Alan Turing

Alan Turing was one of the most original thinkers of the 20th century.  His work ushered in the digital age and paved the way for computers and artificial intelligence.  Andrew Hodges explains why Turing is considered the father of the computer.

Alan Turing wasn't just a brain.   He was also an accomplished athlete -- a runner, who nearly made it to the Olympics.   British writer Alan Garner knew Alan Turing as his friend and running partner.

George Dyson grew up in the backyard of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where some of the most brilliant engineers and mathematicians in the world (including his parents) were building one of the first computers.  His new book, "Turing's Cathedral", is the story of their quest to build a working computer.

Brian Christian is the author of "The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive." He tells Steve Paulson why he decided to compete in the annual Turing competition, not for the most human computer, but for the "most human human."

This week, we're remembering the British mystery writer P.D. James, who died recently at the age of 94. James wrote some of the most widely admired literary crime fiction of the last century, and was the creator of one of the most beloved fictional detectives, Scotland Yard investigator Adam Dalgliesh. Steve Paulson spoke with P.D. James about her life of writing crime fiction in 2000.