Computing pioneer Alan Turing finally pardoned by UK

Quite sad it took such a long time. One comment I quite agree with:

His work on the Universal Machine and later his work on Morphogenesis were that of genius.

If his sexuality had remained a private matter, Turing would have dominated the science of patterns and numbers. Morphogenesis is pretty much the fundamentals of today's data compression techniques. His notion that numbers could do things (not just mean something) was not only a total volte-face of the times but a huge intellectual leap. His theorems and thinking gave the engineers the mathematical tools to build computers.

'Manchester coding' created from Turing's work on the Manchester Mark 1 computer is still used to this day and essential in modern telecommunications and storage technologies.

His impact on the modern world and how we still think about computation today is immense.

It's long overdue that State and Crown should apologise, their treatment of this man was despicable considering his contribution in saving millions of lives during WW2.
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Gordon Brown did apologise in 2009. Why did it take so long?
One hell of a way to treat one of your best scientists, a man who is credited with shortening the second world war.
A real embarrassment for Britain.
 
“He helped preserve our liberty,” Steward said in a telephone interview. “We owed it to him in recognition of what he did for the country – and indeed the free world – that his name should be cleared.”
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His name should not have been cleared because he made a great contribution to the war effort and science. His name should be cleared because labelling someone a criminal for his sexuality is a violation of his rights as a human being.

If he was just a normal bloke, would he get have gotten a pardon? Are we not all supposed to be equal before the law?
 
Him and Tesla etc etc. All fek'd over by the powers that be.
 
Garyvdh said:
The British were one of the first to abolish slavery throughout the Empire in 1834.

The Americans only followed suit 30 years later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolition_of_slavery_timeline
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Apparently not. It was done in stages and some of the early legislation was more about the trade of slaves and not the act of holding someone as a slave itself. I think this was because the term didn't exist in English law at the time.

http://www.forteantimes.com/strangedays/mythbusters/3985/slavery.html
 
Apologies and even pardons are a bit pointless now. Who do they serve other than letting some politicians pat themselves on the back for being such progressive humanitarians (while they act like authoritarians against the living)?
 
supersunbird said:
I blame religion, which causes verkramptheid.
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[)roi(];11797082 said:
+1, religion is a cornerstone to inequality.
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WTG on bringing in your personal prejudice.
If you preach tolerance, you must learn to tolerate.
Unless trolling the thread and looking for a fight was your intention in the first place?

...let the flaming begin!
 
noxibox said:
Apologies and even pardons are a bit pointless now. Who do they serve other than letting some politicians pat themselves on the back for being such progressive humanitarians (while they act like authoritarians against the living)?
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Shallow false humility is very fashionable nowadays. Political correctness is another example.
 
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