Claude Shannon: Tinkerer, Prankster, and Father of Information Theory
Those interested in reading a more narrative-style recounting of Mr. Shannon's efforts ought pick up a copy of "The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood" by James Gleick. It is one of the most fantastic books I have ever read. Informative, entertaining, engrossing. From Babbage's learning machines through the present, I can think of no better introduction to these critical concepts.