Alan Turing
math and computation

Your smartphone or tablet or laptop, which is a necessity of your daily life, is actually a computer.

Computing is doing math. How does your smartphone use math to do all the wonderful things?

If you would like to know the marvellous ideas behind, the following is quite interesting.

日常生活中,你使用的智能手機、平板電腦或筆記本電腦,實際上是一台計算機器。

計算就是數學運算。試想想:你的智能手機,是如何運用數學,來完成所有奇妙的工作?

如果你想了解一下背後的精彩理念,以下內容非常有趣。

Alan Turing at 1930. Click to enlarge (click again to close)
1930年的艾倫·圖靈(Alan Turing)。 點擊放大(再擊關閉)
The basic principle of our digital revolution can be traced to a single idea by Alan Turing (1912 - 1954):

All digital information can be computed by a universal machine.

Understanding all these is quite demanding, so we shall sit back and admire, by looking at:

  1. What is digital information?
  2. What is machine computation?
  3. What is a universal machine?
Today, his "universal machine" is called a general-purpose computer, or simply a computer.

In the answers to all these questions, the essence is simulation, or "a game of imitation".

Alan Turing played this imitation game: in his math, his work and his life, until the end.

現代數碼革命,其基本原理可以追溯到 Alan Turing(艾倫·圖靈,1912 - 1954)的獨特創見:

所有數碼訊息,都可以利用「萬能機」來作計算。

理解其中所有詳情,要求很高,讓我們安坐下來,仔細欣賞,查看以下內容:

  1. 什麼是數碼訊息?
  2. 什麼是機器計算?
  3. 什麼是萬能機器?
現在,他的「萬能機」,稱為通用計算機,簡稱計算機,又稱電腦。

關於所有這些問題,答案的本質正是模擬,或「模仿遊戲」。

Alan Turing 一生演繹這個模仿遊戲,在他的數學中、工作中及生活中,直到最後。

Digital Information: imitate by numbers 數碼訊息:數字模擬

Information is used in communication, and we communicate by symbols.

During a text chat, if something is funny, we send :-) or 😀. To send a melody, we could use notes: ♪、♫、♬.

Therefore, information consists of symbols【A1】.

Given a list of symbols, you can mark the first as 1, second as 2, third as 3, etc. To send the symbols, you can just send the numbers. Of course, you and your friend must use the same list of symbols to communicate.

This is called a coding system, and the symbol list is the codebook. The codebook makes it possible to encode (from symbol to number) and decode (from number to symbol). Cryptography, the study of secret writing, is about how to keep the codebook a secret so that, hopefully, others cannot decode【A2】.

Therefore, information consists of symbols, imitated by numbers: digital information【A3】!

訊息是用於通訊交流,要進行交流,就得利用符號。

文字聊天中,有趣時會發送 :-) 或 😀。要發送旋律,可用音符:♪、♫、♬。

因此,訊息由符號組成【A1】。

製定符號列表,把第一個符號標記為1,第二個標記為2,第三個標記為3,如此類推。要發送符號,可以只發送數字。當然,你和朋友通訊,必須使用相同的符號列表。

這個方法,稱為編碼系統,符號列表就是碼本。碼本方便編碼(符號變數字)和解碼(數字變符號)。密碼學,專門研究秘密書寫,探討如何把碼本保密,期望其他人無法破解【A2】。

因此,訊息由符號組成,用數字模仿:數碼訊息【A3】!

✦Mathland✦ ✦數學樂園✦   (show)(顯示)

Symbolic Computation: imitate by math 符號運算:數學模擬

Because symbols are imitated by numbers, symbolic computation is imitated by numerical computation.

Confused? Well, contemplate this and be surprised: number crunching and symbol handling are two sides of the same coin!

To explore this idea, Alan Turing was going to build a machine to compute with symbols.

由於符號由數字模擬,因此符號運算,可以由數字計算模擬。

摸不著頭腦?不由你不信,不由你不服:數字運算與符號處理,其實是兩面一體!

