As Larry Roberts, a graduate student of that time, remembered, “Shannon’s favorite thing to do was to listen to what you had to say and then just say, ‘What about . . .’ and then follow with an approach you hadn’t thought of. That’s how he gave his advice.” This was how Shannon preferred to teach: as a fellow traveler and problem solver, just as eager as his students to find a new route or a fresh approach to a standing puzzle.
