Alan Turing

• Report rights infringement
• published: 20 Dec 2012
• views: 39166

Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS (ˈtjʊərɪŋ/ TEWR-ing; 23 June 1912 -- 7 June 1954), was a British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, giving a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general purpose computer. Turing is widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. During World War II, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS;) at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking centre. For a time he was head of Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. He devised a number of techniques for breaking German ciphers, including the method of the bombe, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the Enigma machine. After the war, he worked at the National Physical Laboratory, where he created one of the first designs for a stored-program computer, the ACE. In 1948 Turing joined Max Newman's Computing Laboratory at Manchester University, where he assisted in the development of the Manchester computers and became interested in mathematical biology. He wrote a paper on the chemical basis of morphogenesis, and predicted oscillating chemical reactions such as the Belousov--Zhabotinsky reaction, which were first observed in the 1960s. Turing's homosexuality resulted in a criminal prosecution in 1952, when homosexual acts were still illegal in the United Kingdom. He accepted treatment with female hormones (chemical castration) as an alternative to prison. Turing died in 1954, just over two weeks before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning. An inquest determined that his death was suicide; his mother and some others believed his death was accidental. On 10 September 2009, following an Internet campaign, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for "the appalling way he was treated". As of May 2012 a private member's bill was before the House of Lords which would grant Turing a statutory pardon if enacted. TTBOOK is a nationally-syndicated radio show that cracks open the world and the ideas that fuel its engine, with Jim Fleming, Steve Paulson, Anne Strainchamps, Charles Monroe-Kane, Doug Gordon, Veronica Rueckert, Caryl Owen and Sara Nics.Once they pick the theme, they dig in with interviews that explore the culture, the debate, the stories, the science and the actual sound of it all. And hopefully, when they're done, they've animated the questions along with the answers. TTBOOK: Alan Turing (08.19.2012) 1. Codebreaker: Patrick Sammon on Alan Turing: Codebreaker, a new film by Patrick Sammon, tells the story of the brilliant life and tragic death of Alan Turing. He died at age 41, having revolutionized our world by inventing the first computer programs -- and then computers themselves. 2. Andrew Hodges on Alan Turing: Alan Turing was one of the most original thinkers of the 20th century. His work ushered in the digital age and paved the way for computers and artificial intelligence. Andrew Hodges explains why Turing is considered the father of the computer. 3. Mohan Embar on the Turing Test: Every year, the judges of the Loebner Prize award a prize to the "most human" computer program. This year's winner was Mohan Embar, creator of a chatbot called Chip Vivant. 4. Alan Garner on Alan Turing: Alan Turing wasn't just a brain. He was also an accomplished athlete -- a runner, who nearly made it to the Olympics. British writer Alan Garner knew Alan Turing as his friend and running partner. 5. Brian Christian on the Loebner Prize: Brian Christian is the author of "The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive." In 2009, he won the annual Loebner Prize -- awarded to the computer program that comes closest to passing the Turing Test for artificial intelligence. Christian won for being the "most human human." 6. George Dyson on Turing's Cathedral: George Dyson grew up in the backyard of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where some of the most brilliant engineers and mathematicians in the world (including his parents) were building one of the first computers. His new book, "Turing's Cathedral", is the story of their quest to build a working computer. 7. Neal Stephenson on "Reamde": If you like novels about computers and the history of technology, then you must know Neal Stephenson's work. The author of Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle talks with us about his new novel -- a fast-paced thriller about the world of hyper-gaming. It's called "Reamde." © "To the Best of Our Knowledge" Podcast 2012 © Slate statue of Alan Turing, Bletchley Park