Acknowledgments

I WANT MOST OF ALL TO THANK MY WIFE, Erin, who has been a patient supporter through the long, often angst-ridden process of writing this book. She not only went without a husband for many weekends, evenings, and so-called vacation days; she then weathered my verbose ruminations and bouts of self-doubt when I was in her presence. She doesn’t believe it, but it’s true that I could not have done this without her.

Thanks also to Madeline, my daughter, who has also endured my authorial tribulations, and who has been such an inspiration to me as I’ve watched her grow up, tackle huge challenges, and already become so much more than I could’ve imagined.

Thanks to Peter Morville, who told me a long time ago, regarding a completely different subject, “you should write a book,” and who then helped me find a path to get it done, with wise counsel along the way. Also thanks to Lou Rosenfeld, who has also given me such generous encouragement and advice over the years. And thanks to Christina Wodtke, especially for that email invitation circa 2001, and all the invaluable conversations since.

A special thanks to Dan Klyn and Bob Royce, who both have enriched and influenced my perspective on this book’s subject, and who invited me along on their joint mission to bring “making things be good” to the world—something they called The Understanding Group. I can’t imagine any other vocational home giving me the room to work out these ideas and be the self I needed to be while writing this book.

There are many other wonderful people who have contributed their energy and care in ways large and small toward making this book happen; some have been sources of conversations and knowledge that have become part of the book’s fabric, and some have even taken time out of their lives to review drafts and help make the book better. I can’t possibly list them all, but I should especially mention, Jorge Arango, Andrea Resmini, Abby Covert, Marsha Haverty, Andrew Wilson, Sabrina Golonka, Karl Fast, Dave Gray, Christian Crumlish, Richard Dalton, Lis Hubert, Malcolm McCullough, and Don Norman.

Thanks also to a mentor from what seems like a previous life, poet and teacher Jeffrey Skinner, for telling me I’m a writer and showing me what it means to be one. When I catch myself just talking about something I could make or do, I hear his rightfully impatient voice from decades ago, saying, “Stop talking about it and just do it!” He also taught me it’s better to be done than perfect, advice without which I would still be researching, writing, and revising this tome.

Thanks to my publisher, meaning everyone there who played a part in making this book a reality. When I started working with O’Reilly, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I knew I wasn’t writing something that fit a standard “technology book” mold, but I also knew that O’Reilly was one of the first publishers that really mattered to me—starting with the copy of The Whole Internet User’s Guide and Catalog I found in 1992—and that O’Reilly’s deeply humanist vision would make a good home for my wandering, philosophical ideas about information technology. Sure enough, I found everyone involved to be thoughtful and welcoming, patient with my journey but responsible in prodding me along. So, in particular to Mary Treseler, Simon St. Laurent, Amy Jollymore, and Meghan Blanchette, I want to thank you all for your belief in this project, your encouragement when I struggled, and your kind guidance through the entire process.

Finally, to my mother, Mary; my dad, George; and (in memoriam) my stepfather, Paul: thank you for getting me to adulthood, showing me what was possible if I took the time to do something right, and teaching me that—with hard work—I could accomplish what I set out to do.

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