DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

A friend pointed out this fascinating article (second link, below) on Claude Shannon, whose research in the 1930s and 1940s on “information theory” set out a blueprint for digital media and communications: encoding, compression, transmission, etc. He sketched the first digital circuits in 1937.

Here’s his “groundbreaking” 1948 paper, A Mathematical Theory of Communication. Warning: it’s not called the “most important master’s thesis of the 20th century” because it’s easy to read!

If you’re interested in media, communications, or cryptography, check out this article: Claude Shannon: Reluctant Father of the Digital Age

My favorite part of the article is the description of a device Shannon built called the “Ultimate Machine”:

…a box with a large switch on the side. Turn the switch on, and the lid would slowly rise, revealing a mechanical hand that would reach down, turn the switch off, and withdraw — leaving the box just as it was.

Ha!