The Life and Times of Alan Turing, Father of the Computer

Presented at HOPE Number Six (2006), July 21, 2006, noon (60 minutes).

Alan Turing was an intriguing guy whose life was as tragic as it was amazing. Known as the father of the computer, the man who broke the Enigma code, and a sad victim of British homophobia in the 1950s, Turing serves as a role model for many hackers, computer scientists, and mathematicians. This talk tackles three subjects: Turing's role in breaking the German Enigma code, Turing as the father of the computer, and Turing's personal life (and death). A look at Turing's life in chronological order, focusing on events which had profound effects on his thinking and feelings. Turing's story is ultimately a sad one, but along the way you'll see a breakthrough in cryptography and the birth of the computer. You'll also want to fight much harder for freedoms that we still take for granted, despite the fact that they are disappearing fast.


Presenters:

  • Karamoon
    Karamoon works as a sysadmin and IT trainer in the U.K. His life changed dramatically when he picked up a copy of 2600 in a Tokyo bookstore.... Karamoon's main interest is the creative use of technology to bring about social change. He has traveled to 26 countries and caused trouble in every one of them. Karamoon thinks hacker conferences may be the only way to save the world. He spends a lot of time trying to persuade Europeans to attend American hacker conferences and vice versa, usually with little success.

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