Podcasts about play how claude shannon invented

Dr Claude Shannon is one of the most influential scientists you’ve likely never heard of whose work laid the foundations for the information age. To explain the significance of Dr Shannon’s impact on modern computing, we’re joined by Jimmy Soni, author of “A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age” and “The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley”. Resources and links: Jimmy Soni’s website Jimmy Soni on X Jimmy Soni on Instagram Connect: Simplifying Complexity on Twitter Sean Brady on Twitter Sean Brady on LinkedIn Brady Heywood website This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, US Air Force Captain Jose Davis discusses his paper, which is entitled: "Leveraging AI for Operations in the Information Environment: 3 Demonstrations in Disinformation, Social Media, and Entropy." The paper focuses on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the realm of Operations in the Information Environment (OIE), particularly for the Air Force. The paper presents three case studies demonstrating how AI can positively impact OIE and advocates for direct AI research in this area. Additionally, he'll recap an information campaign that US Air Forces in Europe conducted to assure Baltic NATO Allies, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Recording Date: 24 April 2024 Research Questions: Jose Davis suggests as interested student examine:  What other common metrics can be developed or researched for assessing the Information Environment, tailor-made for the national security needs and useful for IO and PA operators? What are the practical outcomes in the Information Environment (a complex system) when entropy is influenced, pushed either higher or lower? e.g. Hypothetically, when high entropy is present, humans deploy simplifying heuristics, so this should help improve Key Leader Engagements' (KLE) timing and improve KLE dossiers. Or with PA/IO, high entropy hypothetically may demand a simplified messaging campaign. In what other ways can AI be leveraged to combat nefarious AI use for disinformation? The ideas of watermarking or safeguarding content from manipulation from nefarious Generative AI are a form of  immunization, advancing Inoculation Theory as a whole. What other preventative measures along the lines of immunization can be taken to combat disinformation? Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #46 Pat Ryder on Public Affairs and Strategic Communications #174 Kara Masick on Assessment Insights from Program Evaluation #183 Julie Janson on Air Force IO Talent and Strategy Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence Universal adversarial perturbations by Seyed-Mohsen Moosavi-Dezfooli, Alhussein Fawzi, Omar Fawzi, and Pascal Frossard Pre-trained Adversarial Perturbations by Yuanhao Ban, Yinpeng Dong Automating OIE with Large Language Models by Cpt Alexander Sferrella, Cpt Joseph Conger, and Maj Kara Masick Claude Shannon AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by former Google technologist Kai-Fu Lee and science fiction writer Chen Qiufan. I'm a huge advocate of using story to educate. For those new to AI or wanting to understand AI's societal impact, this is my go-to book. Written in a series of fictional short stories with in-depth essay analysis at the end of each, the book teaches AI while making it entertaining. A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman. I think every Information Warfare professional should know who Claude Shannon is and read his “magna carta” of the Information Age, The  Mathematical Theory of Communication.  My intellectual hero, this exceptional biography brings the man to life — a polymath, a tinkerer, an innovator. “Attention is all You Need” by Ashish Vaswani et al. This is the seminal paper advancing the Transformer architecture which made Generative AI like ChatGPT possible. Liken this paper to Einstein's book on Relativity or Newton's Principia. Information Theory: Structural Models for Qualitative Data by Klaus Krippendorff Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio:  Jose is a Public Affairs Officer for Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He has over 14 years of experience in integrated communications, both in the public and private sectors. He is accredited in Public Relations and Military Communications through the Public Relations Society of America. In his current role, he ensures the strategic communication of accurate and timely information about the command's 104-country area of operations. He played a pivotal role at NATO in combating misinformation before, during and after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He just finished a rigorous six-month fellowship at a DoD-sponsored AI Accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gaining exposure to some of the brightest and best minds in AI and Machine Learning technologies. As part of his fellowship, Jose was required to apply his newly acquired AI foundational knowledge to produce a research paper addressing a problem or issue facing the U.S. Air Force. The paper is slated for publication in the U.S. Air Force's Air and Space Operations Review journal. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

What I learned from rereading George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones.----Get access to the World's Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.comYou can read, reread, and search all my notes and highlights from every book I've ever read for the podcast. You can also ask SAGE any question and SAGE will read all my notes, highlights, and every transcript from every episode for you. A few questions I've asked SAGE recently: What are the most important leadership lessons from history's greatest entrepreneurs?Can you give me a summary of Warren Buffett's best ideas? (Substitute any founder covered on the podcast and you'll get a comprehensive and easy to read summary of their ideas) How did Edwin Land find new employees to hire? Any unusual sources to find talent?What are some strategies that Cornelius Vanderbilt used against his competitors?Get access to Founders Notes here. ----(0:01) George Lucas unapologetically invested in what he believed in the most: himself.(1:00) George Lucas is the Thomas Edison of the modern film industry.(1:30) A list of biographies written by Brian Jay Jones(6:00) Elon Musk interviewed by Kevin Rose (10:15) How many people think the solution to gaining quality control, improving fiscal responsibility, and stimulating technological innovation is to start their own special-effects company? But that's what he did.(17:00) When I finally discovered film, I really fell madly in love with it. I ate it. I slept it. 24 hours a day. There was no going back.(18:00) Those on the margins often come to control the center. (Game of Thrones)(21:00) As soon as I made my first film, I thought, Hey, I'm good at this. I know how to do this. From then on, I've never questioned it.(23:00) He was becoming increasingly cranky about the idea of working with others and preferred doing everything himself.(34:00) Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life by Michael Schumacher. (Founders #242)(42:00) The film Easy Rider was made for $350,000. It grossed over $60 million at the box office.(45:00) The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni. (Founders #233)A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman (Founders #95)Steve Jobs & The NeXT Big Thing by Randall Stross. (Founders #77)(47:00) What we're striving for is total freedom, where we can finance our pictures, make them our way, release them where we want them released, and be completely free. That's very hard to do in the world of business. You have to have the money in order to have the power to be free.(49:00) You should reject the status quo and pursue freedom.(49:00) People would give anything to quit their jobs. All they have to do is do it. They're people in cages with open doors.(51:00) Stay small. Be the best. Don't lose any money.(59:00) That was a very dark period for me. We were in dire financial strait. I turned that down [directing someone else's movie] at my bleakest point, when I was in debt to my parents, in debt to Francis Coppola, in debt to my agent; I was so far in debt I thought I'd never get out. It took years to get from my first film to my second film, banging on doors, trying to get people to give me a chance. Writing, struggling, with no money in the bank… getting little jobs, eking out a living. Trying to stay alive, and pushing a script that nobody wanted.(1:02:00) “Opening this new restaurant might be the worst mistake I've ever made."Stanley [Stanley Marcus of Neiman Marcus] set his martini down, looked me in the eye, and said, "So you made a mistake. You need to understand something important. And listen to me carefully: The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled."His words remained with me through the night. I repeated them over and over to myself, and it led to a turning point in the way I approached business.Stanley's lesson reminded me of something my grandfather Irving Harris had always told me:“The definition of business is problems."His philosophy came down to a simple fact of business life: success lies not in the elimination of problems but in the art of creative, profitable problem solving. The best companies are those that distinguish themselves by solving problems most effectively.Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer. (1:05:00) My thing about art is that I don't like the word art because it means pretension and bullshit, and I equate those two directly. I don't think of myself as an artist. I'm a craftsman. I don't make a work of art; I make a movie.(1:06:00) I know how good I am. American Graffiti is successful because it came entirely from my head. It was my concept. And that's the only way I can work.(1:09:00) Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda. (Founders #281)(1:21:00) The budget for Star Wars was $11 million. In brought in $775 million at the box office alone!(1:25:00) Steven Spielberg made over $40 million from the original Star Wars. Spielberg gave Lucas 2.5% of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Lucas gave Spielberg 2.5% of Star Wars. That to 2.5% would earn Spielberg more than $40 million over the next four decades.----Get access to the World's Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes.com----“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

