[Alta-Logic] Alan Turing Centenary: Turing's Real Machines (Feb 28)

[Richard Zach]

*** Please distribute! ***

2012 marks the centenary of Alan Turing, mathematical genius, WWII
codebreaker, pioneer of computing, and gay icon. The Departments of
Computer Science and Philosophy with support from the Faculties of Arts
and Science as well as the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical
Sciences are hosting a series of lectures on Turing's life and work
throughout 2012.

http://ucalgary.ca/turing
http://facebook.com/TuringYYC

Next event:

*** Turing's Real Machines ***

Michael R. Williams, Department of Computer Science

Tuesday, February 28, 4-5:30 pm, Engineering A 201
http://ucalgary.ca/turing/node/4


While Turing is best known for his abstract concept of a "Turing
Machine," he did design (but not build) several other machines -
particularly ones involved with code breaking and early computers. While
Turing was a fine mathematician, he could not be trusted to actually try
and construct the machines he designed - he would almost always break
some delicate piece of equipment if he tried to do anything practical.

The early code-breaking machines (known as "bombes" - the Polish word
for bomb, because of their loud ticking noise) were not designed by
Turing but he had a hand in several later machines known as "Robinsons"
and eventually the Colossus machines.

After the War he worked on an electronic computer design for the
National Physical Laboratory - an innovative design unlike the other
computing machines being considered at the time. He left the NPL before
the machine was operational but made other contributions to early
computers such as those being constructed at Manchester University.

This talk will describe some of his ideas behind these machines.

Poster:
http://ucalgary.ca/turing/node/22