"The spirit of Claude Shannon looms large over IEEE Spectrum , and indeed the entire modern world. His 1937 demonstration that Boolean logic and algebra could be implemented using electric switches was a tremendous contribution to the computer age just by itself. Then Shannon topped this in 1948 by founding information theory, which provides the mathematical framework for all digital communication. Given his significance, we were surprised to find there was no book-length biography of Shannon, at least until now. This July, Simon & Schuster is publishing A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by JimmySoni and Rob Goodman. Spectrum senior editor Stephen Cass spoke with them about Shannon and their book."