Chapter 1 What's A Mind At Play Book by Jimmy Soni"A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age" is a biography of Claude Shannon written by Jimmy Soni. The book explores Shannon's groundbreaking work in the field of information theory and his contributions to modern technology and communication. It also delves into Shannon's personal life and his playful approach to problem-solving and innovation.Chapter 2 Is A Mind At Play Book A Good Book"A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age" by Jimmy Soni is a highly praised biography of Claude Shannon, the father of information theory. The book has received positive reviews for its detailed exploration of Shannon's life and work, as well as its engaging and accessible writing style. If you are interested in technology, mathematics, or the history of science, this book may be a good choice for you.Chapter 3 A Mind At Play Book by Jimmy Soni Summary"A Mind At Play" by Jimmy Soni is a biography of Claude Shannon, often referred to as the “Father of Information Theory.” Shannon was a brilliant mathematician and engineer whose work laid the foundation for the digital revolution that has transformed the modern world.The book charts Shannon's life from his early days as a curious and precocious child growing up in Michigan to his groundbreaking work at Bell Labs, where he made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, engineering, and computer science.Soni portrays Shannon as a thinker ahead of his time, someone who was able to see connections between seemingly disparate fields and make groundbreaking discoveries that would revolutionize the way we think about communication, encryption, and computing.The book also delves into Shannon's personal life, exploring his relationships with colleagues, friends, and family, as well as his hobbies and interests outside of his work.Overall, "A Mind At Play" provides a comprehensive look at the life and legacy of Claude Shannon, shedding light on the man behind some of the most important ideas and inventions of the 20th century. Chapter 4 A Mind At Play Book AuthorJimmy Soni is a writer, author, and journalist. He co-authored the book "A Mind At Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age" with Rob Goodman, which was published in 2017.Apart from "A Mind At Play", Jimmy Soni has also written another book titled "Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar" in 2012.In terms of editions, "A Mind At Play" is considered the best book by Jimmy Soni as it has received critical acclaim for its detailed and engaging portrayal of Claude Shannon, the father of information theory.Chapter 5 A Mind At Play Book Meaning & ThemeA Mind At Play Book Meaning"A Mind at Play" is a biography of Claude Shannon, the father of information theory. The book explores Shannon's life and his revolutionary contributions to technology, mathematics, and communication. It delves into the complex mind of Shannon and his groundbreaking ideas that have shaped the digital world as we know it today. The title "A Mind at Play" suggests Shannon's creative and playful approach to problem-solving and innovation, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and experimentation in pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.A Mind At Play Book ThemeThe theme of "A Mind At Play" by Jimmy Soni centers around the concept of innovation and creativity. The book explores the life and work of mathematician and computer...

A master of biographies and a professional speechwriter. If you want to write serious, research-backed non-fiction or build your writing career while working a full-time job, this episode is for you. Website: https://jimmysoni.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmyasoni Books: The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar Want to learn more about the next cohort with Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.school/hiw Want to learn more about How I Write? Website: https://writeofpassage.school/how-i-write/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author, whose book "The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley" vividly narrates PayPal's rise from its challenging early days to revolutionizing financial systems. Soni also brings insights from his previous award-winning book, "A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age." In this episode, delve into the butterfly effect of PayPal on the tech industry, the importance of selecting peers for success, and leveraging connections in business. Uncover the dichotomy of dreams versus economic reality in startups, explore the value of competition in the workplace, and learn about the geographical influences on ambitious projects. Whether an aspiring entrepreneur or tech enthusiast, tune in for invaluable lessons and insights. Checkout the book:→ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Founders-Peter-Company-Modern-InternetConnect with Jimmy:→ Website: https://www.jimmysoni.com  → Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jimmyasoni   → LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmysoni   → Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmyasoniResources Mentioned in The Episode:→ A Mind At Play: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Play-Shannon-Invented-Information→ Elon Musk: https://www.twitter.com/elonmusk  → Peter Thiel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterthiel  → Luke Nosek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukenosek→ Max Levchin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxlevchin→ David O. Sacks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidoliversacks→ Ken Howery: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenhowery  → The Defiant Ones: https://www.netflix.com/title/80214552     → Silicon Valley Porn Star: https://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Valley-Porn-Star-Rediscovering  Help The Louis and Kyle Show:→ If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend or leave a review!→ Leave a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1504333834→ Drop us an email: LouisandKyleShow@gmail.com→ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb6qBiV1HAYcep87nKJmGhAFollow The Show on Social Media:→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouisKyleShow→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiskyleshow/→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/65567567/Connect with Louis and Kyle:→ Read Louis' Newsletter: https://louisshulman.substack.com/→ Louis' Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouisShulman→ Kyle's Twitter: https://twitter.com/_kylebishop→ Louis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisshulman/→ Kyle's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-bishop-7b790050/

Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His newest book, The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, was a national bestseller and received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, The Economist, Financial Times, and more. His previous book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the 2019 Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his daughter, Venice. “Life can be much broader, once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” - Steve Jobs ________________ Learn more about what Roger does here: https://linktr.ee/rogercomstock Follow Roger on Instagram or TikTok at: roger.comstock

EPISODE 1416: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE FOUNDERS, Jimmy Soni, about the story of PayPal and its remarkable entrepreneurs - from Elon Musk and Peter Thiel to Reid Hoffman and Levchin - who have shaped the 21st century Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His newest book, The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, was a national bestseller and received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, The Economist, Financial Times, and more. His previous book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the 2019 Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his daughter, Venice. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this OODAcast, we talk with Jimmy Soni, the author of the book "The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley". The Founders was one my Top 10 Security, Technology, and Business books of 2022, and is one of the few books I read last year that qualifies for each category. Jimmy takes a deep, historical look at the founding story of PayPal with detailed analysis, interviews, and access that you won't find in any other telling of the PayPal story. PayPal is a fascinating company to look at, not only to examine the PayPal business, but in looking at what emerged out of the PayPal founding team in the future. A list of companies that includes the likes of SpaceX, Tesla, Affirm, LinkedIn, YouTube, Yammer, Palantir, Kiva, Yelp, and Yammer! In the OODAcast we discuss: PayPal's founding history The unique cast of characters and the importance of understanding their origin stories Key moments in PayPal's success How PayPal is ultimately a hacker success story. Podcast Version:   Official Bio: Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His newest book, The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, was a national bestseller and received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, The Economist, Financial Times, and more. His previous book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the 2019 Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his daughter, Venice. Recommended Books: The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley A Night to Remember Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University

Episode 82 features author Jimmy Soni, co-author of A Mind At Play about Claude Shannon and The Founders about the founding of Paypal and the evolution of the PayPal Mafia. We discuss the process of creating those books, researching, method writing, going dark, plus the creative process in all its forms, the good and bad, the early mornings and late nights, and much much more. Throughout the conversation, we discuss: Writing about the dead vs. writing about the living Historical research Research processes Going Dark Stumbling into a book Creating a firewall for current events Method writing Creative motives change as you do them A Night to Remember by Walter Lord Creating vs. Consuming content Balance Ambition to create should be more celebrated Giving people a platform The Chaos of Publishing Advice for writers And much more Mentioned and Helpful Links from This Episode JimmySoni.com A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shapes Silicon Valley AgentPalmer.com Tweets @jimmyasoni @AgentPalmer @ThePalmerFiles Other Links Deighton's City of Gold is must-read WW2 fiction Travelin' Band documentary reminds us how great CCR is The Founders demystifies the dot-com era success of PayPal A Book Review of “A Mind At Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age” by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman   You can also hear more Palmer occasionally on Our Liner Notes, a musical conversation podcast with host Chris Maier or as co-host of The Podcast Digest with Dan Lizette. Music created and provided by Henno Heitur of Monkey Tongue Productions. --End Show Notes Transmission--

