Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The fascinating life and times of one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century: Claude Shannon the neglected architect of the information age whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded.
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, which has been called the Magna Carta of the Information Age, allowed scientists to measure and manipulate information as objectively as any physical object. It showed them how they might transmit it flawlessly, a result considered hopelessly utopian up until the moment that Shannon proved it was not. His work anticipated by decades the world we d be living in today and gave mathematicians and engineers the tools to bring that world to pass.
Now, in this elegantly written and exhaustively researched biography, 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, thinkers like Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Vannevar Bush, and Norbert Wiener. And 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."
Synopsis
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NOMINEE "We owe Claude Shannon a lot, and Soni & Goodman's book takes a big first step in paying that debt." --San Francisco Review of Books
"Soni and Goodman are at their best when they invoke the wonder an idea can instill. They summon the right level of awe while stopping short of hyperbole." --Financial Times
"Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman make a convincing case for their subtitle while reminding us that Shannon never made this claim himself." --The Wall Street Journal
"Soni and Goodman have done their research...A Mind at Play reveals the remarkable human behind some of the most important theoretical and practical contributions to the information age." --Nature
"A Mind at Play shows us that you don't need to be a genius to learn from a genius. Claude Shannon's inventive, vibrant life demonstrates how vital the act of play can be to making the most of work." --Inc.
"A charming account of one of the twentieth century's most distinguished scientists...Readers will enjoy this portrait of a modern-day Da Vinci." --Fortune
In their second collaboration, biographers Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman present the story of Claude Shannon--one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century and the architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded. Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed the first wearable computer, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called "the Magna Carta of the Information Age." In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Soni and Goodman reveal Claude Shannon's full story for the first time. With unique access to Shannon's family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and always playful genius to life.
Synopsis
Winner of the Neumann Prize for the History of Mathematics "We owe Claude Shannon a lot, and Soni & Goodman's book takes a big first step in paying that debt." --San Francisco Review of Books
"Soni and Goodman are at their best when they invoke the wonder an idea can instill. They summon the right level of awe while stopping short of hyperbole." --Financial Times
"Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman make a convincing case for their subtitle while reminding us that Shannon never made this claim himself." --The Wall Street Journal
"Soni and Goodman have done their research...A Mind at Play reveals the remarkable human behind some of the most important theoretical and practical contributions to the information age." --Nature
"A Mind at Play shows us that you don't need to be a genius to learn from a genius. Claude Shannon's inventive, vibrant life demonstrates how vital the act of play can be to making the most of work." --Inc.
"A charming account of one of the twentieth century's most distinguished scientists...Readers will enjoy this portrait of a modern-day Da Vinci." --Fortune
In their second collaboration, biographers Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman present the story of Claude Shannon--one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century and the architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded. Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed the first wearable computer, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called "the Magna Carta of the Information Age." In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Soni and Goodman reveal Claude Shannon's full story for the first time. With unique access to Shannon's family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and always playful genius to life.
Synopsis
Winner of the Neumann Prize for the History of Mathematics **Named a best book of the year by Bloomberg and Nature**
**'Best of 2017' by The Morning Sun**
We owe Claude Shannon a lot, and Soni & Goodman's book takes a big first step in paying that debt. --San Francisco Review of Books
Soni and Goodman are at their best when they invoke the wonder an idea can instill. They summon the right level of awe while stopping short of hyperbole. --Financial Times
Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman make a convincing case for their subtitle while reminding us that Shannon never made this claim himself. --The Wall Street Journal
Soni and Goodman have done their research...A Mind at Play reveals the remarkable human behind some of the most important theoretical and practical contributions to the information age. --Nature
A Mind at Play shows us that you don't need to be a genius to learn from a genius. Claude Shannon's inventive, vibrant life demonstrates how vital the act of play can be to making the most of work. --Inc.
"A charming account of one of the twentieth century's most distinguished scientists...Readers will enjoy this portrait of a modern-day Da Vinci." --Fortune
In their second collaboration, biographers Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman present the story of Claude Shannon--one of the foremost intellects of the twentieth century and the architect of the Information Age, whose insights stand behind every computer built, email sent, video streamed, and webpage loaded. Claude Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He constructed the first wearable computer, outfoxed Vegas casinos, and built juggling robots. He also wrote the seminal text of the digital revolution, which has been called "the Magna Carta of the Information Age." In this elegantly written, exhaustively researched biography, Soni and Goodman reveal Claude Shannon's full story for the first time. With unique access to Shannon's family and friends, A Mind at Play brings this singular innovator and always playful genius to life.