循這個想法探討,Alan Turing 想像構建一台機器,進行符號運算。

An illustration of a Turing Machine. Click to enlarge (click again to close)
圖靈機(Turing Machine)的構思圖。 點擊放大(再擊關閉)
His machine, now called a Turing machine, is a math machine: it works in theory, in the world of abstract math.

The parts of a Turing machine are very simple:

The 'line of squares' is called a tape, and the read/write 'something' is called the head. The head takes focus at one square, then steps to either left or right square for next move.

To show how his machine can compute, Alan gave the first example.

他的機器,現稱「圖靈機」,是一台數學機器:在抽象的數學世界中存在,在數學理論上運作。

圖靈機的組件,非常簡單:

一排方格稱為格帶,讀、寫東西稱為讀寫頭。讀寫頭集中注意一格,然後移至左格或右格,以進行下一步。

Alan 給出首個例子,展示他的機器,如何運算。

Given a blank tape, compute 1/3.
You know the answer is 0.3333... (three's without ending). Even a child can follow these simple rules to print the answer, starting from any square 【B1】:
從空白的格帶,計算 1/3。
知道答案是 0.3333... (三三不盡)。即使是小孩,也可以按照這些簡單的規則,從任何方格開始,打印答案【B1】:

You may protest, "OMG! This is cheating, not computing!"

Well, you miss Alan's insight: to 'compute 1/3' is not to 'divide 1 by 3', but to 'get the answer of 1/3'【B2】!

With this one example, he pointed out the fundamental nature of computation:

The given example mentions 'a child can follow the rules'. In fact the child is irrelevant: she simply acts as the read/write head of a Turing machine. The rules have start, tik and tok: these are called states of the machine, like a child's states of mind. The states and rules define the whole computation【B3】. Today, the collection of states and rules is called a program.
可能你會抗議:「咁都得?這是騙術,不是算術!」

噢,你忽略了 Alan 的洞悉:「計算1/3」不是「以3除1」,而是「得出1/3的答案」【B2】!

單從這一個例子,他即點出運算的基本精粹:

以上的示例中提及:小孩也可按這些規則照做。其實小孩無關重要:她只是充當圖靈機的讀寫頭。規則有「始」、「乒」和「乓」:稱為機器的狀態,像小孩的心態。狀態與規則,決定了整個運算【B3】。如今,一套狀態與規則的組合,稱為程序,或稱程式

You may protest again, "LOL! The program only works for 1/3. Try applying that to compute 1/4!"

You can almost expect Alan's response, "To compute 1/4, just devise another program."

Indeed, if you still remember the steps to perform long division, you can devise a program to compute $1/n$ for any $n \ne 0$: just invent a lot of states, and use a lot of rules.

Alan formulated his computing machine using math, so he could analyse its capability by math, using logic.

His found that: a Turing machine can compute anything, as long as a method is specified.

In other words, any symbolic computation can be imitated by a Turing machine.

Recall that all information is symbolic, so a Turing machine can process any information. That's fantastic!

可能你會再抗議:「好離譜!這程式只適用於 1/3。試試計算 1/4!」

幾乎可以預計 Alan 的回應:「計算 1/4,設計另一套程式。」

事實上,如果你還記得:演算長除法的步驟,可以設計一套程式,計算任何 $n \ne 0$ 的 $1/n$:只需設定很多狀態,使用很多規則。

Alan 利用數學,制訂計算機器。繼而通過數學,使用邏輯,分析其運算能力。

他發現:任何計算,只要落實一套方法,圖靈機就可以進行運算。

換句話說,任何符號運算,都能夠被圖靈機模仿。

回想一下,所有訊息是由符號組成。所以,圖靈機可以處理任何訊息。簡直妙哉!

