SparkFun Electronics and No Starch Press Launch New Book Series

SparkFun Electronics (https://www.sparkfun.com/), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, has teamed up with No Starch Press (https://www.nostarch.com/), publisher of the finest in geek entertainment, to create a series of educational books that introduce fundamental hardware and software skills to aspiring makers. The first in this highly anticipated series, The SparkFun Guide to Processing (No Starch Press, $29.95, 312 pp., Sept. 2015; https://www.nostarch.com/sparkfunprocessing), combines the joy of programming with the creativity of digital artwork to inspire readers to create their own unique DIY projects.

"If I were in seventh grade, I'd want to learn Processing," says SparkFun founder Nathan Seidle. "It's everywhere once you know what to look for. Processing is one of those languages that's easy to learn and just keeps going. It can do amazing things if you just dig in and start hacking it."

The intuitive functions and straightforward commands in the Processing programming language make it the ideal tool to help artists create interactive digital art. Throughout this artfully designed four-color book, readers use Processing to draw and animate colorful shapes, put their own creative stamp on photos, customize videos and visualizations, and, ultimately, create artwork that's able to sense and interact with the world around it using microcontrollers.

"I'm excited to be working with SparkFun because they have a long history of creating massively cool electronics kits, as well as bringing maker education into schools, homes, and classrooms worldwide," said No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock. "The goal of our new SparkFun book series is to capture that spirit with fun, hands-on activities designed to make technology accessible to everyone."

Readers of The SparkFun Guide to Processing will learn how to:

• Make pixel art, digital collages, and animations
• Turn a webcam-enabled computer into a funhouse photo booth
• Program a clock that changes color with the time of day
• Fetch weather data from the Web to make their own weather dashboard
• Write a maze game that they can play with a controller made out of real fruit
• Combine Processing with an Arduino to create visualizations that change with sound, light and temperature

The SparkFun Guide to Processing will be available this September. The next title to be published in the series is The SparkFun Guide to Arduino (https://www.nostarch.com/sparkfunarduino).

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SparkFun Electronics is an online retail store that sells electronic parts for DIY projects. SparkFun is dedicated to making the world of electronics more accessible to the average person. In addition to selling products, SparkFun also offers classes and online tutorials through its Department of Education.

No Starch Press publishes the finest in geek entertainment, covering topics like LEGO, programming (for young and old), science and math. Number four on Publishers Weekly's list of Fast-Growing Independent Publishers of 2014, No Starch Press titles have personality, their authors are passionate, and their books tackle topics that people care about.