Completely symbolic, and yet so appealing
Sep. 2nd, 2009 03:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaunthieGah. Sorry for the lack of updates. It was a crazy-busy week followed by a crazy-wonderful weekend, rolling right into another crazy-busy week. I haven't had much time to think, much less blog about anything (assuming I could think of a subject).
Thankfully, the BBC has provided food for thought and blogging thereof. I find this petition to get the British government to issue a posthumous apology to Alan Turing for how he was treated after being outed to be an immensely appealing, if utterly symbolic, gesture. Turing was one of the great minds of the 20th century. He was a hero of World War II (his cryptoanalysis work helped break Enigma and win the war), one of the fathers of modern computing, and made significant contributions to many fields. He is one of the reasons why you can read this right now. And yes, he was homosexual, and was forced to undergo chemical castration after being prosecuted for, and convicted of, being gay - a conviction that cost him his security clearance, ended his career, and very likely contributed to his death two years later.
So yeah. I'd sign the petition if I was eligible. Instead I think I'll just issue him a mental toast and buy him a metaphysical drink. Cheers, Mr. Turing!
Thankfully, the BBC has provided food for thought and blogging thereof. I find this petition to get the British government to issue a posthumous apology to Alan Turing for how he was treated after being outed to be an immensely appealing, if utterly symbolic, gesture. Turing was one of the great minds of the 20th century. He was a hero of World War II (his cryptoanalysis work helped break Enigma and win the war), one of the fathers of modern computing, and made significant contributions to many fields. He is one of the reasons why you can read this right now. And yes, he was homosexual, and was forced to undergo chemical castration after being prosecuted for, and convicted of, being gay - a conviction that cost him his security clearance, ended his career, and very likely contributed to his death two years later.
So yeah. I'd sign the petition if I was eligible. Instead I think I'll just issue him a mental toast and buy him a metaphysical drink. Cheers, Mr. Turing!
