Charles Platt is a former science fiction writer (his best known book is probably The Silicon Man) who switched to journalism and became a senior writer for Wired magazine. Currently running a small R&D business in Florida, Platt pursues portrait photography as a spare-time interest, and is a longtime fan of Hong Kong martial arts movies. His favorite show is Viva La Bam on MTV. His interest in MAKE-ing gadgets began when he build a tic-tac-toe computer from telephone relays in 1966. Charles is a regular contributor to MAKE and is a well-known name to MAKE readers.