Acknowledgments

Everything in the universe is constantly trying to change the behavior of everything else in the universe, all the time. Some behavioral modifications promote order; others promote chaos. So nothing we do–any of us–is actually a totally independent action. Whether we realize it or not, others as well as ourselves are taking part in both our successes and failures.

With that in mind, you should be able to understand why I say this book is the result of collaboration. Every person I’ve known, along with every situation I’ve experienced, has helped shape the text of this tutorial.

Since I have a seeming limited amount of memory, let me at least thank those who are directly responsible for bringing it to you:

• Terry Moro, my wife, for reminding me how to maintain balance, even when I’m writing a book!
• Jonathan Gennick, Lead Editor, for his friendship and leadership
• Jill Balzano, Editor, for her encouragement
• Michael Rosenblum, Technical Reviewer, for his excellent comments and suggestions
• Mary Behr, Copy Editor, for making me look like a good writer
• SPi Global, Compositor, Indexer, and Artist, for putting all the pieces together, for making it easy to dip into the book, and for making my artwork look good.