Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Fritterin’ Away Genius
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May 14, 2021 Explore the genius of Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, who famously juggled serious science with whimsical hobbies like playing chess and solving Rubik's Cubes. Discover his daring collaboration with mathematician Ed Thorpe to beat roulette, turning luck into skill. Delve into the playful aspects of Shannon's creativity, showcasing how his eccentric pursuits enriched his groundbreaking ideas. Finally, ponder the balance between innovation and completion bias in a life filled with diverse interests.
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Roulette Hacking Team
- Claude Shannon and Ed Thorpe collaborated on a project to beat roulette in Las Vegas.
- Shannon, a renowned computer scientist, helped Thorpe, a mathematician, build a wearable computer to predict the ball's landing.
Shannon's Information Theory
- Claude Shannon's work revolutionized information theory by distinguishing between a message's meaning and its information quantity.
- He introduced the concept of adding redundancy to overcome noise in data transmission.
Shannon's Whimsical Pursuits
- Despite his genius, Shannon often prioritized whimsical projects like juggling, unicycling, and building robots.
- He built a robot mouse that could navigate a maze, a chess-playing computer, and juggling robots, often abandoning projects.
