Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Everything Can Have A Voice!!!
Comment: 'Making Things Talk: Practical Methods for Connecting Physical Objects' is a book for the tinkerer that wants to get into the guts of nearly any object and let it communicate back. From ripping up stuffed animals to learning how to network all sorts of devices together, the author doesn't just vaguely discuss the ideas of doing these things, he shows the steps for proceeding and making things come to life! Presented in full color (albeit on cheap paper which DOESN'T ruin the experience at all), this book is perfect for people who are interested in networking and tinkering far more than most regular people might want to!
If you like ripping things apart and modding away to see what you can bring to life, this book might be for you!!
***** RECOMMENDED
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not for me
Comment: I regret getting this book, for I didn't know (my bad really) it was for the people who own an Arduino or a Wiring card. I make my own custom / modular cards (with PIC microcontrollers), so, after the first disappointment, I thought I could at least use this book for other purposes (and I could use Processing instead of VB6), I failed there, too. I own "Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists" and it's more than enough. I got my own imagination for project ideas anyway. This book is not for the electronics / robotics enthusiast, it's for the people who do not need to go deep. I could find more useful and cheaper information on the Internet, so I gave it away.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book but make sure if it's right for you
Comment: This is a great book for anyone who is interested in creating his or her own networked physical computing projects. It covers software, hardware and protocols for local/wireless networks and the Internet. The content is clearly laid out with useful code samples.
Some minor issues: The images included are not informative but rather window-dressing-esque. What's more, the proprietary technologies lock-in, such as Arduino, Wiring and Processing, makes the book less universal. Lastly, this book is definitely not for the beginner. For that purpose you may be better served by "Physical Computing" - also authored by Tom Igoe.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners
Comment: I bought this book in the hopes that I can learn some new and cool projects from the folks who bring us MAKE magazine (which is awesome!). I read the editorial review, and this line - "This book is perfect for people with little technical training but a lot of interest." is what made me purchase the book.
I think that's a very misleading statement. This book is not for beginners. As early as page 25 it starts to get into programing code. Things like PHP, HTML, command line, serial communications, etc... ALL of the projects in the book require working knowledge of micro-controllers.
I'm keeping the book in the hopes that someday I'll learn this stuff, but I'm disappointed that 90% of the book is above my skill level.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A must for physical computing...
Comment: I really enjoyed this book. It makes creating cool devices as simple as making a recipe from a cook book.
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