An excellent synopsis of the man with the brilliance to understand the the possibilities of computers. They would have come about regardless, but this man really was the first HACKER in many ways. He saw the problem, he hypothesized the solution, and in a way created the solution. Alan Turing is, undoubtedly, one of the great (troubled, but truely) geniuses seen throughout history.

I encourage everyone to explore his story. It's incredibly valuable. As someone with a limited knowledge I can't tell you much, but you can start in the most simple way by reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

And this is also one of those times I am going to BITCH that I can't get reasonable cross-linking (multiple topics) to Tom and Nick.

BBC News | UK | Alan Turing: Father of the computer