Bletchley Park codebreaker Margaret Betts has died | Hacker News Reader

Bletchley Park codebreaker Margaret Betts has died

theguardian.com

217 pointsmindracer32 comments

> “When we said that sounds really exciting, like James Bond spy stuff, she said no, it wasn’t at all like that, it was very humdrum. We were operating machines night and day and it was incredibly boring work most of the time.

> “You just had to stand by the machines, you had to concentrate when you were programming it and make sure it was set up correctly, and the rest of the time you were there watching it, waiting for it to come up with something.”

Maybe I'm a bit dim...but I've just never gotten over how otherwise-intelligent-seeming people keep defaulting to "the real world is like Hollywood's fantasy spectacles".

OTOH, we live in a world where "Gell-Mann Amnesia effect" merits its own Wictionary page. So I probably am at least a bit dim...

> "You just had to stand by the machines, you had to concentrate when you were programming it and make sure it was set up correctly, and the rest of the time you were there watching it, waiting for it to come up with something."

So exactly what we do today too

I wonder what she did after the war given she was talented with logic and programming? She couldn't have used her work as a reference, but she still had experience for a good use.

Mar Hicks' book Programmed Inequality [1] is some of the story of how post-war Britain lost the lead in computing.

[1] https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262535182/programmed-inequality...

Recently watched the Imitation Game as prep for a visit this weekend to the Museum of Computing located at Bletchley Park: https://www.tnmoc.org/

For those who have seen the movie and her struggles with sexism to get a job there, it is important to note that in real life the way she got in at Bletchley, was they called her immediately because she was known to be one of the best.

That film is such a mess.

I don't like how much it alters the real history, but if the movie was fun for anyone, get some good books about the same events and you are in for even more fun! It wasn't just "Break the code, done" in real life, there was back and forth math and engineering battles, it was great stuff.

Turing talking all weird was also not real, but him being good at running was, in fact he was maybe olympian potential in that era.

I think it's pretty terrible that Turing was portrayed as Cumberbatch's standard asshole genius when as far as I know he was quite likeable. And there was next to zero depiction of his sexuality when he was a famous gay martyr.

> And there was next to zero depiction of his sexuality when he was a famous gay martyr.

I'll say it, but the movie was straight up homophobic, the whole plot about him being blackmailed about being gay and that he yielded to it is just prejudiced, implying he cared more about himself than the war effort (it never happened in real life).

I didn't like the movie or Cumberbatch's portrayal, but not sure what you mean here. Turing being gay was definitely a significant part of the plot. It comes up quite a bit and the movie literally ends with him being discovered and being forced to take the "medication".

That's about it though. Even the romantic subplot is with a woman.

There were running flashbacks to him being in love with his childhood friend. And the "romantic" subplot also heavily features him being gay and therefore not actually able to marry her.

Right, but the film was structured in a traditional Hollywood way with a love story subplot with a woman which is a bizarre choice when it's about a gay man. The author of the biography the film was based on said their relationship was exaggerated for the film.

I guess my point is that the movie was clearly sympathetic to his situation as a gay man. They exaggerated lots of things and the entire thing was overdramatized and poorly written, but I just don't think it's correct to argue that they minimized that issue.

Is there a better documentary (or book)?

Just read Hodges' biography "Alan Turing: The Enigma". It's definitive. If you have not seen "The Imitation Game" I urge you not to see it. It's a awful piece of crap that goes so far astray from the truth that it's a travesty.

Too late, unfortunately. I actually loved that movie (not for itself in particular, I just like that genre of movie, along with Beautiful Mind, Hidden Figures, etc.)

But it's sad to know it's so inaccurate, beyond basic dramatic licenses. I'll pick up the book and get the real version instead. Thanks for the recommendation! I learned something today.

I remember The Secret Life of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay being very interesting, and that was my first real introduction to Bletchley Park.

The Enigma is probably the best biography I've read, though that's specific to Turing

Agreed, it's a very good book.

There's an article here on the film and it's various inaccuracies...which was based on the Enigma book, apparently... https://slate.com/culture/2014/12/the-imitation-game-fact-vs....

Based on in the loosest sense apparently, from TFA:

" I read the masterful biography that the screenplay is based on, Andrew Hodges’ Alan Turing: The Enigma, to find out. I discovered that The Imitation Game takes major liberties with its source material, injecting conflict where none existed, inventing entirely fictional characters, rearranging the chronology of events, and misrepresenting the very nature of Turing’s work at Bletchley Park. "

Good article. Thanks! Convinced me to pick up the book.

Be aware TNMOC is separate - but co-located next to - Bletchley Park. You can do both in a day, but they're different tickets and different exhibits. Enjoy your visit!

cryptonomicon is a fun read

Its crazy awesome how many revolutions in computing were made of women of (notable) obscurity (meaning their inventions/contributions were not as widely publisized as they should have been.

FFS Madame Curie should have inspired a heck-ton more STEM females...

But, there are some foundational corner-stones of computing and technology that have been created by females.

Not that your statements are untrue, or I've anything against women or Ms. Betts, but...

The article makes it clear that Mary was nothing remotely resembling an inventor, discoverer, or Madam Curie. Her job was very dull, repetitive clerical work. The men mowing the lawns and replacing burned-out light bulbs were of similar skill. Mary is newsworthy now because she was one of the last survivors of some ~80-years-ago history.

Nitpick but dead announcements usually don't include other than the name: https://hn.algolia.com/?q=has+died

Also, RIP, a true heroine.

Also, also, black top, please, dang.

The boring has "died titles" are so lame and not helpful.

This immediately told me so much more information. Most of the time, I'm not immediately familiar with a person by name even if their work is much more familiar to me. Associating a reason for their passing being news in the headline is so much more useful.

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