BRAGA, Newton C. 1946-

PERSONAL: Born November 6, 1946, in São Paulo, Brazil; son of Americo de Carvalho (a teacher) and Dirce (a teacher) Braga; married Neuza Ferreira Lima, November 16, 1979; children: Marcelo Lima. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Astronomy, robotics, soccer, painting.

ADDRESSES: Home—Rua Vera, 247, Guarulhos, São Paulo 07096, 020 Brazil. Office—Editoria Saber Ltda., Rue Jacinton Jose de Araujo, 317, São Paulo, SP 3087, 020 Brazil. Agent—Jeff Eckert, J. K. Eckert & Company, Inc., Route 1, Box 693, Roseland, VA 22967. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Educator, editor, and author. Editoria Saber Ltda., São Paulo, Brazil, technical director. Instituto Monitor, consultant, beginning 1969; Colegio Mater Amabilis, instructor in mechatronics, 1999—. Consultant to Community Technical School.

MEMBER: Lions Club.

AWARDS, HONORS: Best Book of the Year designation, Anomalist magazine, 2001, for Electronics Projects from the Next Dimension.

WRITINGS:

Fun Projects for the Experimenter, Prompt Publications (Indianapolis, IN), 1998.

CMOS Projects and Experiments: Fun with the 4093 Integrated Circuit, Newnes (Boston, MA), 1999.

Sourcebook for Electronics Calculations, Formulas, and Tables, Prompt Publications (Indianapolis, IN), 1999.

Electronics for the Electrician, Prompt Publications (Indianapolis, IN), 2000.

Electronics Projects from the Next Dimension: Paranormal Experiments for Hobbyists, Newnes (Boston, MA), 2001.

CMOS Sourcebook, Prompt Publications (Indianapolis, IN), 2001.

Pirate Radio and Video: Experimental Transmitter Projects, Newnes (Boston, MA), 2001.

Robotics, Mechatronics, and Artificial Intelligence: Experimental Circuit Blocks for Designers, Newnes (Boston, MA), 2002.

Mechatronics Sourcebook, Thomson/Delmar Learning (Clifton Park, NY), 2003.

Author of numerous other books on electronics, published worldwide. Contributor to periodicals, including Popular Electronics, Haut Parleur, Revista saber Eletronica. Eletronica Total, and Poptronics.

SIDELIGHTS: Newton C. Braga told CA: "I started to write technical articles in the Brazilian edition of Popular Electronics when I was only thirteen years old. From that time to now I didn't stop; I have written many books and articles directed for students and professionals of electronics and such related subjects as computers, mechatronics, physics, etc.

"I also created a persona named Professor Ventura, who teaches science at the same time as he engages in fantastic adventures with his two favorite students, Beto and Cleto. In the adventures, Ventura and his students show how technical things work and give practical information to the young reader who wants to reproduce devices or experiments. The 'Stories of Professor Ventura' are published only in Brazil.

"I write in Portuguese very fast, and when I have a practical idea I create a prototype before I produce an article. When writing in English, since it is not my natural language, I am not so fast and sometimes I need to stop to find the correct expression or word. Of course, my articles and books also need the help of a good English-language editor.

"Since the subjects I write on are technical, it is much easier to write than a novel. Electronics and the related sciences are very dynamic, changing very fast. I need to be updated with these changes when I write for publication. When I began my career, electronics consisted of radio and television. After some years it became telecommunications and then computers. Now electronics is becoming fused with mechanics and computers, resulting in mechatronics and artificial intelligence. We need to change to keep our readers.

"I think that the adventures of Professor Ventura can be used to teach technology in elementary schools since they involve high-tech devices but include explanations students can understand to the point where they can perform the professor's simple experiments themselves. I hope to find an editor for these stories in the United States; I have over twenty 'Professor Ventura' books published in Brazil."