back to article GCHQ boss: Crypto-genius Turing brought tech to British spooks

The director of GCHQ Iain Lobban credited Alan Turing with bringing technology to Brit spooks in a speech marking 100 years since the late mathematician's birth. Lobban, who gave a talk at Leeds University last night as part of the famous Bletchley Park codebreaker's centenary celebrations, also said the wartime crypto-boffin …

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  1. FartingHippo
    Thumb Up

    "Turing wasn’t eccentric: he was unique."

    Can't say fairer than that.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "Turing wasn’t eccentric: he was unique."

      A bit like - He or she is not mad, they've got far too much money to be mad, they're eccentric. Turing wasn't eccentric, he was (and probably still is) far too valuable to the nation to be eccentric.

      (Although I do take the point that it'd be pretty dull if everyone was the same and those that weren't were somehow bad for being different.)

  2. SiCo FR34K
    Coat

    HOLD ON!

    There is buried Turing treasure somewhere!!!?

    Mine's the one with the collapsable shovel.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: HOLD ON!

      'There is buried Turing treasure somewhere!!!?'

      It's probably under Milton Keynes. You might do the world a failure by digging the place up.

      1. Robin

        Re: HOLD ON!

        "You might do the world a failure by digging the place up."

        Is that an autocorrect favour?

        1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

          Re: HOLD ON!

          Regardless, I nominate "do the world a failure" for Reg Comments Phrase of the Week.

          "Yes, why not do the world a failure and start another flame war in the comments?"

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yep, Turing is unique, but even if there is an upcoming next generation version unless he works for one of the outsourcing companies turgidly doing GCHQs 'work' he/she'll never be found.

    1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

      For Enigmatic Magic Programs which Solve Problems via Virtual Means with SMARTR IntelAIgent Memes

      "Yep, Turing is unique, but even if there is an upcoming next generation version unless he works for one of the outsourcing companies turgidly doing GCHQs 'work' he/she'll never be found." ...... Anonymous Coward Posted Friday 5th October 2012 09:02 GMT

      You would probably definitely be more liable to find such beings in next generation versions in those and/or that which provide companies outing anonymous and anomalous sources to GCHQ anonymously and ideally autonomously, AC.

      But the following post entertains a systems hurdle to be bypassed/blown to smithereens and which the Guardian deems you are not worthy of knowing, for something appears to have rattled and spooked them into censorous action. Maybe one is not supposed to provide further vital information via hyperlinks from there to elsewhere interesting, because this excuse is not at all helpful ....."This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn't abide by our community standards. Replies may also be deleted. For more detail see our FAQs."

      [quote]HonourableMember ….. commenting on GCHQ's Future problem highlighted in a comment on http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/04/alan-turing-uk-cybercrime

      5 October 2012 9:50AM

      The abiding perennial and even perpetual difficulty for all Turing types is Secretive and Sensitive Intelligence Services recognition of that which they are missing and have dire straits need of, in order to sublimely and surreally succeed in real enough fields of virtual endeavour and infinite curiosity with Advanced IntelAIgent Research and digital Development Sorties and SMARTR Novel ProgramMING.

      And there is no point in wasting one's time and effort with the casting of pearls before swine so one is always best servered with a beta testing of possible suitable hosting enigmatic services.

      Is this here and that there .... http://www.amanfrommars.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/121005.html .... challenging Iain Lobban and GCHQ to do something quite alien and revolutionary with intelligence and SMARTR Virtual Machinery and Global Operating Devices‽

      And that should be a yes answer for there is no viable no option available.[/quote]

      Some folk you can help, but others can choose to be helpless and friendless because of their actions.

      I shall try posting it again to the Guardian, but this time without the hyperlink, just to see if that is what offends them/doesn't abide by their community standards. Forewarned is forearmed for the next time.

  4. frank ly

    Not eccentric - intelligent, practical and sensible.

    If you'd worked in some of the places I have, you'd know that chaining your tea mug to the radiator is the best way of keeping possession of it.

    1. Harry Kiri

      Re: Not eccentric - intelligent, practical and sensible.

      Yes, but as a prison warden what is your interest in technology?

    2. Gazareth

      Re: Not eccentric - intelligent, practical and sensible.

      Don't work in my office do you?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Isn't it a pity...

    ...that Turing and his fellow boffins did all that work to save Britain from a totalitarian future and now the results of their struggles are being used to surveil the citizens of the nation.

    Where's the grave spinning icon when you need one?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Isn't it a pity...

      Turing et al saved us from a totalitarian future run by the Nazi's. That didn't fit with the plans the people "on our side" had - it was a bit to early for them so the Nazi's had to be stopped.

  6. Dr Paul Taylor

    what Turing would be doing now

    Why on Earth do you suppose that Turing would have continued to be a spook if he were still alive today?

    His 132 academic descendants are doing plenty of other things:

    genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=8014

  7. Andrew Oakley

    Turing's lesser-celebrated eccentricities

    No mention of some of Turing's lesser-celebrated "eccentricities", such as leaving classified documents lying around his unlocked study and inviting unvetted foreign street prostitutes to come and live with him, though.

  8. Neoc

    TO misquote Bernard from "Yes Minister"

    "I see... it's one of those irregular verbs: you're eccentric, I'm mad, he's round the bend."

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