career path toward opportunities where I could explore and learn freely: Axel Allgeier, John Broich, Mike Gorman, Gary Grieshaber, Maneesh Gupta, Wray Johnson, Mark Madsen, David Misheski, Bob Nelson, Lynn Nelson, Scott O'Bryan, Schuman Shao, David Wall, and Bill Wiktor.

My six-year-old son, Dylan, and I shared an "office" while I wrote a lot of this book. He perfected the science of stapler bookbinding and made his way through an astounding amount of printer paper along the way. He wrote several of his own books in the time it took me to write this one. Dylan, Liam, Ethan, and Angie: You have given me unconditional patience, encouragement, and adoration. I am blessed to share my life and work with you.