Google Doodle Offers Brain-Teaser Tribute

Google today honors pioneering mathematician Alan Turing with one of its more ambitious Google Doodles. As USA Today explains, it simulates one of his theoretical concepts, a Turing Machine. "There are six puzzles to solve, one for each letter in the Google logo," writes Nancy Blair. "After completing it the first time you can play again at a more difficult level. The aim is to make the numbers on the tape match the numbers in the upper right. You're basically setting up a program that the machine will run through." Get it right, and you'll light up all the letters in the accompanying logo.

YouTube videos are already popping up with how-tos. Google's own blog post is here. Among other things, Turing was a master code-breaker during World War II, but he ultimately committed suicide after being persecuted for his homosexuality. He would have turned 100 today. (More Google Doodle stories.)