Ian McAlpine had his first introduction to computers was his school's Research Machines RML-380Z and his physics teacher's Compukit UK101. That was followed by a Sinclair ZX81 and then a BBC Micro Model A, which he still has to this day. That interest resulted in a MEng degree in Electronic Systems Engineering from Aston University and an MSc degree in Information Technology from the University of Liverpool. Ian is currently a Senior Product Expert in the BI & Analytics Competence Centre at SAP Labs in Vancouver, Canada.

The introduction of the Raspberry Pi rekindled his desire to "tinker", but also provided an opportunity to give back to the community. Consequently Ian was a very active volunteer for 3 years on The MagPi, a monthly magazine for the Raspberry Pi, which you can read online or download for free at http://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/. He also holds an amateur radio license (callsign VE7FTO) and is a communications volunteer for his local community Emergency Management Office. He was a technical reviewer for Packt books, such as Raspberry Pi Cookbook for Python Programmers, Raspberry Pi Projects for Kids, and Raspberry Pi 2 Server Essentials.