Bigger - Build your own autonomous NERF Blaster programming mayhem with Processing and Arduino

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With love in your toolbox, anything is possible.

For my family, Beth, Jack, and Will

Bryce Bigger is an interactive designer-developer. He is the founder and principal of The Bigger Design, an interactive company with roots in web design and development but extending to all things digital, including video, 3D, games, and, more recently, physical computing. Bryce has crafted interactive magic for many national brands, including the United States Navy, Oracle, Ping Golf, Lockheed Martin, Chef Boyardee, and the National Institutes of Health.

He created the Sentinel Project, an open-source autonomous foam dart gun system shown at AdobeMAX 2010 to spotlight innovative use of Adobe AIR technology. Recently, Bryce has produced other sizzling foam dart weaponry for clients, including e-mail marketing leader MailChimp.

Bryce holds a B.S. in Media Arts and Design from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with his beloved wife and two sons.

Tinkering is an art. While not a fine art, its importance in our society has never been greater. With all the technology available today, it would be easy to let other people figure everything out for us and to never question their information, judgments, or decisions. But thats not smart for you or for the future of innovation.

This book is a kick in the pants for anyone interested in (even remotely) information technology (IT), coding, design, or physical computing. These arent career paths in their infancy; these jobs are here today. This book can help you explore these critical fields using a fun, readily accessible toy thats popular in many office settings and toy boxes: NERF foam dart blasters. So whether youre in the fifth grade or a 55-year-old hobbyist, dig in and get ready to explore something new.

Even if you dont know UI from IT, you soon will. This book is written for beginners who want to learn a bit about coding and physical computing. The projects are easy to understand (and easy on the wallet). The code is all open source. The parts are easy to acquire. Many great companies began in a garage. Maybe yours is a launching pad, too.

If youre ready, we can get started right now with a little history, although not the boring kind with dudes in white wigs. This projects pedigree is arcade video games, handheld hacks, and odd mods. Let the fun begin!

Bryce Bigger

This blaster book would not be in your hands without the help of this motley crew:

My friends and family, who supported me through this endeavor. Im so glad I can finally say that the books complete and I wont feel awful anymore when you ask if its done.

Julie Turner, who helped me wordsmith a story around a bunch of code and spell said words correctly. My series comma will never be the same.

Greg Hardin, fellow tinkerer and electrician extraordinaire. My projects wouldnt have been a success without your guidance, although you dont seem to remember that I keep my blasters loaded and you always end up shooting me by accident.