SpyCast

“Alan Turing: Codebreaker, Visionary, Enigma” – with Andrew Hodges


Listen Later

Summary

Andrew Hodges (Website, Wikipedia) joins Andrew (XLinkedIn) to discuss the life and work of Alan Turing. Andrew is an emeritus senior research fellow of mathematics at the University of Oxford. 


What You’ll LearnIntelligence
  • Turing’s early foundations for artificial intelligence 
  • Interwar cryptanalysis
  • Bletchley Park, Hut 8, and British Naval Intelligence
  • The mechanics of the Bombe machine
  • Reflections
    • Legacy changing alongside social history
    • The weight and pressure of genius 
    • And much, much more …
      Quotes of the Week

      “Everything that you do with the digital, everything that we're doing now through these computers, flows from his perceptions. And that in turn came through his practical experience during the Second World War on breaking the enemy codes.” – Andrew Hodges .


      Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*
      • The Real Ian Fleming with Nicholas Shakespeare (2024) 
      • ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: “The D-Day Deception” – with National WWII Museum Curator Corey Graff (2023) 
      • Hitler’s Trojan Horse – Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West (2023)
      • How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023)
        *Beginner Resources*
        • Alan Turing, B.J. Copeland, Britannica (2024) [Short biography]
        • How Did the Enigma Machine Work? Science Museum Group, YouTube (2019) [2 min. video]
        • How Alan Turing Cracked the Enigma Code, Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Short article]
          DEEPER DIVEBooks
          • The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, J. D. Turing (Arcturus, 2020)
          • Turing’s Vision: The Birth of Computer Science, C. Bernhardt (MIT Press, 2017)
          • Alan Turing: The Enigma, A. Hodges (Burnett Books/Hutchinson, 1983)
            Primary Sources 
            • Alan Turing Obituary and Tributes (1954) 
            • Can digital computers think? (1951)
            • Computing Machinery and Intelligence (1950)
            • Proposed electronic calculator (1946)
            • Turing’s Treatise on the Enigma (1939-1942)
            • On Computable Numbers (1936)
              *Wildcard Resource*
              • Alan Turing’s School Report Card
              • Didn’t do very well in high school? Neither did Alan Turing. Amongst hopeful comments about his promising skills in mathematics, teachers noted Turing’s carelessness and severe lack of neatness in his work. 
              • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

                ...more
                View all episodesView all episodes
                Download on the App Store

                SpyCastBy SpyCast

                • 5
                • 5
                • 5
                • 5
                • 5

                5

                3 ratings


                More shows like SpyCast

                View all
                SpyCast by SpyCast

                SpyCast

                1,493 Listeners

                Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

                Dan Snow's History Hit

                4,627 Listeners

                Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence by Secrets & Spies

                Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence

                255 Listeners

                Cold War Conversations by Ian Sanders

                Cold War Conversations

                439 Listeners

                Today in Focus by The Guardian

                Today in Focus

                990 Listeners

                True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics by SPYSCAPE

                True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

                1,955 Listeners

                Irregular Warfare Podcast by Irregular Warfare Initiative

                Irregular Warfare Podcast

                388 Listeners

                Real Dictators by NOISER

                Real Dictators

                5,183 Listeners

                The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

                The Rest Is History

                12,426 Listeners

                SPYCRAFT 101 by Justin Black

                SPYCRAFT 101

                319 Listeners

                The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

                The Rest Is Politics

                3,249 Listeners

                World Of Secrets by BBC

                World Of Secrets

                900 Listeners

                The Spy Who by Wondery

                The Spy Who

                553 Listeners

                The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

                The Rest Is Politics: US

                2,263 Listeners

                The Rest Is Classified by Goalhanger

                The Rest Is Classified

                867 Listeners