What I learned from reading Pieces of the Action by Vannevar Bush.Support Founders' sponsors: Tiny: The easiest way to sell your business. Quick and straightforward exits for Founders. andCapital: Raise, hold, and spend capital all in one place. and Tegus is a search engine for business knowledge that's used by founders, investors, and executives. It's incredible what they're building. Try it for free by visiting Tegus.[7:15] Pieces of the Action offers his hard-won lessons on how to operate and manage effectively within complex organizations and drive ambitious, unprecedented programs to fruition.[8:54] Stripe Press Books:The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell WaldropThe Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985-1993 by Jordan Mechner.[9:24] Endless Frontier: Vannevar Bush, Engineer of the American Century by G. Pascal Zachary[10:40] Any exploration of the institutions that shape how we do research, generate discoveries, create inventions, and turn ideas into innovations inevitably leads back to Vannevar Bush.[11:26] No American has had greater influence in the growth of science and technology than Vannevar Bush.[12:23] That's why I'm going to encourage you to order this book —because when you pick it up and you read it —you're reading the words of an 80 year old genius. One of the most formidable and accomplished people that has ever lived— laying out what he learned over his six decade long career.[14:38] A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman (Founders #95)[15:12] Bootstrapping: Douglas Engelbart, Coevolution, and the Origins of Personal Computing by Thierry Bardini[15:48] I don't know what Silicon Valley will do when it runs out of Doug Engelbart's ideas. —  The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson. (Founders #157)[18:54] Bush points out that tipping points often rest with far-seeing, energetic individuals. We can be those individuals.[20:36] I went into this book with little more than a name and came out with the closest thing to a mentor someone you've never met can be.[20:58] We are not the first to face problems, and as we face them we can hold our heads high. In such spirit was this book written.[24:38] The essence of civilization is the transmission of the findings of each generation to the next.[29:00] This is not a call for optimism, it is a call for determination.[31:12] It is pleasant to turn to situations where conservatism or lethargy were overcome by farseeing, energetic individuals.[31:34] People are really a power law and that the best ones can change everything. —Sam Hinkie[33:46] There should never be, throughout an organization, any doubt as to where authority for making decisions resides, or any doubt that they will be promptly made.[34:32] You can drive great people by making the speed of decision making really slow. Why would great people stay in an organization where they can't get things done? They look around after a while, and they're, like, "Look, I love the mission, but I can't get my job done because our speed of decision making is too slow." — Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos by Jeff Bezos and Walter Isaacson.(Founders #155)[38:36] Rigid lines of authority do not produce the best innovations.[38:42] Research projects flowered in pockets all around the company, many of them without Steve's blessing or even awareness.They'd come to Steve's attention only if one of his key managers decided that the project or technology showed real potential.In that case, Steve would check it out, and the information he'd glean would go into the learning machine that was his brain. Sometimes that's where it would sit, and nothing would happen. Sometimes, on the other hand, he'd concoct a way to combine it with something else he'd seen, or perhaps to twist it in a way to benefit an entirely different project altogether.This was one of his great talents, the ability to synthesize separate developments and technologies into something previously unimaginable. —Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli (Founders #265)[40:56] He was so industrious that he became a positive annoyance to others who felt less inclined to work.  —Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power by James McGrath Morris. (Founders #135)[42:22] Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and The Secret Palace of Science That Changed The Course of World War II by Jennet Conant. (Founders #143)[45:35] If a man is a good judge of men, he can go far on that skill alone.[46:00] All the past episodes mentioned by Vannevar Bush in this book:General Leslie Groves: The General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer—The Unlikely Partnership that Built the Atom Bomb by James Kunetka. (Founders #215)J. Robert Oppenheimer: The General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer—The Unlikely Partnership that Built the Atom Bomb by James Kunetka. (Founders #215)Alfred Lee Loomis: Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and The Secret Palace of Science That Changed The Course of World War II by Jennet Conant. (Founders #143)J.P. Morgan: The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance by Ron Chernow. (Founders #139)The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism by Susan Berfield. (Founders #142)Orville Wright: The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. (Founders #239)Birdmen: The Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and the Battle to Control the Skies by Lawrence Goldstone. (Founders #241)Edwin Land: Land's Polaroid: A Company and the Man Who Invented It by Peter C. Wensberg. (Founders #263)Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Christopher Bonanos. (Founders #264)Henry J. Kaiser: Builder in the Modern American West by Mark Foster. (Founders #66)Professional Amateur: The Biography of Charles Franklin Kettering by Thomas Boyd (Founders #125)Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bellby Charlotte Gray. (Founders #138)[48:21] Difficulties are often encountered in bringing an invention into production and use.[48:47] An invention has some of the characteristics of a poem.It is said that a poet may derive real joy out of making a poem, even if it is never published, even if he does not recite it to his friends, even if it is not a very good poem.No doubt, one has to be a poet to understand this.In the same way, an inventor can derive real satisfaction out of making an invention, even if he never expects to make a nickel out of it, even if he knows it is a bit foolish, provided he feels it involves ingenuity and insight.An inventor invents because he cannot help it, and also because he gets quiet fun out of doing so.Sometimes he even makes money at it, but not by himself. One has to be an inventor to understand this.One evening in Dayton, I dined alone with Orville Wright.During a long evening, we discussed inventions we had made that had never amounted to anything. He took me up to the attic and showed me models of various weird gadgets.I had plenty of similar efforts to tell him about, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.Neither of us would have thus spilled things except to a fellow practitioner, one who had enjoyed the elation of creation and who knew that such elation is, to a true devotee, independent of practical results.So it is also, I understand, with poets.[51:28] Against The Odds: An Autobiography by James Dyson (Founders #200)[52:21] When picking an industry to enter, my favorite rule of thumb is this: Pick an industry where the founders of the industry—the founders of the important companies in the industry—are still alive and actively involved. — The Pmarca Blog Archive Ebook by Marc Andreessen. (Founders #50)[57:18] If a company operates only under patents it owns, and infringes on no others, its monopoly should not be disturbed, and the courts so hold. An excellent example is Polaroid Corporation. Founded by Edwin Land, one of the most ingenious men I ever knew (and also one of the wisest), it has grown and prospered because of his inventions and those of his team.[1:00:46] I came to the realization that they knew more about the subject than I did. In some ways, this was not strange. They were concentrating on it and I was getting involved in other things.[1:01:31] P.T. Barnum: An American Life by Robert Wilson. (Founders #137)[1:05:53] We make progress, lots of progress, in nearly every intellectual field, only to find that the more we probe, the faster our field of ignorance expands.[1:11:41] All the books from Stripe Press—Get 60 days free of Readwise. It is the best app I pay for. I couldn't make Founders without it.—“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

In this episode, Mike and Matt discuss the remarkable life and work of Claude Shannon, inventor of Information Theory, and pioneer of the digital age. They look at how Shannon's work laid the foundation for digital computing, how his personality and environment informed his work, and what lessons can be applied in a modern API context. For more on Shannon... The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood - https://www.around.com/the-information/ A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Mind-at-Play/Jimmy-Soni/9781476766690 A Mathematical Theory of Communication, Claude Shannon - https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/home/text/others/shannon/entropy/entropy.pdf

Today, David is talking to Jimmy Soni. Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His newest book, The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, was a national bestseller and received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, The Economist, Financial Times, and more. His previous book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the 2019 Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his daughter, Venice. What You'll Learn: Becoming a Writer Discovery Process when Writing a Book Interviews Listening Market Cycles Recession and its Consequences Being a Creator Favorite Quote: “How leadership teams can move very aggressively and turn the pressure on not having another round of financing into action.” -- The Capital Stack All Things Tech Investing and Value Creation Early growth investor David Paul interviews the world's most excellent ecosystem, learns how to start and scale your own business, and finds an edge in today's capital markets. To connect with David, visit: Twitter - https://twitter.com/davidpaulvc (CLICK HERE) Substack - http://davidpaul.substack.com/ (CLICK HERE) LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/Davidpaulvc (CLICK HERE) IG - https://www.instagram.com/davidpaulvc/ (CLICK HERE) DISCLAIMER: David Paul is the founder and general partner at DWP Capital. All opinions expressed by David and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinions of DWP capital. This podcast is for formational purposes only and should not be relied upon for decisions. David and guests may maintain positions in the securities discussed on this podcast.

