“We can see only a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.” Alan Turing, a forgotten hero, said this when challenged with the prospect of technology that could think for itself. This figure hidden in the shadows of history has impacted every aspect of society. Because of his accomplishments in the realm of computing, the vast majority of the population has handled an electronic device. Turing, truly a catalyst for social change, who society tried to bury because of his homosexuality, a crime of gross indecency in the United Kingdom until 1967 is responsible for the electronic-reliant population the majority of humanity lives in today (“Alan Turing: Creator of modern computing”). Alan Turing changed the course of human history by using his mathematical genius to shorten World War II, designing the first electronic computer, and creating the Turing Test to determine if a machine can think. By helping to make the Bombe and break the code of German …show more content…
The man was a war hero, but the highly homophobic British society could not handle the fact that such a genius was a gay man. In 1952, he went to trial for the crime of ‘Gross Indecency contrary to Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885’ which stated it was illegal for physical homosexual acts to occur in public or private settings (Hodges 458). Instead of trying to cover up his true nature, Turing explicitly stated his guilt and was given the choice of either two years of hard labor or hormonal therapy. He chose hormonal therapy to avoid jail time and later went to Greece and Norway to escape the British judgement and show defiance against their society’s laws (“Alan Turing: Creator of modern computing”). Alan Turing gives homosexual people someone to admire because he never denied who he was and was a genius who shaped modern
Computers are what run society today, everywhere we look we see devices that are run off of computers and microcomputers such as phones, computers, tablets, and even vehicles. It is now the way the world communicates with each other, because of computers it is a much smaller world in which we live. Computers have been around for such a short period of time, yet they seem to be advancing faster than anything else; this is because there is an infinite number of ways computers can be implemented to help individuals. Thirty years after the first computer was developed, computers had already been altered to read and save information on magnetic tapes that ran through the computer. The picture below was taken at East Carolina University (ECU) in the mid 1970’s of a man changing tapes in a tape computer (Computer Data Tapes). 40 years after this picture was taken, this form of computers is almost unrecognizable by society today, due to dramatic advancements in computer technology.
Currently, computers are used for everything in life. For example, from researching for a large essay project to playing video games with friends. “From the outset, computers were weighed for both military and commercial significance, and hence they straddled the very institutional boundaries that central to this study. It is also significant that computers became valuable research instruments in nearly all disciplines.” (Akera, 2). The first digital computer was constructed in 1946 by John Mauchly, a professor, and Presper Eckert, an inventor. “They met by chance in 1941 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Engineering. They soon developed a revolutionary vision: to use electricity as a means of computing--in other words, to make electricity "think."” (McCartney, 1). They were ignored by their colleagues, but in 1943 they were becoming more well known and was funded by the U.S Army. The U.S Army was seeking for a contraption that can quickly calculate ballistic missile trajectories in wartime Europe and Africa (McCartney, 1). John Mauchly and Presper Eckert led a team that constructed the computer that occupied 1,800 square feet and weighed thirty tons. They named the large computer, ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. The process of building this machine was not an effortless task, Mauchly and Presper and their team had to overcome many problems
Computers have shown to be one of the most used inventions of all time. They do basically anything a person tells them to, and they have been included in the every-day life of people all around the world. As we embark the twenty-first century, computers have taken over the economic, political, and social aspects of the world, making access to this modern technology a necessity. Although technology is used as a part of many Americans’ every-day life, many people fail to acknowledge the fact that over 2 billion people do not have any access to modern technology, causing a division in our society.
Computers in general give people the ability to complete tasks that would have taken days or weeks to complete with the clicks of a few buttons. As technologies continue to grow the amount of adjustments that will be needed to make will be astronomical. However, society is aiming to help people gain the skills needed to push mankind further. In Davidson’s essay, she discusses how computers and technology can be put to many applicable situations. While working with her students, the “Duke students came up with dozens of stunning new ways to learn [and] almost instantly students figured out that they could record lectures on their iPods and listen to them for leisure” (Davidson 52). This advancement took a few weeks at one college campus in the United States when the technology was still being developed. Now, students have adapted to begin working across the globe to further society with new ideas for applying these technologies. These students now work diligently to make technology as effortless as possible so that their programs will be what will be used in the future. Gilbert discusses how when people are judged by a panel of others they tend to feel worse about themselves but, when dealing with computers people are only judged by one computer which tells them
In history, numerous innocent people died due to atrocities. World War II is an historical event that can be considered as one of the most awful, deplorable, and destructive. Soldiers, mothers, fathers, adults, and children died. World War II resulted in the deaths of approximately 60 million people (Dan). Many nations, and groups mobilized together in order to fight back against the Nazis, including the scientific community. When United Kingdom declared war on Germany, Alan Turing and his team worked together to break the code of the Enigma machine and thus have access to the German military communication (Lendl). This essay is about Alan Turing’s accomplishments. In order to clearly explain his accomplishments, in this essay I will focus
Our excessive use of technology has raised some concerns over our future as a society. Neil Postman believes that, “As he [Huxley] saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies
He stopped the war two to four years earlier with his mathematics skills, His private life as a homosexual was considered a crime in that time. The story is powerful because it showed how the citizens of that time period were homophobic and so blind even to such an intelligent man as Turing himself. Just because he was a homosexual, and after the fact that he broke the encryption code to the Germans messages coming in and out. They still killed him for being homosexual. Up till 2013, Turing was padrone under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy after a request by Justice minister Chris grayling.
