No less than ian mcewan, robert harris, tom stoppard, neal. By olivia solon, wired uk in alan turings 42 years of life, his discoveries and inventions saved thousands of lives and paved the way for modern computing. A photo included in a 2012 bletchley park exhibition on the life of alan turing, as reported by techrepublic s nick heath. Persecuted for his sexual orientation, his life comes to a catastrophic end. The imitation game a 2014 biopic of alan turing and his involvement in cracking the enigma. He had the ingenuity and imagination to bridge the gap between the theory of computation as posed by the likes of godel and the implementation of computation machines. Nov 21, 2011 t wo years ago, gordon brown made a public posthumous apology for the way the british government had treated alan turing in the years leading up to his death in 1954. The enigma of alan turing central intelligence agency. While studying at cambridge he began work in predicate logic that led to a proof 1937 that some mathematical problems are not susceptible to solution by automated computation.
Some people might feel its a little early in the day for such demanding topics. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the turing machine, which played a significant role in the creation of the modern computer. Alan turings suspected suicide cut short his life, but he continues to live on. Alan mathison turing was born on 23 june 1912, the son of julius mathison turing, a civil servant in india, and ethel sara turing, the daughter of edward waller stoney, chief engineer of the madras and southern mahratta railway. Turing dedicated a significant portion of his life to the study of morphogenesis the biological process by which organisms take their shape. Mathematician and pioneer of computer science, alan turing, cracked the enigma code aiding in wwiis conclusion. The books were, of course, written by the oxford mathematics don charles lutwidge dodgson under. Mills was unveiled at the university of surrey in guildford, marking the 50th anniversary of turings death. Alan turings handwritten notebook reveals his genius. Alan turing, subject of britains greatest codebreaker channel 4 was a young, radicalthinking mathematician who developed the very fundamentals by. This is a rerelease of a book that was first published in 1983 and largely researched during the 10 years prior to that, so it first came out in a very different time than todaya time when world warii secrets were still being somewhat protected, and when the details of a homosexual mans life were still not easy to explain to the average audience without giving offense.
Moore finally got the chance to pen a turing script when he was hired by the producers, who owned the rights to andrew hodgess acclaimed 1983 biography, alan turing. Alan turing, known as the father of modern computing, explored new approaches and theories of mathematics in this journal. It is similar to the one which he goldplated himself. The installation commemorates alan turing, the computer pioneer and codebreaker who was born in nearby maida vale in 1912. Largest web collection of digital facsimiles of original documents by turing and other pioneers of computing. When his body was discovered, an apple laid halfeaten next to his bed. Even by the eccentric standards of cambridge university in the 1930s, alan turing was a mess. Alan mathison turing 23 june 1912 7 june 1954, was an english mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist. The essential turing seminal writings in computing, logic, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and artificial life plus the secrets of enigma edited by b. The book has been inscribed inside by ethel sara turing. Turing the essential turing seminal writings in computing.
Ed stoppard on britains greatest codebreaker radio times. This cited by count includes citations to the following articles in scholar. Oct 29, 2014 something on turing s work, with many very competent authors writing parts of this giant book. Andrew hodges late 1970s and early 1980s research into turings life, and the top secret work he did at bletchley park, burst open a groundswell. Latest headlines world news books horoscopes work with us games coronavirus. Seminal writings in computing, logic, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and artificial life plus the secrets of enigma edited by b. Alan turing was such a genius, and those, like myself, who had the astonishing and unexpected opportunity, created by the strange exigencies of the second world war, to be able to count turing as colleague and friend will never forget that experience, nor can we ever lose its immense benefit to us. The cast of the british tv series the bletchley circle, one of many portrayals of the women who worked as world war ii codebreakers. Before getting into bed the night before, he had taken a few. Apr 10, 2015 the enigma of alan turing alan turingan english mathematician, logician, and cryptanalystwas a computer pioneer. Enigma is a 2001 espionage thriller film directed by michael apted from a screenplay by tom stoppard. Alan turing site maintained by andrew hodges including a short biography alanturing.
Mathematician alan turing was instrumental in cracking the enigma codes. Mar, 2017 this piece of public art in paddington is all rather geeky. In a short life he accomplished much, and to the roll of great names in the history of his particular studies added his own. The enigma the book that inspired the film the imitation game updated edition by andrew hodges available from rakuten kobo. On june 8, 1954, alan turing, a fortyoneyearold research scientist at manchester university, was found dead by his housekeeper. Alan mathison turing, 191254, british mathematician and computer theorist. If one has seen the movie and liked it, one is going to love this too. Andrew hodges wadharn college, university of oxford. The film and, by association, the book have attracted criticism for their portrayal of the polish role in enigma decryption. A new york times bestseller the official book behind the academy awardwinning film the imitation game, starring benedic. The enigma by andrew hodges is an enigma in its own right. Our shameful treatment of alan turing, the man behind the enigma code. Alan turing this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book.
