Foreword There once was a young man who wanted to become a jade merchant. He approached a master craftsman and asked if he could become an apprentice to learn about the semi- precious stone. The master agreed. On the apprentice's first day, the master gave him a piece of jade to hold and then told him stories for an hour. None of the stories had anything to do with jade. The apprentice was puzzled but returned the next day to a different piece of jade and more stories. Each day it was the same. After several days the apprentice's impatience was mounting. He arrived at the master's shop that morning intending to confront the old man and demand to be taught about jade. But the moment the master put the piece into his hand, he immediately cried out, "This isn't jade!" We instinctively recognize the power of stories when teaching children about the world. But stories are relevant for adults as well. Kevin Brooks, the only person I've ever met with the title of "Technology Storyteller," sums it up: "The human animal is a nar- rative animal. We are made of stories." Unfortunately, as our formal education progresses, we often lose touch with storytelling in favor of methods that are sometimes more effi-