Universal Machine: imitate computation 萬能機器:模擬運算

A Turing machine is so simple that even a mindless child (or a robot) can easily follow the steps of the program. So you need a Turing machine (or a child to follow a program) to compute $m + n$ for any $m, n$.
You need another Turing machine (another child to follow another program) to compute $m \times n$ for any $m, n$.
You need still another Turing machine (another child following another program) to do a different problem.
That's a lot of Turing machines (or children)【C1】for various computations! Well, this is math, they only exist in the crazy math world.
圖靈機非常簡單,即使是無知小孩(或機器人),也不難遵循其中程式步驟。 因此,需要一台圖靈機(或一小孩遵循一套程式)來計算任何 $m$、$n$ 的 $m + n$。
又需要另一台圖靈機(另一小孩遵循另一套程式)來計算任何 $m$、$n$ 的 $m \times n$。
還需要另一台圖靈機(另一小孩遵循另一套程式)來解決另一個問題。
需要許多許多圖靈機(或小孩子),進行不同計算【C1】!哈哈,這是數學嘛。在瘋狂的數學世界中,無奇不有。

Perhaps you'll suggest, "How about teaching a child to learn how to read a program, then act accordingly?"

This is exactly what Alan was thinking! Each Turing machine corresponds to a program, a set of states and rules. The program is just math information. We can encode the whole program as a very big number — remember digital information?

This is the most brilliant idea of Alan Turing:

The special Turing machine $U$ is known as a Universal machine.

Running a Turing machine $M$ is like asking a mindless child to follow its program strictly.
Running the Universal machine $U$ is like teaching the child to interpret the program, and imitate its action faithfully【C2】.

或者你會問:「為什麼不教識孩子如何閱讀程式,然後採取相應的行動?」

正是 Alan 所想!每個圖靈機對應一套程式、一組狀態和規則。該程式只是數學訊息,可以將整個程式編碼,為非常巨大數字 — 記得數碼訊息嗎?

以下就是 Alan Turing 最傑出的卓見:

這台特別的圖靈機 $U$,稱為「萬能機」(Universal machine)。

運行圖靈機 $M$,就像要求一名無知小孩,嚴格地遵循它的程式。
運行萬能機 $U$,就像教導孩子闡釋程式,緊貼地模仿它的操作【C2】。

Thus Alan Turing discovered that a single Universal machine can simulate any Turing machine. The program of the Universal machine is called an interpreter for other programs.

In other words, any symbolic computation can be imitated by a Universal machine.

Today, we know that a Turing machine is a special-purpose computer, running a fixed program for a specific problem.
On the other hand, a Universal machine is a general-purpose computer, running different programs for corresponding problems.

Praise this: a single machine for any symbolic computation. One for all, how nice!👍

因此 Alan Turing 發現,一台萬能機,足以模擬任何圖靈機。萬能機的程式,稱為「解釋器」(interpreter),闡釋解碼其他的程式。

亦即是說,任何符號運算,都能夠被萬能機模仿。

現今明白,圖靈機是一台專用計算機,運行一套程式,來解決一特定問題。
另一方面,萬能機是一台通用計算機,可以針對不同問題,運行相應程式。

仔細欣賞:任何符號運算,只需一台機器。以一頂萬,正呀!👍

✦Mathland✦ ✦數學樂園✦   (show)(顯示)

Turing Centenary Turing 百週年紀念

Alan Turing as a boy, aged 5. Click to enlarge (click again to close)
艾倫·圖靈(Alan Turing)5歲小男孩。 點擊放大(再擊關閉)
The year 2012 is the centenary of Alan Turing's birth, and he earned a Google interactive Doodle【D1】.

Alan Mathison Turing was born on 23 June 1912. He had an elder brother John, but he was attached to his mother Sara. She would introduce the boy to the outside world, taking him to hiking. She also guided the boy through the inside world, teaching him how to perform long multiplication and long division, step by step.

