Thread by @Foone

LRT: Computers were invented for exactly two reasons:
1. To kill Nazis
2. To play tennis

And for most of their lifetime, we had run out of nazis

You could argue that the LRT implies it's actually three reasons, with "play Star Trek Games" being #3, but don't let's be silly.
Even Spacewar, the quintessential "first game" of space combat, predates Star Trek.

I'd argue that tennis is actually reason #3 and #2 is "be gay, do crimes"
But someone asked Turing "but Al, what are you gonna do after your 'compu-tor' device kills all the Nazis?"

Alan Turing, visibly sweating: "uhhh.... play tennis?"

"be gay, do crimes" was a lot easier in 1944 because being gay was itself a crime. It really cut out the middleman.

Anyway the LRT I was talking about is:

https://twitter.com/computerfact/status/1363500397856497664?s=19

Also reference my old shitpost graph (shitgraph?) :

https://twitter.com/Foone/status/902257087027093504?s=19

BTW, to address the joke about it not being based on star trek: it was actually mainly inspired by the Lensman & Skylark novels by E. E. Smith... And Japanese Tokusatsu films, like Godzilla?!

There's an alternative universe where he went mainly in on the Tokusatsu element and one of the first major computer games was Godzilla vs Gamera.
The shmup is set back decades, the fighting game becomes a critical part of video game history.

Instead of Space Invaders being a big milestone in gaming, it's the 1978 version of Street Fighter II, with little monochrome Ryus throwing beepy Shoryukens

I climb the Maida Vale mountain (in the center of London) and at the top, the clouds part and the voice of Charlton Heston speaks out, telling me to bring the law to the people.
"God?", I ask, eyes closed to not go blind from the magnificence.
"No, it's Alan Turing".

Short later I walk back to the people, who are (of course) making gold calves. You can't climb a mountain without everyone freaking out and deciding to get into making bovines out of precious metals. It's a real problem at the Everest base camp, I hear.

My hair's gone grey, my voice shakes, but I yell at the people for their bovine blacksmithery, and reveal the four holy commandments of Our Father Of Computing, Alan Turing:

1. Kill Nazis
2. Be gay
3. Play tennis
4. Enjoy Sci-fi

Really this is a decent basis for a worldview and guideline for life. It covers a lot of the bases, you know?

You gotta fight fascists when you find them. Explore your gender and sexuality. Stay active and make friends in the community. Believe in the future and the possibilities to make a world that's better and bigger.

BRB calling my agent to see if I can get a publisher to give me an advance on "The Turing Bible"