Alan Turing

          We often take the incredible technology we have today for granted. It is part of our everyday lives; we use technology without a second thought, without really thinking about how far science has come over the past decades. Right now I am typing on a computer, and without Alan Turing I would not be able to do this. Alan Turing is a brilliant British man, with experience as a mathematician, logician, and a computer scientist. He has worked at the Government Code and Cypher School during World War II, breaking German codes, and finding useful information for the British. He later applied his intelligence to computers.
          Turing designed the ACE, which was the first stored-program computer. Although it was a detailed project, there were many delays and the project was never released. However, a Pilot ACE was released while Turing was studying at Cambridge University, so it wasn't Turing's version but he still deserved all the credit. 
          Computers were further enhanced with the "Turing Test". Turing explored the idea that computers have "artificial intelligence", and he wanted to establish a standard for a machine to be considered intelligent. He wanted a machine to be able to think like a human, but to stimulate a child-like mindset so that it could be educated. 
          After Turing's death, the Turing Award has been given for those who contribute to the computer world by the Association for Computing Machinery. Turing's contributions to the technology have basically shaped our lives today since so much of the modern world revolves around computers. So next time you're using your computer, remember to think of Alan Turing and appreciate his research.