What I learned from rereading Land's Polaroid: A Company and the Man Who Invented It by Peter C. Wensberg.[0:01] Why is Polaroid a nutty place? To start with, it's run by a man who has more brains than anyone has a right to. He doesn't believe anything until he's discovered it and proved it for himself. Because of that, he never looks at things the way you and I do. He has no small talk. He has no preconceived notions. He starts from the beginning with everything. That's why we have a camera that takes pictures and develops them right away.[1:33] More books on Edwin Land: Insisting on The Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land by Victor McElheny The Instant Image: Edwin Land and the Polaroid Experienceby Mark Olshaker A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War by Ronald Fierstein Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Chris Bonanos [2:18] “Then I read something that one of my heroes, Edwin Land of Polaroid, said about the importance of people who could stand at the intersection of humanities and sciences, and I decided that's what I wanted to do.” —  Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson (Founders #214)[5:17] This guy started one of the great technology monopolies and ran it for 50 years.[7:35] He lived his life more intensely than the rest of us.[8:53] His interest in our reactions was minimal — polite, sometimes kind, but limited by the great drain of energy necessary to sustain his own part.[9:30] He never argued his ideas. If people didn't believe in them, he ignored those people. —A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman  (Founders #95) Loomis was not someone you could argue with. He would listen patiently to an opposing opinion. But his consideration was nothing more than that-an act of politeness on his part.” — Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and The Secret Palace of Science That Changed The Course of World War II by Jennet Conant (Founders #143)[11:40] Right before he introduces the most important product he ever makes — he is in a fight for his life. There's a good chance that Polaroid is going to be bankrupt.[14:29] The parallel to Steve Jobs is striking. Edwin Land —like jobs — had to turn around the company he founded before they ran out of money![15:02] At 37 he had achieved everything to which he aspired except success.[15:32] Against The Odds: An Autobiography by James Dyson (Founders #200)[22:48] The heroes of your heroes become your heroes.[23:39] Bill Gates would later tell a friend he went to Harvard to learn from people smarter than he was —and left disappointed. —Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire by James Wallace and Jim Erickson (Founders #140)[27:22] The young hurl themselves into vast problems that have troubled the world's best thinkers, believing that they can find a solution. It is well that they should for, from time to time, one of them does. — Autobiography of a Restless Mind: Reflections on the Human Condition Volume 2 by Dee Hock. (Founders #261)[29:30] He concentrated ferociously on his quest.[29:43] We live in the age of infinite distraction.[30:03] My whole life has been spent trying to teach people that intense concentration for hour after hour can bring out in people resources they didn't know they had.[30:29] Among all the components and Land's intellectual arsenal, the chief one seems to be simple concentration. — The Instant Image: Edwin Land and The Polaroid Experience by Mark Olshaker. (Founders #132)[41:50] A Landian question took nothing for granted, accepted no common knowledge, tested the cliche, and treated conventional wisdom as an oxymoron.[42:44] A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War by Ronald Fierstein  (Founders #134)[48:33] They had no alternative but to succeed with the camera. Everyone left at Polaroid knew that at the present rate of decline the business, the company, and their jobs would not survive 1947.[55:45] Smith estimated that throughout the eighties he spent at least four hours a day reading. He found he relied quite heavily on his own vision, backed by assimilating information from many different disciplines all at once. “The common trait of people who supposedly have vision is that they spend a lot of time reading and gathering information, and then synthesize it until they come up with an idea." — Overnight Success: Federal Express and Frederick Smith, Its Renegade Creator by Vance Trimble (Founders #151)[59:05] If you're not good, Jeff will chew you up and spit you out. And if you're good, he will jump on your back and ride you into the ground. — The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone. (Founders #179) [1:02:24] They were among the first of the park's attractions to be finished, but the pressure of time was already weighing on everyone. One day John Hench stopped by to check the progress on the coaches and had an idea, which he brought to his boss. "Why don't we just leave the leather straps off, Walt? The people are never going to appreciate all the close-up detail."Walt Disney treated Hench to a tart little lecture: "You're being a poor communicator. People are okay, don't you ever forget that. They will respond to it. They will appreciate it."Hench didn't argue. "We put the best darn leather straps on that stagecoach you've ever seen."— Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow. (Founders #158)[1:05:53] There is no such thing as group originality or group creativity or group perspicacity. I do believe wholeheartedly in the individual capacity for greatness. Profundity and originality are attributes of single, if not singular, minds.[1:10:32] There's nothing more refreshing than thinking for a few minutes with your eyes closed.[1:11:00] The present is the past biting into the future.----“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

Jackie Vullinghs Jackie Vullinghs is affectionately known by most people as Jax. Far from her birthplace in the UK, she now finds herself as an investing partner at one of Australia's most successful venture firms Airtree. Despite winning most of the prizes there are to win growing up (1st class honours in History at Cambridge, 3 Cambridge Blues in Women's Lacrosse, the Bundy Scholarship for Academic Excellence, the Dunster Prize for History and the Sarah Springman Prize for simultaneous excellence in both academic study and university sport), these days she is much more impressed by behaviours than badges of success. And when it comes to being a great venture capital investor, she believes that there is one attribute that trumps all the others, more important that curiosity, analytical skills, sales acumen and operating experience. Jax believes that the one trait that trumps all others is agency. The ability to develop a plan and take action, without anyone's permission. Jax is driven by the joy of making connections - between ideas, and between people. She also loves seeing companies where growth is driven by raving fans who feel compelled to spread the word. Years ago that led to an obsession with direct to consumer and creator-led brands. Today, despite its volatility she is fascinated by how Web3 is allowing creators to reward fans with ownership in their communities and can't wait to see the emergent behaviour that evolves as a result. Links Jackie Vullinghs on LinekdIn Behaviour over badges - Substack newsletter The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop Complexity by M. Mitchell Waldrop A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman. The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner. A Man for All Markets: Beating the Odds, from Las Vegas to Wall Street by Edward O. Thorp Endurance by Alfred Lansing Companies Grow Super - Super admin software eucalyptus - healthcare technology company

