The Man Who Invented Information Theory (2017)
The ingenuity and brilliance coming from Bell Labs during that era is absolutely astonishing. Transistors, information theory, satellite communication, UNIX/C, the list goes on. These ideas unquestionably laid the foundation for modern high-tech society.<p>If anyone is interested in learning more about Bell Labs and the folks who worked there, “The Idea Factory” by Jon Gertner is a fantastic book written on the subject. It’s not comprehensive but it’s a very inspiring read.<p>There has always been something very vexing about Bell Labs’ legacy though. They had everything they needed to start the personal computing revolution: engineers, scientists, equipment, a nationwide telephone network for god’s sake. What happened?