With derek jacobi, alun armstrong, blake ritson, william mannering. Alan turing, the figure at the center of the already much praised film, the imitation game, which opens nov. A new edition to celebrate alan turing s centenary, includes a new foreword by the author and a preface by douglas hofstadter. Often remembered for his contributions to the fields of artificial intelligence and modern computer science before either even existed, turing is probably best known for what is now dubbed the turing test. List of books and articles about alan turing online. The imitation game dramatizes the story of alan turing. Jun 25, 2015 alan turings contribution to the world history alan turing lived a short life, but during it, he made a lot of discoveries that helped to shape the world as we know it today. For alan turing part six pages 5155 composed, recording and video by matthew lee knowles. On 28 october 2004, a bronze statue of alan turing sculpted by john w. The ones marked may be different from the article in the profile. Nov 14, 2011 for alan turing part six pages 5155 composed, recording and video by matthew lee knowles. Since turings suicide in 1954, his legend has been the inspiration for plays, novels, and films, in addition to a halfdozen biographies.
This is ned blocks blockhead argument in a nutshell. Queen pardons wartime codebreaking hero alan turing daily mail. Alan turing s extraordinary, tragically short life. Nov 02, 2014 alan turing, the figure at the center of the already much praised film, the imitation game, which opens nov. Ed stoppard, right, as alan turing, and henry goodman as dr franz greenbaum photo. The script was adapted from the novel enigma by robert harris, about.
Alan turing was the extraordinary cambridge mathematician who masterminded the cracking of the german enigma ciphers and transformed the second world war. But he was also a gifted athlete, a sloppy dresser and. A great production ed stoppard was very good playing against the dr. Alan turing was born in 1912 in london and educated at kingos college, cambridge, and at princeton where he wrote his doctoral dissertation under the eminent logician alonzo church. Stoppard was cast as adrien deume, a swiss diplomat, arianes husband, in a screen version of albert cohens novel belle du seigneur. Ed stoppard project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks.
I hadnt in those days heard of the turing testalan turings proposal that a computer could be. A simple timeline of the achievements of alan turing, the great mathematician, world war ii hero, computer scientist and visionary. It seems quite probable he was intending to goldplate this one using cyanide of potassium of his own manufacture. Ed miller britains famous world war ii codebreaking. Mar 01, 2016 alan turing june 23, 1912june 7, 1954 is celebrated as the godfather of modern computing, but what remains practically unknown is his seminal contribution to an obscure branch of biology. I have little new to add and must join all of the others here in saying that andrew hodges alan turing. A biography of the english mathematician alan turing, who was. Benedict cumberbatch, the unlikely heartthrob who plays alan turing in the imitation game, has worked his way to stardom playing quirky characters. This is the spoon which i found in alan turing s laboratory. More recently turing was depicted by ed stoppard in the channel 4. Alan turing, in full alan mathison turing, born june 23, 1912, london, englanddied june 7, 1954, wilmslow, cheshire, british mathematician and logician, who made major contributions to mathematics, cryptanalysis, logic, philosophy, and mathematical biology and also to the new areas later named computer science, cognitive science. More importantly, he was brave enough to admit his homosexuality in the 1950s.
Ed stoppard, henry goodman, paul mcgann, asa briggs, jean valentine, david leavitt, rolf. Just think what difference in the world he could have made had he lived. The turing day collference at the swiss federal hlstitute of technology, lausanne, was held to mark the nilletieth a. The book could be simpler and could meet the need of a great biography. I saw it with friends and we were reeling afterwards. And the story of alan turing becomes, of all things, a delight.
Unlocking the enigma is a bit of a misleading title as although it does mention the work he did towards that, this is more a story about his life, his achievements, quirks, sexuality and mistreatment by the government that possibly led to his untimely death. Hinsley and alan stripp, the 39 steps by john buchan and from russia. Benedict cumberbatch acts clever again in the imitation. Jul 17, 2012 hank introduces us to that great mathematical mind, alan turing, who, as an openly gay man in the early 20th century faced brutal prejudice that eventually led to his suicide, despite being a. His work and impact on turing s work in simplet terms, placing him in the bigger picture.
Dec 01, 2014 there seems to be only one photograph of alan turing running. Nov 28, 2014 alan turing is hailed as the father of the computer, singlehandedly helping the allies defeat the germans by cracking the nazi enigma code. Alan turing author of computing machinery and intelligence. Today, we would call turing a computer scientist, but during his career he was naturally thought of as a mathematician. The film features ed stoppard as turing and henry goodman as franz greenbaum. In it he appears to be finishing an event perhaps his clubs 3mile championship passing the finish post in first, but his form looks terrible. Alan turing from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia turing redirects here. Alan turing 19121954 made two outstandingly original contributions to the development of computer science.
The film starts in october 1952 after alan turing ed stoppard has been convicted. The women who manned the secret codebreaking operation at. Codebreaker tv movie 2011 ed stoppard as alan turing. Alan turing set in motion the computer age and his world war ii codebreaking helped turn the tide of the second world war. Alan turings handwritten notebook reveals his genius pictures. Latest headlines abominable puts universal atop the weekend box office once again. Codebreaker recounts the story of this maverick british genius, alan turing, who was crucial to founding three new fields of science as well as breaking the. His technological achievements not only aided the allies in world war ii but also helped in the development of modern computers. Alan turing project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks.
Plus articles about turing and his work, including artificial intelligence. Spirit of alan turing haunts paddington bridge londonist. Its subject, the british mathematical genius who contributed to the cryptanalysis of the nazi enigma code and to the beginnings of the computer, was not an easy subject. So is described one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century, yet alan turing s name was not widely recognised until his contribution to the breaking of the german enigma code became public in the 1970s. The enigma by andrew hodges, the code book by simon singh, codebreakers by f.
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