Jimmy Soni is an author whose work focuses on people who create and build interesting things—whether theories, carousels, or companies. His books include “The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley”, “A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age”, and more! You can follow Jimmy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jimmyasoni and go through his work on https://jimmysoni.com/ Show Notes: The joy of curiosity How memes spread The Great Reshuffle How internet changed the publishing industry Parallels between early days of PayPal and Bitcoin Money as an information system Appreciating the micro-level decisions Three new things about Elon The Elon Effect How the PayPal founders brought the best out of people The unknown names who were critical to PayPal Claude Shannon's financial decisions Wealth is a byproduct of the devotion to the craft Books Mentioned: The Founders; by Jimmy Soni A Mind at Play; by Jimmy Soni Virus of the Mind; by Richard Brodie The Sovereign Individual; by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg What Works on Wall Street; Jim O'Shaughnessy

Text Hawk to 66866 for Mindful Monday... A carefully curated email sent to you every Monday to help you start your week right... Full show notes at www.LearningLeader.com Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12      https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12 Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. His book, Jane's Carousel, completed with the late Jane Walentas, captured one woman's remarkable twenty-five-year journey to restore a beloved carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Jimmy's most recent book is called, The Founders - The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley.  Notes: “Your life will be shaped by the things you create, and the people you make them with. We tend to sweat the former. We don't worry enough about the latter." The founders and earliest employees of PayPal pushed and prodded and demanded better of one another. Instead of "Acknowledgements" to end his book, Jimmy titled the section "Debts" "A debt is deeper than an Acknowledgement." Envy the optimist, not the genius. There's real power in optimism. The world is built by optimists. Look for the silver things. Have belief. Be the type of person that believes in themselves and others… Optimism builds confidence in yourself and others. Be an optimist. Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan – The fact that Phil told the best player in the world… “We aren't going to win a championship if you keep playing that way. You have to buy into the triangle offense.” It shows the value of a friend (or a coach) telling you the truth in order to help you (and the team) get better. "Walter Isaacson made me believe in its (the book) importance and potential. At the very end, he provided the kind of advice that can only come from someone who has spent years laboring in the same fields. Peter Thiel refined Max Levchin's thinking... He made him better. Ask, "Have you thought about it this way?" Watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi Kobe Bryant was an incredible learning machine. His insatiable curiosity made him better. You can become curious about anything. Mr. Beast spent hours every day on Skype with his friends talking about how to grow a YouTube channel. We live in a moment were you can connect with others who are passionate about the same topics you are. With the internet, you can connect with anyone. Qualities of the leaders who created PayPal: It was so hard. They all experienced failure and bounced back. Highly intelligent. Hard-working. They worked 7 days a week. There was no work-life balance. They weren't just resilient, they were fast-moving. Life Advice: What looks like expertise on the outside is generally messiness on the inside. Leadership in Solitude. There are benefits to spending some time by yourself. Ask – The people who make things happen are willing to ASK. Steve Jobs to Bill Hewlitt. Elon Musk to Dr. Peter Nicholson. Those "asks" changed the trajectory of their lives. Who knows, maybe your next ASK will change yours… Claude Shannon, Bell Laboratories, renowned as an incredible hub of innovation…  whose work in the 1930s and '40s earned him the title of “father of the information age.” Geniuses have a unique way of engaging with the world, and if you spend enough time examining their habits, you discover the behaviors behind their brilliance.

What makes a billionaire different from you and me? We all have the same 24-hour day, so how have people like Claude Shannon, Peter Thiel, and Elon Musk created this explosion of innovation in information technology, leading us into an era of increased global connection and prosperity? My guest today is Jimmy Soni, a tech world historian. He is the author of the recently released, The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley. His previous book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics. On this episode of The Wiggin Sessions, Jimmy joins me to discuss his insight into the unique characteristics of the founders of PayPal and the three common traits that turned them into billionaires. We discuss their beginnings and backgrounds and the advantageous way they've used inexperience to infiltrate other industries, including space logistics, internet video, and even the film industry, with much success. Listen to understand why the shadowy narratives aren't always what they seem and why what makes the headlines isn't the most interesting part about these "Mount Rushmore style figures." We'll look at the most important thing to come out of the PayPal experience. Plus, we'll discuss the surprise investor interest causing the resurgence of old technology and how studying the investments of these blue check titans might lead us to the future of technological innovations. Key Takeaways Jimmy shares his insight into Elon Musk's brash approach to risk-taking and his desire to change finance from the ground up How the shotgun wedding between X.com and Confinity birthed PayPal and spawned a whole industry of people innovating their way into billions The 3 common traits in this group of tech billionaires How the PayPal alumni infiltrated the space logistics, big data, microfinance, internet video, and even the film industry successfully How Claude Shannon's ideas from 1948 saved business communication during the pandemic How Peter Thiel's ‘no orange jumpsuits' rule led to innovations right up to the line of the law The most important thing to know about the PayPal experience for your own investments Jimmy shares his ‘glass half full' thoughts on technology as a force for good in the world Connect with Jimmy Soni Jimmy Soni Jimmy Soni on Twitter Connect with Addison Wiggin Consilience Financial Be sure to follow The Wiggin Sessions on your socials. You can find me on— Facebook @thewigginsessions Instagram @thewigginsessions Twitter @WigginSessions Resources The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age The little-known story about Elon Musk's first post-grad internship an excerpt by Jimmy Soni on FORTUNE Dr. Peter Nicholson Brady Bonds Cedric Ritchie Seven Samurai Occam's razor|Ockham's razor Halt and Catch Fire George Gilder

