Maxwell, Einstein, Turing, Shannon. These are names that define the Information Age. Those that do not know these names are missing the greatest story in science that developed since the 1860's. The very fact that I can write this review and post it to the internet is a testament to their theoretical understanding and their influence on countless engineers who developed the technology for common use. Their spirit of rapt curiosity is one to draw inspiration from.

Have you ever noticed static noise on your telephone calls? If you can't think of the last time there was a scratchy sound coming through your earpiece, thank Claude Shannon. ( )

The book excitedly repeats itself, fawning over the subject matter. The guy is amazing, I know, that's why I even considered reading this. I know it's just a biography but it's too light on Shannon's technical work. ( )

Claude Shannon lived a life of curiosity. I enjoyed the chapters mentioning about Bell Labs. I would recommend this book to Information theory, CS, Mathematicians or people looking to understand Scientists

Deus Vult
Gottfried
( )

Consider this, you send an email to a client or a friend. This email hopefully contains something we call “meaning.” That is to say, we can understand what is being said. The words and sentences are in a structure that conveys a message. Now, this might seem a bit abstract, but when dealing with the core of information theory, you have to be precise in your speech. Even now, I can probably infer a number of other things from this sentence that are not what I mean. That is just a small modicum of what Claude Elwood Shannon managed to do with not just one message, but all possible communications.

We are in the middle of what would be called the Information Age. Information and its transmission and receipt are what major companies make their fortunes on. All of this was the culmination of Shannon’s efforts. This biography by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman covers all of that and more. Explained in plain English with some jargon thrown in, this book is a fascinating stroll through the major points of Shannon’s life and times. From growing up in a small town in Michigan to his time at MIT and Princeton, nothing is overlooked.

By actually quantifying information, engineers could use it in new ways. It used to be that the only way to be heard was by shouting, that is, by adding more power to the transmission. Shannon discovered that many of the languages we use have built-in redundancy. This allows us to be understood within the language.

I really enjoyed this book. It was informative and entertaining. ( )

Excellent read. There were a few slow spots but plow through because the book is full of gems. A real delight to learn about Claude Shannon. ( )