A project is rarely a solo affair, and this one depended on a large crew for it to arrive. I need to thank Scott Lowe for shoveling the path and aiming me at the correct door. My deepest gratitude goes to Mark Milow for helping me climb aboard this rocket, to Mike Szfranski for your always open book of knowledge, to Nick Gamache for the insights, and to Tony Damiano for keeping our vehicle in the fast lane.

My heartfelt thanks also go to the virtual team at Sybex: Kelly Talbot, Stephanie McComb, Van Van Noy, Kathy Grider-Carlyle, and Barath Kumar Rajasekaran for their steadfast support, forcing me to improve with each chapter and keeping it all neat and clean. Special thanks go to Agatha Kim for getting this whole adventure rolling.

I need to thank my family beginning with my parents, teachers both, who instilled me with a love of reading and writing and set me on a path that somehow led here. Thank you to my boys, Lucas and Noah, who fill our days with laughter and music. And finally, a huge hug to my wife, Elizabeth, who encouraged me even when she had no idea what I was writing about. I love you.