Episode 225 features Jimmy Soni, an award-winning author, and his next book, THE FOUNDERS, launched on 2/22/22, which explores the lives and early careers of the founders of PayPal. For this project, he was able to interview over 200 former PayPal employees, including Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, and many others.Find Jimmy Online:Website: www.jimmysoni.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmysoni/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmyasoniTwitter: https://twitter.com/jimmyasoniAbout Jimmy:Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His next book, THE FOUNDERS, launched on 2/22/22, explores the lives and early careers of the founders of PayPal. For this project, he was able to interview over 200 former PayPal employees, including Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, and many others.His last book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).His most recent work, Jane's Carousel, completed with the late Jane Walentas, captured one woman's remarkable twenty-five-year journey to restore a beloved carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park.He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his daughter, Venice.........Thank you for listening! If you wanted to learn more about the host, Brian Ondrako, check out his “Now” Page - https://www.brianondrako.com/now or Sign up for his Weekly Newsletter and 3x a Week Blog - https://brianondrako.com/subscribe/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and hundreds of the biggest names in Silicon Valley started at PayPal. Known as the “PayPal Mafia,” these free-thinking entrepreneurs created the blueprint for tech companies today. Author Jimmy Soni sits down with host Charles Mizrahi to discuss the untold story of PayPal's founding and how it paved the way for companies like Tesla, Facebook, YouTube, and SpaceX. Topics Discussed: An Introduction to Jimmy Soni (00:00:00) Silicon Valley Has PayPal to Thank (00:01:38) PayPal's Start (00:7:30) The Origins of Elon Musk (00:17:01) PayPal's Unique Recruitment Process (00:27:33) Peter Thiel's Management Style (00:30:13) Thiel's Story (00:32:56) Why PayPal Founders Are Driven to Innovate (00:40:44) What We Can Learn (00:43:59) Guest Bio: Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. He previously served as managing editor of HuffPost and was named in Forbes' “30 Under 30” list. Soni has co-authored several books with Rob Goodman, winning the 2017 Neumann Prize for A Mind at Play. Their essays have been featured in Politico, HuffPost, and Business Insider. Soni's recent solo book (below) tells the story of PayPal's founding. Resources Mentioned: · https://www.amazon.com/Founders-Paypal-Entrepreneurs-Shaped-Silicon/dp/1501197266 (The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley) · https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Play-Shannon-Invented-Information/dp/1476766681 (A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age) Transcript: https://charlesmizrahi.com/podcast/podcast-season-7/2022/04/12/story-paypal-jimmy-soni/ (https://charlesmizrahi.com/podcast/)  Don't Forget To... • Subscribe to my podcast! • Download this episode to save for later • Liked this episode? Leave a kind review! Subscribe to Charles' Alpha Investor newsletter today: https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/1962483 (https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/1962483)

The World's #1 Personal Development Book Podcast! In this episode, I have the pleasure to interview author Jimmy Soni. Jimmy's last book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won multiple awards. Our conversation today is all about Peter's new book, titled The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley. This book details the stories of some amazing people, including Elon Musk, Amy Rowe Klement, Peter Thiel, Julie Anderson, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, and many others whose stories have never been shared. Please enjoy this amazing conversation with Jimmy Soni. Today's episode is sponsored by Audible. Try Audible for free: www.bookthinkers.com/audibletrial. The purpose of this podcast is to connect you, the listener, with new books, new mentors, and new resources that will help you achieve more and live better. Each and every episode will feature one of the world's top authors so that you know each and every time you tune-in, there is something valuable to learn. If you have any recommendations for guests, please DM them to us on Instagram. (www.instagram.com/bookthinkers) If you enjoyed this show, please consider leaving a review. It takes less than 60-seconds of your time, and really makes a difference when I am trying to land new guests. For more BookThinkers content, check out our Instagram or our website. Thank you for your time!

Claude Elwood Shannon is widely regarded as the father of information theory. His research has given birth to an entirely new theory on information and communication, laying the foundations for the information age today. Shannon was a groundbreaking polymath, a brilliant tinkerer, and a digital pioneer. He was deft at simplifying a problem and abstracting its essence. He was also a master at building links and drawing analogies between different things to find new ways to solve complex problems. Shannon’s achievements were largely attributed to his curious and playful mind. He viewed serious research questions as puzzles, and he enjoyed solving them. This book, "A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age", decodes Shannon's life and experiences. It also offers an insight into Shannon's personal traits that enabled his achievements.

This modern Information Age can make it challenging for a creative professional to keep their focus. At the same time, there are many benefits to being plugged in. Mark and Adam discuss. @MuseAppHQ hello@museapp.com Show notes A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age the Information Age The end of mobile The Information Pathology The Slot Machine in Your Pocket digital detox the Industrial Revolution The Rise and Fall of American Growth Thinking About Attention RescueTime Screen Time Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World Center for Humane Technology Gell-Mann Amnesia The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority

This modern Information Age can make it challenging for a creative professional to keep their focus. At the same time, there are many benefits to being plugged in. Mark and Adam discuss. @MuseAppHQ hello@museapp.com Show notes A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age the Information Age The end of mobile The Information Pathology The Slot Machine in Your Pocket digital detox the Industrial Revolution The Rise and Fall of American Growth Thinking About Attention RescueTime Screen Time Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World Center for Humane Technology Gell-Mann Amnesia The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority

What I learned from reading A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman [0:25] Claude Shannon trained a powerful intellect on topics of deep interest, and continued to do so beyond the point of short term practicality[5:50] Insulated from opinion of all kinds[9:09] A simple way to describe the impact of information theory[10:39] Resourceful at a young age[11:50] An ordinary childhood[12:41] Follow your natural drift[14:40] Too many facts; too few principles[16:10] His indecisive nature inadvertently helps him[17:00] An important turning point in Shannon's life[18:30] Vannevar Bush: The first person to see Claude Shannon for who he was [21:00] The results of Claude Shannon's thesis[23:20] How Claude Shannon worked in his 20s[25:30] The main takeaway from the book: The world isn't there to be used, but to be played with, manipulated by hand and mind[30:00] Succeeding with no prior knowledge in the specific field[31:20] Working on what naturally interests you is time well spent[32:45] Working at Bell Labs / The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation[36:49] Fire Control / What he worked on during the war[38:15] Claude Shannon's work on cryptography[40:05] Take many different ideas from unrelated fields[43:35] Leaving Bell Labs for MIT[48:52] Claude Shannon on investing[1:01:15] Shannon's design for his own funeral—“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

