A Chess Playing Machine – Shannon (1950) [pdf] (paradise.caltech.edu)

by kristianp 7 comments 25 points
Read article View on HN

7 comments

[−] gargalatas 52d ago
Claude Shannon was the father of computer science (information theory) and modern telecomunications (maximum theoretical data rate) also. Unfortuantely he is not praised as much maybe because his life was kinda.. boring compared to other scientists on the fields so there is no much to present in a movie for example. Novertheless it's always good when some nerds remember him and his work lives on!
[−] dtj1123 52d ago
Are we talking about the same Shannon? He could juggle, ride a unicycle and at one point designed and manufactured a flamethrowing trombone.
[−] RhinoDevel 52d ago
I recommend Claude Shannon's biography called "A Mind At Play", by Sonni and Goodman.
[−] SoleilAbsolu 51d ago
I will have to check that out! I also recommend reading pretty much anything by Richard Hamming, who worked closely with Shannon at Bell Labs, "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering" is especially good.
[−] vivid242 52d ago
It’s so amazing that the same man invented all these amazing things (including the machine that switches itself off) AND the ‚bit‘ (in his Master’s thesis).