I needed to search on some stuff so I typed in google.com.ph in my browser. Today Google has honored Alan Turing, one of the known men in the filed of computing, an interactive Google Doodle.

A functioning, interactive version of the Turing Machine involves six tasks, spelling out the word Google in binary and making each letter color up one by one after each successful try.

For those who are not familiar, a Turing machine is a device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules and was developed in 1936. This helped greatly to ending World War II as a German Enigma code decryption. Today, the device can be adapted to simulate the logic of a computer algorithm and is helpful in explaining the functioning of a CPU.

An artistic representation of a Turing machine (Rules table not represented). Credits: Wikipedia

The father of computing/computer science and artificial intelligence is celebrating his 100th birthday today. This exceptionally gifted mathematician is also known for the Turing test which measures intelligence of machines.

Alan Turing. (Images copyright: Getty Images and SPL)

The Turing Award, named after Alan Turing, is considered to be the highest distinction in computer science and is also referred to as the Nobel Prize of computing. Google and Intel are two of the sponsors of the award

I never thought I’d see the day that I will be able to use a Turing machine. Thank you Google!

Want to see how to solve the doodle? Watch here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84pbZSt_a9k&feature=player_embedded]

Also in this day:

• 1902 – “Mercedes” registered as a brand name.
• 1940 – Hitler takes a tour of Paris (WW II).
• 1989 – Batman was released.