Today
has been intellectually stimulating. Martin picked me up this morning
at 8:30 and we traveled to Bletchley Park, the National Code Center. In
WWII, this was where Britain's code-breaking teams were based, working
on the decryption of German and Japanese messages. Alan Turing, the
famous mathematician and "father of the computer", worked here during
the War, contributing majorly to the effort to break the German Enigma
code. Here is where the Bombe machine, an early one-task computer was
built, followed by the Collosus, the father of the modern computers,
using 2500 valves to help crack the codes at a much faster rate than the
Bombe could. After the War, Churchill ordered the destruction of these
machines as we moved into the Cold War, though it is said that at least
one or two of each were preserved under tight security. Teams using
declassified materials have built working replicas of both machines,
which are on display here at Bletchley.
This is really
an amazing trip. I've been to so many new places, done so many new
things, and learned so much about history in just 5 days. Tomorrow is a
travel day from Cambridge to Rugby, the to the B&B at Long Buckby.
Friday I'll be headed out to go narrowboating! I can't wait to get to
the river so I can just put my aching feet up and relax (and drink a few
ales)!
My Internet access is for sh!t. I'll upload pictures as soon as I can.
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