ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Snap! toolkit is the work of Andrew Wheeler, Matthew Lau, and myself. Countless hours spent discussing the merits of flexibility, power specifications, layers of abstraction, and what to order for dinner taught me a great deal about taking an idea from a hazy proposal through the clarifying specification to crystallization by implementation.
Thank you especially to Andy for relentlessly motivating the design through the question, "Why are we building this?" and then thoroughly analyzing the answer. Working with a friend on a project of this magnitude can often strain bonds, but we have managed to keep them from breaking.
Thank you to Herr Doctor Professor Michael Hawley, who has asked, "So, what do you want to do?" since my freshman year. He always provides a fresh perspective on any topic, be it research, job search, or reindeer racing. Mike constantly presents new challenges and opportunities, ready for those with the gumption to attempt them.
Thank you to Christopher Newell, Charlotte Burgess, and Kristin Hall for easing the pains of Snap! development by putting up with unreasonable requests and making the outside world conform to the needs of the Snap! development team.
Thank you to Ben Brown for his work on software and hardware development of transducer components for the SWAT systems.
Thank you to Wendy Ju, without whom the SWAT systems would have been bundles of electronic components duct taped to a ski; she provided the mechanical expertise needed to successfully package SWAT.
Thank you to all members of PIA with whom I have collaborated over the past five years. Conversations with people of all backgrounds and persuasions about films, how people perceive, "really cool stuff," and the dominance of the Cartesian coordinate system will be one of the things I miss most about MIT.
Thank you to Nelson Minar for invaluable advice on how to pursue research, both generally and within the rule-breaking confines of the Media Lab.
Thank you to Sandia Ren for comfort, encouragement, and advice throughout the past two years. Her patient listening to my ponderings and clear perspective on what is actually important have kept me on track in a number of ways.
Finally, thank you to my parents, Bernard and Carol Debski. Their guidance, support, and love have led to whatever I have accomplished or hope to achieve in the future.
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