[.ca] 101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius (ISBN 0071468943)

My favorite in the series.:
I will admit, I am an Evil Genius fanatic, and enjoy the series immensely. This one has got to be the best so far, and the amount of detail and content is just great. I teach electronics, and find the "hacker" feel of this book to be a great inspiration not only to those wanting to learn electronics, but also for those who want to take the covert aspect of technology to the limits. Each project is presented in a format that actually shows how things are built, explains why certain parts are used and ideas for modifications are given. The book is written in such a way that it will not be out dated as parts become obsolete, and most of the projects are made with easy to find inexpensive parts, or by hacking broken everyday appliances. The camera and night vision section is extremely interesting, and I have started on the infrared illuminator, which is showing great promise in my workshop. I would definitely recommend this one, as it stays true to the "Evil Genius" name, and is very complete. It's nice to see this series back on track! Thanks - can't wait for the follow up volume. Oh, and thanks for this hidden camera section, my cousin has installed a few sneaky hidden cameras in his store to reduce theft. M. Carlson

Cool projects that don't cost alot to make!:
This kind of Evil Genius book is long overdue. I like the series for the variety of projects, but honestly most are expensive, complicated and forget finding all the parts you need unless you work at a research center or university. This book is refreshingly different from the rest of the series. 101 Spy Gadgets is great! Reminds me of Popular Science projects I used to love making in my parents' basement. My favorite projects so far include the spy robot, computer hacking tips and the countermeasures. I used to make gadgets even more evil than these when I was a kid and believe me, my friends and I created some pretty dangerous stuff. Don't get me wrong - lots of the projects in this book are pretty intriguing for the mischevious minds, but it will appeal to many people of all ages. Wait until you learn about baby monitors and hacking cameras! The countermeasures gadgets are very cool! Makes you want to try your hand at being a super sleuth just to try out your inventions. I like the fact that there are many pictures, diagrams and schematics that are clear and easy to follow. These spy gadgets are useful, functional and encourage you to learn along the way. There is an excellent progression of projects throughout the book. I can tell that alot of thought was put into choosing and organizing projects logically. You don't have to be an expert in anything but you will learn quite a bit throughout the book because there is alot of theory explaining various technologies and principles along the way. What a refreshing addition to the Evil Genius collection. I'm glad to see that McGraw is getting back to the real Evil Genius roots. Hope to see more books in this series like this spy gadgets book. Great stuff!

Excellent:
Finally a book that's easy to read and follow. Great pictures, diagrams and instructions. This one is great for anyone of any age. Step by step instructions are easy to follow, the authors give alot of background information on many things including electronics, optics, video, audio, software, computer functions and so on. The hardest part is deciding which project to start making first. Great stuff! I also just bought Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza if you're interested in building your own bikes like choppers, tandems, tall bikes, recumbents, spincycles and other cool looking bikes. Hope the authors read these reviews. I really enjoy their books. Keep up the great work!

Cool!:
I bought my book just after it came out and I've been deep into it already making some stuff. I'm not heavy into electronics but after watching Tech TV and Discovery, I'm getting more interested in it now. I like how this book is organized and how many different projects there are. I've only spent about $50 to make about seven projects - Section Nine - Audio Bugs and Transmitters - so that's pretty good! The support forum on atomiczombie.com is really helpful. My next projects will be from Section Ten - Video Transmitters. There are enough projects in this book to keep me busy for a long time. Great book!

Being an Evil Genius is cool:
I'm a huge fan of spy movies like James Bond and Mission Impossible so this book intrigued me right away. I haven't been disappointed! I'll admit I'm hooked on this book! It's a great introduction to all kinds of technologies, from lasers and audio to cameras and computers. If you like taking things apart and putting them back together again like I do, then this book is right up your alley. I've spent a good part of the summer going to yard sales and scavenging parts from thrift stores to build up my inventory for these projects. It is true as stated in the book that the projects won't break your wallet. If I can find the parts to make most of the 101 projects, then anyone can. Best part of the book is that every project is based on real working results. The authors did build every single project and they stand by that claim in their Atomic Zombie Support Forum. There's an updated list of online and "brick and mortar" parts sources there as well. Hope they write another Evil Genius book soon. I'm absolutely loving the Spy Gadgets book. Amazing stuff!