What if the key to cracking codes, winning wars, and inventing AI started with one man's quiet genius—and a machine slower than your Monday mornings?
Once upon a time, there was a guy named Alan Turing. A super-genius with a penchant for bow ties and breaking things—specifically, unbreakable codes. Enter the Enigma machine: a World War II contraption so complicated it made solving a Rubik's Cube blindfolded seem like child's play.
While everyone else was scratching their heads, Turing rolled up his sleeves and essentially said, “Challenge accepted.” Fast forward a few months and BOOM—Enigma cracked. Nazis befuddled. War saved. Turing 1, Enigma 0.
But wait, there’s more!
Turing didn’t just stop at winning wars. He casually invented the concept of the modern computer. No big deal. His "Turing Machine" was this mind-bogglingly simple yet brilliant device that could theoretically solve any problem, given infinite time and resources. Yes, any problem. Even the one about why your charger always disappears when you need it most.
Here’s the catch: the Turing Machine wasn’t fast. It was like a tortoise on vacation. But, speed doesn’t define power. As Turing taught us, the “power” of a computer is about what it can solve, not how fast. Your sleek MacBook? Basically a souped-up, turbocharged Turing Machine.
Think of it like this:
Turing’s machine: solving equations with pen and paper, sipping tea, taking breaks.
Modern computer: chugging energy drinks, pulling all-nighters, and getting the same answer—just 10 million times faster.
The birth of AI
Turing’s ideas didn’t just stop at machines that crunch numbers. They paved the way for Artificial Intelligence—the stuff behind chatbots, self-driving cars, and that oddly specific ad for cat-shaped teapots you keep seeing online. Turing envisioned machines that could think, learn, and maybe one day surpass human intelligence (probably still wouldn’t figure out your Wi-Fi password, though).
What does this mean for us today?
It’s simple: computers haven’t fundamentally changed in 80 years. They’re just... faster. Imagine if Turing saw your phone today. He’d be like, “Wow, this is impressive,” then probably hack into it because, well, he was Alan Turing.
So, next time your laptop lags, remember: it’s not the machine’s fault. It’s working with the same rules Turing set up—just faster, flashier, and with slightly fewer bow ties involved.
Turing didn’t just predict the future. He wrote the manual for it. And all of us? We’re just following his blueprint—one ridiculously fast calculation at a time.
#Turing #AI #Computing
To impact billions using computers
2wIt's Quantum vs Binary Supercomputers at the hardware level, with AI at the programmable layer. Burning holes in one's own pocket by pumping GPUs around is just a blip. Quantum Supremacy will kick the binary asses out of bounds to where these GPUs/Supercomps can/might add value, basically doping silicon is a second world thing. Think Quantum not binary, talk probability not polynomials big Oh