Today, the Turing Bombe is not used by the military, yet the machine inspires and reminds of the importance of sciences as World War II was won with the help of the scientific community. Now, the machines are exposed in the British Museum and are part of history. Soldiers and scientific community fought against the Nazis. After World War II, Alan Turing continued to devote himself for his passion of sciences, cryptanalysis, and computers. For instance, Turing is known as the father-creator of computers as in 1941, he designed the Colossus computer (Notes). In addition, he is recognized as an important figure in the scientific community and contributed largely to everyone’s lives, as computers are indispensable in today’s generation.
From a calculator that weighed twenty-seven tons to a slim, multi-purposed object that could fit right into people’s pockets, the development of technology has revolutionized lives all around the world in just over fifty years. The Silicon Valley in California has become the center of technological innovation and home to hundreds of tech corporations that would make technology practical and affordable. Today, technology is found everywhere in people’s everyday lives, with more functions and computing power than what would have ever been imagined in the early twentieth century. Vast amounts of information lie at the click of a mouse as a result of the evolution of electronics in the mid-1900s. Through the new ideas of scientists, such as Robert
Alan Turing was a world famous mathematician and educator who is known for helping crack the “Enigma Code” and his work with computers and artificial intelligence. Alan Turing was born on the 23rd of June, 1912, in Maida Vale, London, England. Starting at a very young age, Alan Turing showed huge signs of intelligence. Although many of his teachers recognized his intellect, it didn’t mean that they necessarily respected the young man.
This is another reason he is selected to win the Noble Prize in Science. He changed the way that scientists have researched ever since. His method have been used to study the world around us by other scientists. This lead to his ideas of flying machines. (Museum of
Nowadays, computers are emerging rapidly than never before in human history. Everywhere you go, either stores, malls or even your homes is filled with all kinds of electronics. We have come to a stage whereby everything we do or placed our hands on must be computers. We don’t even need to ask our parents questions anymore, all our answers or solutions including problems are all in the internet. According to Theodore Roszak in “Shakespeare Never Lost a Manuscript to a Computer Crash,” argues that “the computer contributes nothing essential to the life of the mind.” I strongly agree! We are created to use our minds to solve problems and think critically. Although computer usage might be a benefit to the majority of the new generation, the fact is that computers can do harm to the society such as lack of memory and isolation.
Technological advancements are made everyday. No matter the invention or its uses technology proceeds toward a superior state. One such advancement was the common computer. What began as a device that emulated a man following step-by-step directions, eventually blossomed into the devices we use today with a multitude of functions and uses. Today computers and their use, known as the concept of computing, have made a sizeable impact on everyday life, from the private lives of the common everyman to the social networks of average communities, the community of Clemson for instance. As time has passed and computers have advanced, computing has significantly influenced the Clemson community in terms of communication and organization.
Father of Artificial Intelligence, inventor, Enigma breaker, war hero. The life of mathematician Alan Turing is one of extreme feats and tragedy. Even from a young age, Turing was misunderstood and unappreciated, and this became a common theme all the way to his death at the young age of 41. Alan Turing envisions a digital world centuries ahead of his time. Everything he did still has a major impact on our modern day world. Yet his impact is still unrecognized.
“What is technology?” Have you ever marveled about the prominence of technology in our day-to-day lives? If you ever have, you have undoubtedly appreciated its complexity and its capability to make everyday responsibilities easier for yourself. For example, you probably admire how cellphones have completely eradicated the old-fashioned method of communicating, by sending mail to friends and relatives. Or how the invention of laptops and computers have brought up a new, more efficient method to stay in touch with the world, though the internet, rather than the previous method of newspapers. However, all these basic ideas of the importance of technology are ideas of what technology has done for you, and can be completely different for others. Have you ever wondered what technology has done for others, perhaps people not in the same circumstances as you, perhaps of a different age, religion, race, gender, or socio-economic status than you? Maybe you haven’t, but Microsoft, a leading technological superpower, certainly have wondered about this as seen in their “Empowering” ad.