Little Alan was fascinated by chess, a step-by-step game in a small world with its own rules. He was too young to figure out a good strategy to win the game, but he loved playing both sides, all by himself. Every Christmas, his mother would bought him a new chess set, so he had a collection of chess pieces, all with wonderful shapes.

As a little boy he was inventive, and enriched the vocabulary with new words, e.g., “quockling” for the noise made by seagulls wrangling over some booty; “greasicle” for the guttering of a candle caught in a draught.

In 1922 the nine-year-old Alan was sent to Hazelhurst, a preparatory boarding school. He had an inquisitive mind. During hockey matchs, he was often distracted, walked away to "watch the daisies grow"【D2】.

At Hazelhurst he took up chess and stirred up some interest in the game among his fellows. At the end of 1922, he got as a gift a book titled "Natural Wonders every Child should Know". This book really opened his eyes to the world of science.

Alan Turing attended Sherborne public school from May 1926 to July 1931. He was described by his teachers as “a keen and able mathematician,” and, “a very interesting boy to take: he is full of ideas and keenness.”

During the Christmas holidays of 1927, Alan, being then fifteen and a half, wrote for his mom a précis of one of Einstein’s books on Relativity in order to help her to understand the subject.

In 1931, Alan started as a math undergraduate at King's College, Cambridge.

2012年,是 Alan Turing 誕辰一百週年,他取得谷歌互動塗鴉【D1】。

Alan Mathison Turing 生於1912年6月23日,有一名兄長 John,但他依戀母親 Sara。母親向小孩介紹外間世界,帶他遠足;還引導小孩進入內心世界,教他如何一步一步,完成長乘法、長除法。

年幼的 Alan 著迷國際象棋,是有步驟、有策略的遊戲,在小小世界中,有自己的規則。他還年輕,想不出贏棋的妙法,但喜歡單人兩邊打,分析形勢。每年聖誕節,母親都會送他一副新的國際象棋,於是他是象棋收藏家,每套棋子形狀都非常有趣。

作為小男孩,他很有創造力,並發明新詞,豐富了詞彙,例如,「quockling」代表海鷗爭奪戰利品的吵聲;「greasicle」代表奄奄一息的風中殘燭。

1922年,九歲的 Alan 被送到 Hazelhurst 寄宿學校。他有一顆好奇的心。在曲棍球比賽中,他常常分神,走開「細看雛菊成長」【D2】。

在 Hazelhurst,他學懂國際象棋,並引起同伴對象棋遊戲的興趣。1922年底,他收到一本書作為禮物,名為《每個孩子都應該知道的自然奇觀》。這本書讓他大開眼界,真正見識科學世界。

1926年5月至1931年7月,Alan Turing 就讀於 Sherborne 公立學校。老師們對他的評語:「敏銳而能幹的數學家」,「非常有趣的男孩:他想法多多,精靈敏銳。」

在1927年的聖誕節假期,當時15歲半的 Alan,為母親寫了一篇摘要,關於愛因斯坦的《相對論》,以幫助她理解這個課題。

1931年,Alan 進入劍橋大學國王學院,修讀本科是數學。

Before WWII: imitate math machines 二次大戰前:模仿數學機器 (show)(顯示)

During WWII: imitate code machines 二次大戰中:模仿代碼機器 (show)(顯示)

After WWII: imitate intelligence 二次大戰後:模仿智能 (show)(顯示)

The Imitation Game (2014) The Imitation Game《模仿遊戲》(2014)

The Imitation Game 2014 poster. Click to enlarge (click again to close)
2014年《模仿遊戲》海報。 點擊放大(再擊關閉)
Download【M1】

This is a 2014 British-American historical drama about the British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing. The story in the movie altered some historical facts to streamline the drama【E1】【E2】.

In 1952, Alan Turing returned home to find that burglars had broken into his house. When detectives dug into the matter, they found that the thief was Alan's homosexual mate. Being a crime at that time, Alan admitted homosexuality and agreed to have hormone treatment instead of going to jail.

