Comments on: A True Hero Gets an Apology

By: Timothy (TRiG)

Timothy (TRiG) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:51:51 +0000

I've been enjoying the discussion at Pharyngula. TRiG.

By: Alex H

Alex H — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:45:15 +0000

Like that wonderful duet between Deniece Williams and Johnny Mathis, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.”

How about instead of all these apologies after the fact, these people in power do something to make sure that LGBT people of today have equal rights?

Anyway, at least Turing is getting some recognition now. A lot of good that does him…though.

By: Pete H

Pete H — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:12:56 +0000

I am heartened by this article, but I can’t help feeling slightly irritated that ‘we’ are still referred to as the ‘LGBT community’. I’d prefer Brown to have referred to “LGTB citizens”, and I’d prefer all of us to think of ourselves that way too. The term “LGBT community” implies that we live in a world outside that inhabited by the heterosexual citizenry. A separatist mentality is unhelpful and divisive.

By: CPT_Doom

CPT_Doom — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:09:54 +0000

Just one addition to Timothy’s wonderful recap of Turing’s work. As I recall the story, the breaking of the Enigma code, using purloined machines stolen from captured German U-Boats, was only the beginning of Turing’s amazing work during WWII. Swamp Fox notes the large number of code-breakers who worked at Bletchley Park, and Turing was indispensible there as well.

That’s because, even with the availability of Enigma machines and other devices used to decode German messages, the sheer volume of information the code breakers had to sort through was breathtaking – remember that every German message was encoded. So the location of convoys or UBoats was interspersed with requests for provisions and personal messages between commanders. Turing’s work didn’t just help break the code, he helped create a code breaking operation that could work quickly enough to ensure important information was identified and sent on to military commanders in time for it to be useful. That is a tremendous accomplishment in itself.

By: Geoff Coupe

Geoff Coupe — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:09:05 +0000

The Leavitt biography is not bad, but for me, the best biography remains “Alan Turing – The Enigma of Intelligence”, by Andrew Hodges. BTW, that was the original title when it was first published in 1983 in the UK. For the later, American, publication of 2000, it was retitled as “Alan Turing: The Enigma”.

Hodges is himself a gay mathematician, and his biography of Turing is magisterial. He maintains a large web site devoted to Turing at http://www.turing.org.uk/

By: Richard W. Fitch

Richard W. Fitch — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:42:08 +0000

@The Lauderdale: Yes, seriously. Turing had a fascination with the story of Snow White and the Prince Charming who rescued her. He killed himself by lacing an apple with cyanide. His mother confirmed that a partially eaten apple was found near his body and a friend of Turing recalled comments Alan had made more than once on the idea (cf, pp. 140-141,279-280). There is urban legend (?) that the Apple Computer logo is actually a tribute to Turing (rainbow-coloured, missing a byte/bite). The Leavitt book was published in 2006 and should be available for purchase or at most library branches. [ISBN-13: 978-0739471951] There are some good reviews on Amazon.

By: The Lauderdale

The Lauderdale — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:57:51 +0000

@Richard W. Fitch:
Seriously? I need to look that up, about the poisoned apple!

I saw a BBC version of “Breaking The Code,” in which one of the motifs was of Disney’s “Some Day My Prince Will Come” from Snow White. It must be an allusion to the story you mention.

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:52:36 +0000

Not nearly good enough. Words without deeds mean nothing.

What is needed is prosecution of any still-living members of the police force and the prosecutor’s office that drove Turing to his death. Although their actions were legal under UK law at the time, they are in violation of international human rights laws and Europe actually has a mechanism to prosecute.

By: Cole

Cole — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:53:09 +0000

When will the U.S. government appologize to gay Holocaust victims for making them serve their entire sentences?

By: Richard W. Fitch

Richard W. Fitch — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:49:08 +0000

@Swampfox: Apparently it was common. Turing had the choice of prison or chemical castration. He thought the latter to be the lesser of two evils; however, the subsequent depression generated was more than he could handle. The story goes that he ate a poisoned apple, like Snow White.