Alan Turing Reappears

After reading about World War II cryptanalyst Alan Turing in The Code Book not too long ago, I was a little surprised to see him reappear so soon in a book I’m currently reading. However, Alan Turing makes his appearance again in A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins (review forthcoming). In this novel, […]

When Geeks become Parents

Mike Brown briefly discovered the 10th planet in the solar system, before Eris, along with Pluto, was demoted to dwarf planet status. His discoveries, exploration of the Kuiper belt, and the controversy surrounding Pluto’s status are explored in his book, “How I Killed Pluto (and Why It Had It Coming).” During the course of the […]

Codebreakers are Geeks

Apparently Winston Churchill was startled by the geeky codebreakers that were vital to the British in World War II. “Winston Churchill was fully aware of the importance of the Bletchley decipherments, and on 6 September 1941 he visited the codebreakers. On meeting some of the cryptanalysts, he was surprised by the bizarre mixture of people […]