The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous Eighteenth-Century Chess-Playing Machine.Tom Standage Tom Standage is a journalist and author from England. A graduate of Oxford University, he has worked as a science and technology writer for The Guardian, as the business editor at The Economist, has been published in Wired, The New York Times After viewing a lackluster magic show in the imperial court in Vienna in 1769, Wolfgang von Kempelen (Johann) Wolfgang von Kempelen (de Pázmánd) (Hungarian: Kempelen Farkas, Slovak: Ján Vlk Kempelen) (born 23 January 1734 in Pressburg (present-day Bratislava), died 26 March 1804 in Vienna) was an author and inventor, who became most famous for his construction stood before Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (mərē`ə tərā`zə), 1717–80, Austrian archduchess, queen of Bohemia and Hungary (1740–80), consort of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and dowager empress after the accession (1765) of her son, Joseph II. , the empress of Austria-Hungary, and announced that he could do better. Maria Theresa accepted von Kempelen's challenge and relieved him of his duties for 6 months so he could work exclusively on fulfilling his boast. In the spring of 1770, he returned with a life-size mannequin dressed in a robe and turban. The Turk, as it was called, was an automaton automaton: see robot; robotics that von Kempelen claimed was capable of playing chess--a Victorian equivalent of Deep Blue. The crowd was disbelieving of a machine that could reason through a game of chess, but The Turk proved to be a formidable opponent that could beat most opponents within a half an hour. Von Kempelen took the The Turk on tour, encountering Benjamin Franklin, whom the machine beat, as well as Charles Babbage (person) Charles Babbage - The british inventor known to some as the "Father of Computing" for his contributions to the basic design of the computer through his Analytical Engine. , who drew inspiration for the computer from the machine. Standage weaves an engaging tale charting the 85-year history of The Turk by illuminating the automaton's travels and its influence on ideas about machine intelligence. Finally, Standage tells how a modern replica of the machine finally revealed its secret. Walker, 2002, 272 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $24.00. HOW TO ORDER To order these books or any other book in print, call 1-800,370-3010. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express American Express (NYSE: AXP), sometimes known as "AmEx" or "Amex", is a diversified global financial services company, headquartered in New York City. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler's cheque businesses. accepted. Send checks or money orders plus $4.95 shipping and handling ($2.50 for each additional item) to How To Media, 28 Slocum Place, Long Branch, NJ 07740. Or see our Web site at www.sciencenewsbooks.org. This service is provided in conjunction with Science News Books. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion