About the Author

Phil Ballard graduated in 1980 with an honors degree in electronics from the University of Leeds, England. Following an early career as a research scientist with a major multinational, Phil spent a few years in commercial and managerial roles within the high technology sector, later working full time as a software engineering consultant.

Operating as "The Mouse Whisperer" (http://www.mousewhisperer.co.uk), Phil has spent recent years involved solely in website and intranet design and development for an international portfolio of clients. Another of his websites, http://www.crackajax.net, is home to an active and fast-growing Ajax programming community.

Phil is currently based in southeast England. In his spare time, he still plays bass guitar in rock bands, despite being easily old enough to know better.