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A Mind at Play

How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age

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A Mind at Play

Written by: Rob Goodman, Jimmy Soni
Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
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About this listen

Claude Shannon was a tinkerer, a playful wunderkind, a groundbreaking polymath, and a digital pioneer whose insights made the Information Age possible. He constructed fire-breathing trumpets and customized unicycles, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots, but he also wrote the seminal text of the Digital Revolution. That work allowed scientists to measure and manipulate information as objectively as any physical object. His work gave mathematicians and engineers the tools to bring that world to pass.

Now, Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman bring Claude Shannon's story to life. It's the story of a small-town boy from Michigan whose career stretched from the age of room-sized computers powered by gears and string to the age of the Apple desktop. It's the story of the origins of information in the tunnels of MIT and the "idea factory" of Bell Labs, in the "scientists' war" with Nazi Germany, and in the work of Shannon's collaborators and rivals. It's the story of Shannon's life as an often reclusive, always playful genius. With access to Shannon's family and friends, A Mind at Play explores the life and times of this singular innovator and creative genius.

©2017 Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman (P)2017 Tantor Computer Science Engineering History & Culture Professionals & Academics Information Theory
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What the critics say

"Lucid and fascinating...Soni and Goodman open an engrossing window onto what a mind hard at work can do." ( Publishers Weekly)

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Fantastic

I have been on a spree of biographies and books focused on Bells Lab and "A Mind at Play" provides great insight into the amazing world of Claude Shannon.

I would highly recommend this book to others, just to showcase one of the most brilliant minds of the field that most have probably have never heard of.

#Audible1

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Packed with interesting insights

I knew about Claude Shannon from school, but never realized what a rich and interesting life he lead. This is a very worthwhile read!

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