What I learned from reading A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob GoodmanClaude Shannon trained a powerful intellect on topics of deep interest, and continued to do so beyond the point of short term practicality [0:25]Upgrade to the Misfit feed [3:10]Insulated from opinion of all kinds [9:35]A simple way to describe the impact of information theory [13:09]Resourceful at a young age [14:39]An ordinary childhood [15:50]Follow your natural drift [16:41]Too many facts; too few principles [18:40]His indecisive nature inadvertently helps him [20:10]An important turning point in Shannon’s life [21:00]Vannevar Bush: The first person to see Claude Shannon for who he was [22:30]The results of Claude Shannon’s thesis [25:00]How Claude Shannon worked in his 20s [27:20]The main takeaway from the book: The world isn’t there to be used, but to be played with, manipulated by hand and mind [29:30]Succeeding with no prior knowledge in the specific field [34:00]Working on what naturally interests you is time well spent [35:20]Working at Bell Labs / The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation [36:45]Fire Control / What he worked on during the war [40:49]Claude Shannon’s work on cryptography [42:15]Take many different ideas from unrelated fields [44:05]Leaving Bell Labs for MIT [47:35]Claude Shannon on investing [52:52]Shannon’s design for his own funeral [1:05:15]Become a Misfit today for access to the entire back catalogue of premium episodes, two extra podcasts a month available no where else, and lifetime access to my Evernote notebook containing notes from 265+ podcasts and lectures on entrepreneurship.A list of all the books featured on Founders Podcast.

Claude Shannon made our modern digital world possible. He wrote a landmark paper called "The Mathematical Theory of Communication" which gave birth to computer networks, cell phones, compact discs, digital recording and video. It also lent huge insights into genetics and biology. Rob Goodman & Jimmy Soni have written the first full biography of Claude Shannon and it’s great. It’s called "A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age". In this video, we discuss the quirky world of one of the 20th Century's great geniuses. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Author Jimmy Soni (@jimmyasoni) spoke with us about his biography of Claude Shannon,  founder of information theory and digital circuit theory. A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman. For an introduction to the book, read their post 10,000 Hours With Claude Shannon: How A Genius Thinks, Works, and Lives. Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner Mark Levinson’s Particle Fever is a documentary film about the Large Hadron Collider. He is also directing a film about Claude Shannon Scientific Aspects of Juggling by Claude Shannon

Join the Acquired Limited Partner program! https://kimberlite.fm/acquired/ (works best on mobile)   On this extra-long episode of Acquired, Brian McCullough from the Internet History Podcast returns to discuss perhaps the most (in)famous merger of all time: AOL - Time Warner. Who doesn’t remember the soothing sounds of 56k modems and the timeless phrase, “You’ve Got Mail”? Join us all as we unpack how one of the biggest ISP’s of the 90’s tried to take over the world… and fell far short.   Topics Covered Include: AOL’s status in the 90’s / early 00’s Explaining just what it is that AOL did at the height of their popularity How AOL pioneered a number of internet paradigms AOL’s persistent money troubles and bailouts from other companies Steve Case foreseeing the coming era of broadband, inspiring AOL to pursue working with a cable company Ebay vs. Time Warner in a down-to-the-wire war for a merger with AOL Why the money dried up for AOL after their merger with Time Warner AOL and its value in the post-Time-Warner era Speculating about what would have happened had AOL and others stayed independent businesses And much discussion on how to grade this one…   The Carve Out: Ben: Give and Take by Adam Grant  David: Season of the Witch by David Talbot  Brian: A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Rob Goodman    Sponsor: Thanks to Perkins Coie, Counsel to Great Companies, for sponsoring this podcast. You can get in touch with Jeff Beuche, who you heard at the beginning of this podcast, here.

Jinny Soni and Rob Goodman discuss A Mind at Play:How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age.

My guests today are Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman. Soni is an American author and former managing editor of The Huffington Post. He is best known for A Mind at Play, his award-winning biography of Claude Shannon. Soni became the managing editor at The Huffington Post in January 2012. Previously he had worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey and Company, as well as a speech writer at the office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia. Goodman is a political theorist joining the Department of Politics and Public Administration. He received his PhD in political science from Columbia University and was previously a Mellon postdoctoral researcher at McGill University.  The topic is their book A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age. In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss: Information theory Turning complex into simplicity Complexity is the enemy Bell Labs How to deal with freedom in the work space Short-term-ism in our economy Dealing with critics and competitors Jump in! --- I'm MICHAEL COVEL, the host of TREND FOLLOWING RADIO, and I'm proud to have delivered 10+ million podcast listens since 2012. Investments, economics, psychology, politics, decision-making, human behavior, entrepreneurship and trend following are all passionately explored and debated on my show. To start? I'd like to give you a great piece of advice you can use in your life and trading journey… cut your losses! You will find much more about that philosophy here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/trend/ You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/ Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman are authors of “Rome’s Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar” and their newest book is “A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age.” Jimmy and Rob highlight aspects of their new book by detailing who Claude Shannon is and why he is so fundamental for our everyday lives. Claude Shannon made the entire digital age possible. As Jimmy and Rob said, “He didn’t just think about things, he thought through things.” What made Shannon so unique? He was extremely curious about information and wanted to know about all aspects of it. He brought a lot of insights into a subject that seemingly would come from left field. Shannon was also brilliant at transmitting information and breaking the complex into the simplistic. He allowed himself to move into different fields and go wherever his mind wanted to take him but never wasting his time on an unworthy subject. He could expertly sort through what was worth working on and what was a waste of time. How do we talk about information? How are we going to quantify information? Where did Shannon live and how did he live? Jimmy and Rob not only dug through scholarly journals to find out how Shannon thought, they also talked to the Shannon family and got to learn who he was as a father, husband and friend. When people think of Shannon’s level of genius, most think he must have short comings in his social life. Shannon did not. His colleagues, family and friends new him as a guy that barbecued, went running, and did his unreal math projects. Another fascinating trait Shannon had was his ability to not let critics get to him. He was smart enough to know that when he did projects and knew he was right, he didn’t need to pay any attention to the critics. He had confidence that came from his kind of intellectualism. He worked on the information theory over the course of 10 years while working on other projects. By the time he had published it, he already new he was right and had moved onto his next endeavor before the critics could get to him. Jimmy, Rob and Michael end the podcast discussing how Jimmy and Rob came to write this book together and what their collaboration process was. In this episode of Trend Following Radio: Information theory Turning complex into simplicity Complexity is the enemy Bell Labs How to deal with freedom in the work space Short-term-ism in our economy Dealing with critics and competitors