Rating: 

Igoe, being one of the original developers of the Arduino processor, gives the reader of Making things talk: Practical Methods for Connecting Physical Objects a very clear introduction to physical computing in all senses of the word: how the microprocessor does its job, what you have to do to get it going (programming the processor) and what cool stuff you can get it to do. Igoe tells us about the hardware needed, the software to program and the protocols to use.

This 'manual to Arduino' contains very, very much information and is written in a language expecting some level of familiarity with electronics. The book is built around projects, varying from a toy monkey functioning as a computer mouse to a camera used as barcode scanner and recognizer or a program that operates as GPS through BlueTooth.

Altogether, this book gives a dense insight in the Arduino microprocessor and aimes for the reader knowing at least something of electronics. Making Things Talk is obviously written by one of the developers of Arduino, for it contains a lot of tips&tricks from the expert. If the idea of the lights in your house, or even the toy monkey of your kids, automated and programmed through a computer is something that makes your heart beat faster, this is really the book for you.