About the Author

William Gurstelle is the author of the best-selling 'Backyard Ballistics'. He is also a professional engineer and a technogeek robot builder. Gurstelle and his sons build and compete in the growing number of regional competitions with their own Tosca and Weber the Grillbot. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews

"If you ever wondered what happened to MacGyver, he lives in Minneapolis under the name of Bill Gurstelle." --Lee Zlotoff, creator, MacGyver "If you can imagine Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes all grown up, this supercharged guide for amateur thrill-seekers would probably replace Hobbes as his constant companion." --Publishers Weekly "When it comes to the theory and practice of making your own noisy, mildly dangerous fun in the backyard, America has a new poet laureate. His name is William Gurstelle." --New York Times "The book is a sure-fire hit for people who want to get in touch with their inner MacGyver (to borrow a chapter title from the book) and for fans of television shows like MythBusters, which often involves building things that shoot or explode." --Booklist Online "Scintillating." --MAKE Magazine Blog "Learning to engage in acceptable levels of risk will result in sharpended critical thinking skills and an inner strength you didn't know you had. Just don't crack your new bullwhip indoors." -- Twin Cities Metro "Guys who consider "MythBusters" to be appointment TV might warm to this oddball piece of nonfiction, which aims to put a smile on science, if a rather mischievous one." -- The Oklahoma Gazette "Learning to engage in acceptable levels of risk will result in sharpended critical thinking skills and an inner strength you didn't know you had. Just don't crack your new bullwhip indoors." --Geek Monthly "The book is a sure-fire hit for people who want to get in touch with their inner MacGyver (to borrow a chapter title from the book) and for fans of television shows like MythBusters, which often involves building things that shoot or explode." --Booklist Online