Film: The Bit Player, the story of Claude Shannon, pioneer of Information Theory

The Bit Player is a documentary film created to celebrate the 2016 centenary of the birth of Claude Shannon, the “father of information theory.”

In a blockbuster paper in 1948, mathematician Claude Shannon introduced the notion of a “bit” and laid the foundation for the information age. His ideas ripple through nearly every aspect of modern life, influencing such diverse fields as communication, computing, cryptography, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, cosmology, linguistics, and genetics. This documentary tells the story of an overlooked genius who revolutionized the world, but never lost his childlike curiosity.

Princeton ACM / IEEE Computer Society has arranged for a screening of this 90-minute film at the Princeton Garden Theater. We will also have a distinguished panel to discuss the film as well as Claude Shannon’s life and work. The panel will consist of three Princeton University professors: William Bialek, Vincent Poor, and Christopher Sims.

ADMISSION CHARGE FOR THE FILM — Tickets are now available. They can be purchased soon on the Princeton Garden Theater’s website: http://princetongardentheater.org/films/bit-player. (The Princeton Garden Theater is a non-profit community arthouse theater, showing a wide range of films and supporting cultural events in the Princeton community.)

Note: there has been a recent upade to Princeton Garden Theatre’s safety rules, their mask policy has been relaxed:

* Masks required in lobby and restrooms
* Masks optional in Auditorium while seated

Princeton Garden Theater, 160 Nassau St., Princeton, New Jersey, United States