Acknowledgments

It is patently obvious that a work such as this could not be imagined, let alone written, without the prior work of researchers, statisticians, and programmers. Nor would writing be pleasant were it not for the understanding of colleagues and friends, and the support of many who know far more than I about JMP, statistics, and writing.

The amateur computer programmer in me must acknowledge with awe the legion of individuals, unknown to me, who designed and programmed JMP. It is they who molded and shaped JMP into the powerful data analysis tool it is. Over the years, Lee Creighton and Mark Bailey have generously shared their knowledge of JMP. Curt Hinrichs, surely one of the best ambassadors of JMP one could imagine, has been incredibly supportive of this project (and incidentally knows the best seafood places in the Bay area).

With any large writing project, herding the prose of authors who are quite sure that a first draft is perfect, and that any draft after that is even more so, falls to editors. George McDaniel has been marvelously gentle with suggestions for improvement, and incredibly patient while I failed at retirement twice during the writing of this book, thus pushing back the initially anticipated completion date. Stacey Hamilton furnished much appreciated added value by superimposing some semblance of proper English form and style on my paltry scribbles.

The heart and soul of statistics is data. My aversion to made-up data makes frequent and lengthy trips to libraries a necessity. The fruits of such trips are the data sets that appear in this book. I must gratefully acknowledge the kind permission of authors, researchers, and publishers to reproduce these data sets. I trust that my presentations and interpretations of their data are faithful to the truths their labors have uncovered. If there be errors in presentation or interpretation, they are—of course—my own.

The vast lion’s share of authorial abuse surely must fall on those closest, in this case my long-suffering wife. Over many years with an average of 4.3 “Dinner’s ready! <Grrr>” calls per night, she has kept her equanimity, and not even once have I felt the sting of any of the sharp tools she uses for stitching and embroidery, though surely I have been very deserving. I hereby extend my condolences to all the men in the world: There can be only one Best Wife, and I have her.