Making Things Talk: Practical Methods for Connecting ... (ISBN 0596510519)

Great book of projects involving communications and networking:
When I first heard about this book, I assumed it was about projects for speech synthesis. When I read the details on the publisher's site I was somewhat disappointed - talking meant communications in this case. However, I ordered it anyway and was quite delighted by the results. The book is well illustrated, well written, and contains 26 very interesting projects. If you are teaching networking to high schoolers or even to college students, these projects might make interesting case studies to drive home some of the points being studied. There is one thing I would caution you on though. Don't expect the lead-you-by-the-hand electronics-heavy methodology of most other project books. This book - although apparently targeted at electronics hobbyists - goes into painstaking detail on hardware needed and assembly. However, it oddly assumes the reader doesn't need much coaching on the Processing programming language or PHP. Of course, this book would be an unwieldy tome if tutoring on those subjects were included, but just be warned that you'll need some outside sources if you are not already familiar with either of these languages. The following is the list of contents of the book along with the names and locations of the 26 included projects. 1. The Simplest Tools 2. The Simplest Network Project 1 - Monski Pong Project 2 - Wireless Monski Pong Project 3 - Negotiating in Bluetooth 3. A More Complex Network Project 4 - A Networked Cat 4. Look Ma! No Computer Project 5 - Hello Internet Project 6 - Networked Air Quality Meter 5. Communicating in (Near) Real Time Project 7 - A Networked Game 6. Wireless Communication Project 8 - Infrared Transmitter-Receiver Pair Project 9 - Radio Transmitter-Receiver Pair Project 10 - Duplex Radio Transmission Project 11 - Bluetooth Receivers 7. The Tools Project 12 - Reporting Toxic Chemicals in the Shop Project 13 - Relaying Solar Data Wirelessly 8. How to Locate (Almost) Anything Project 14 - Infrared Distance Ranger Example Project 15 - Ultrasonic Distance Ranger Example Project 16 - Reading Received Signal Strength Using XBee Radios Project 17 - Reading Received Signal Strength Using Bluetooth Radios Project 18 - Reading the GPS Serial Protocol Project 19 - Determining Heading Using a Digital Compass Project 20 - Using an Accelerometer 9. Identification Project 21 - Color Recognition Using a Webcam Project 22 - 2D Barcode Recognition Using a Webcam Project 23 - Reading RFID Tags in Processing Project 24 - RFID Meets Home Automation Project 25 - IP Geocoding Project 26 - Email from RFID A. And Another Thing B. Where to Get Stuff C. Program Listings

Arduino ? Say What ?:
I understand an author can't be expected to cover every microcontroller in every language but, Arduino ?? What the BLEEP !! Who uses Arduino...never heard of it ? I bought Igoe's Physical Computing and found it of some value on account that he was using Pic Basic Pro to program Microchip Pics when everyone else uses Assembler or C. He did however, in that book, include some other micros such as a Basic Stamp 2 and I could at least slightly empathize with his efforts to keep as many people happy as possible. I thought this book, being a latter work, would be using Microchip Pics with HOPEFULLY assembler or C. What do I get, Arduino in some proprietary language ?? JEEZUS !! How may Arduinos are sold every year compared to PICs ? Maybe I can use this book as a gross guide to some of the other technology introduced in the book such as XBee RF modules. I wish the publisher was upfront in their description in warning people that it's using this exceedingly rare and proprietary programming language. It could have been a 5 star if he used PIC with C or Assembler.

I loved it:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have read it cover-2-cover. Granted - some of the projects are a little hokey. Perhaps that is why I kept finding alternate uses for the circuitry. Negative? The author covered a lot of ground and was forced to limit his depth. That makes it an excellent "Intro" book - but makes me wish for more.

MAKING THINGS TALK:
I take my hat off to Tom for his contribution the rest of the amatures like me. I wish you well

An Excellent Idea Book On Networking Microcontrollers:
This idea book and collection of projects on networking microcontrollers with sensors, infrared and radio links, as well as communicating from these sensors and controllers over the Internet, is written by one of the pioneers of physical computing, Tom Igoe. He also teaches at NYU Interactive Telecommunications Program and is a member of the Open Source Hardware--Arduino team. While these projects begin as simply as blinking an LED via the Arduino's port, they proceed through use of sophisticated sensors and actuators involving GPS, RFID, and wireless communications like the Zigbee radio modules. Because these projects involve programming environments (such as Arduino/Wiring, Processing and PHP), physical interaction and interfacing on wireless protoboards and with toys and sensors, and client-server network protocols; it is somewhat unrealistic to assume that a beginning hobbyist without any background in programming, electronics construction or networking could sucessfully implement these designs and others based on their examples without some prior experience. Fortunately, other books such Tom's Physical Computing: Sensing and Controlling the Physical World with Computers, co-authored with Dan O'Sullivan and Massimo Banzi's Getting Started with Arduino (Make: Projects) (also published by O'Reilly) amply provide that background. This book is excellent fun and full of ideas on making physical sensors and actuators talk over a variety of networks (direct cable connections), Zigbee and Bluetooth Radio, and with Ethernet/Internet Applications. The applications are as practical as reading GPS and RFID sensors in real-world applications, and as whimsical as interfacing a toy monkey and your cat's litter box. This book shows whats possible with networked microcontrollers, explains the steps in interfacing with hardware and software in clear English, but implementation of further designs based upon these examples does require some background. --Ira Laefsky