Britain still owes Alan Turing a debt – Telegraph

Alan Turing was a remarkable British hero who helped create the modern world. Now known as the father of computer science, his inventions contributed greatly to the groundwork for the modern computer.

Despite his contributions, Turing did not receive the recognition and plaudits that he deserved while alive. Putting him on the £10 note is a small but important step towards finally redressing that.

Born on June 23rd, 1912, in Maida Vale, Alan Turing grew up in Hastings. He displayed great individuality from a young age. At 14 he went to Sherborne School in Dorset. On discovering that there would be a general strike on his first day he took it upon himself to cycle the 60 or so miles to school on his own.

Turing subsequently read mathematics at Cambridge, later assisting in the development of the innovative Manchester computers.

On 4 September 1939 the day after Britain declared war on Germany, Turing reported to Bletchley Park, the wartime station of the Government Code and Cypher School and forerunner of GCHQ. At Bletchley, Turing led a team whose ingenuity and intellect were turned to the task of breaking German ciphers. One of Turing’s main contributions whilst there was to invent the Bombe, an electromechanical machine used to find the daily settings of the Enigma machine. A fully functional rebuild of the Bombe can be found today at Bletchley Park, along with the excellent Turing exhibition, I encourage you to visit.

Alan Turing was an absolutely vital part of the British war effort and one of the most important people of the 20th century. It is without question that his efforts helped shorten the war significantly, saving the lives of millions of people.

via Britain still owes Alan Turing a debt – Telegraph.

Strange Random Code Quote:

“I would imagine if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy.” – Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

Related articles

• Amateur Radio at Cheltenham Science Festival (southgatearc.org)
• Alan Turing at Bletchley Park (i-programmer.info)
• Enigma machine used at Cheltenham Science Festival (UK) (bbc.co.uk)
• GCHQ Releases Two Secret Alan Turing Papers (techweekeurope.co.uk)
• Alan Turing name-checks his predecessor Charles Babbage (wired.com)
• Alan Turing and a trig puzzle (johndcook.com)
• Alan Turing Papers On Code Breaking Released By GCHQ (news.slashdot.org)
• How Alan Turing Helped Win WWII and was Thanked with Criminal Prosecution for Being Gay (forbes.com)

CBS takes heat for fake fireworks shots | The Cutline – Yahoo! News

You might think the British press holds a monopoly on media controversy this month, with the shuttering of a 168-year-old tabloid over a phone-hacking scandal. Still, at least one Yank media concern has won recent unwelcome notoriety–fittingly enough, for airing misleading video footage on the national holiday commemorating American independence from the British crown. CBS has been caught doctoring Fourth of July footage after Bostonians realized Thursday that the network’s images of fireworks over various city landmarks were not only breathtaking, but also fake. An area research scientist appears to have been among the first to point out the discrepancy on a Boston-based blog. Then the Boston Globe got wind of the scandal and blew the story up in its pages Friday, noting that “it would not have been geographically possible to see the fireworks above and behind the landmarks in question”–including the State House, Quincy Market, and home plate at Fenway Park–”since the display was launched from a barge in the Charles River and in directions away from those places.”But at least “the Boston-area businessman and philanthropist who has executive produced the show for nine years,” David Mugar, is owning up to the manipulated imagery. The Globe reports:Mugar said the added images were above board because the show was entertainment and not news. He said it was no different than TV drama producer David E. Kelley using scenes from his native Boston in his show “Boston Legal” but shooting the bulk of each episode on a studio set in Hollywood.

via CBS takes heat for fake fireworks shots | The Cutline – Yahoo! News.

Strange Random Fake Quote:

My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them. — Mitch Hedberg

Related articles

• Truth v. Fiction: Fireworks in Boston (mhasegawa.wordpress.com)
• CBS Caught Faking Fourth of July Firework Footage In Boston (mediaite.com)
• Doctored TV images of Boston fireworks draw flak (hosted.ap.org)
• Boston gets a nonreality show (boston.com)
• CBS Faked Boston’s 4th of July Fireworks Show [Fireworks] (gizmodo.com)
• Doctored TV images of Boston fireworks draw flak (ctv.ca)
• CBS Airs Fake Views of Boston Fireworks (newser.com)