So close, no matter how far
Couldn’t be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Nothing Else Matters, song by Metallica

It’s been (and still is) a lot of fun writing this book. But I couldn’t have done any of this alone. Instead, I had plenty of help from some great family members, friends, and colleagues.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank my loving wife, Birgit Bertram, for her endless support, feedback, and criticism. Sugarcoating things simply isn’t in her DNA, and she’ll always have a bucket of cold water to pour.

In alphabetical order, I’d like to thank the following people for generously sharing their valuable comments, suggestions, questions, answers, edits, and corrections: Micah Brown, Chris Cain, Chris Chase, Travis Cook, Sophia Fatakhova, Jon Hancock, Jörn Henneberg, Brian Livingston, Evan Medeiros, Bob Porter, Michael Robon, Tristan Scifo, and Mark Sparwell.

Felix Bertram, January 2023