ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Forrest Mims has been an electronics hobbyist since building a one-tube radio kit at the age of 11. Following graduation from Texas A&M University in 1966 and service as a photo-intelligence officer in Vietnam, he worked for three years with high-powered lasers, solid-state instrumentation, and trained monkeys with the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in New Mexico. Since becoming a full-time writer in 1970, he’s written several hundred magazine articles and scholarly papers. His articles and columns have appeared in virtually every significant electronics magazine, including Popular Electronics, Radio-Electronics, and Modern Electronics. His articles on other scientific topics have appeared in a wide range of other publications, including National Geographic World, Science Digest, Highlights for Children, and Scientific American. His editorial exploits have included an assignment from the National Enquirer to evaluate the feasibility of eavesdropping on Howard Hughes by laser (it was possible, but Forrest declined to take part) and getting dropped by Scientific American as their “The Amateur Scientist” columnist because he admitted to the magazine’s editors that he was a born-again Christian. His book sales total in the millions, and he is likely the most widely-read electronics writer in the world.

Forrest is currently busy as the founding editor of Science PROBE!, a new magazine aimed at amateur scientists. In this role, Forrest is creating the sort of magazine that he wishes had been available in his youth while acquiring a new understanding of the frustrations of being an editor. He still keeps up a hectic pace of electronics and science experimentation and writing.

Forrest and his wife Minnie have three children, and they currently live in the Texas countryside near San Antonio. They are active in church activities, and Forrest is a Baptist deacon. He has his office and electronics lab in an old restored farmhouse adjacent to his home.