Home Hacking Projects for Geeks

About the Authors

Tony Northrup, a Boston-area network security consultant, developed his

interest in home automation after renting an apartment where every light

was controlled by pulling a string. Tony turned to home automation prod-

ucts to add light switches without needing to hire an electrician or cut into

the drywall. Tony later bought a house and now uses computers to control

and monitor virtually every system in his home: electrical, home theater,

security, even plumbing. Tony’s wife, Erica, ensures that his home hacking

projects are user-friendly and reliable, while his cat, Sammy, mangles every

project within paw’s reach.

Eric Faulkner’s love affair with technology began as a child with his first

electronics project kits from Radio Shack. In his early teens, a friend’s Texas

Instruments TI99/4A introduced him to computers and programming, thus

sealing his fate as a lifelong geek.

Professionally, Eric’s experience is diverse. He worked for a voice messaging

pioneer in the 1980s. He spent three years in the Army working with nerve

agents. He designed fully automated manufacturing facilities for the precast

concrete industry. Then he went to college.

These days Eric makes a living as a technology consultant and systems

engineer. He also finds time for writing, teaching, and editing. He lives in

Massachusetts with his wife, Alyssa, their daughters, Amanda and ...