The main storyline for the movie was a fabricated dialogue between Alan and a detective:

Note the use of reverse chronology. The movie skilfully put Alan Turing narrating his own life story, as part of an Imitation Game. Finally: In the movie, Alan Turing's schooldays were inserted when he fired two codebreakers immediately after his funding for a computer was granted. Subsequently, he posed a newspaper crossword puzzle to recruit new codebreakers. Some facts have been distorted.

Alan Turing studied in Sherborne School at Dorset from the age of 13. In 1928 he met Christopher Morcom, his fellow classmate who died in 1930 due to an illness. The death devastated Alan emotionally, but ignited his willpower.

下載【M1】

《模仿遊戲》(The Imitation Game,香港譯《解碼遊戲》)是一齣2014年英美合拍的歷史劇情片。講述英國數學家、邏輯學家、密碼分析家和計算機科學家的先驅:Alan Turing(艾倫·圖靈)。電影中的故事,改寫一些歷史事實,以配合劇情【E1】【E2】。

1952年,Alan Turing 回家,發現遭竊賊闖入。當偵探深入調查此事時,揭發小偷是 Alan 的同志,而當年同性戀是罪行。Alan 認罪,並同意接受激素治療,免於入獄。

電影的情節主線,是 Alan 和偵探之間的對話,由編劇虛構:

請注意,電影使用倒敘法,巧妙地讓 Alan Turing 講述自己的人生故事,作為模仿遊戲的一部分。末段: 在電影中,Alan Turing 學生時代的情節,从插入式作交代:他在獲得建造計算機的經費後,立即解僱兩名密碼破解員。隨後,在報紙發佈填字遊戲,招募新的密碼破解員。其中歪曲某些事實。

從13歲起,Alan Turing 就讀於 Dorset 郡的 Sherborne 學校。1928年,Alan 與同學 Christopher Morcom 交好,但他於1930年因病去世。Alan 在感情上大受打擊,卻激發起他的意志。

The famous crossword printed in The Daily Telegraph on January 13, 1942. Click to enlarge (click again to close)
1942年1月13日,《每日電訊報》刊登著名的填字遊戲。 點擊放大(再擊關閉)
The War Office, rather than Alan, posed newspaper puzzles to recruite potential codebreakers. On 13 January 13 1942, the Daily Telegraph printed a series of puzzles, including a crossword (shown on the right), for a total time limit of 12 minutes【E3】.

Alan did not design the code-breaking machine, nor name the machine 'Christopher'. He redesigned the Polish Bomba, although his contributions were original. Alan worked closely with his team, building six of these machines, for a group effort to break the Enigma code.

Funding to build these machines was provided from the top. Winston Churchill, then prime minister, visited Bletchley Park in 1941. This encouraged a group of code-breaker, including Alan Turing, who had been frustrated by the lack of resources for their code-breaking work, to write a letter to Churchill. Upon receiving the letter, Churchill wrote a memo to his chief advisor, 'Action this day! Make sure they have all they want on extreme priority and report to me that this has been done.'

Joan Clarke was not recruited from puzzle solving. She had a double first in mathematics at Cambridge, since women were not granted full degree at that time. She was recruited to Bletchley Park by her supervisor in 1939. Working first as a clerk, she was soon recognized as a brilliant codebreaker. Alan Turing was working in Hut 8 to crack the German navy code. Soon an extra table was put inside Hut 8 for Joan Clarke.

Alan Turing was homosexual, but he did propose to Joan Clarke, an "imitation game" to appear normal. In the movie, Joan Clarke is played by Keira Knightley, and Alan Turing is played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The film was directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore. The script included these lines:

Sometimes it's the very people
who no one imagines anything of
who do the things no one can imagine.
--- in the movie "The Imitation Game".
This quote appeared three times in the movie: when young Christopher motivated Alan (00:26:16), later when Alan motivated Joan (00:36:43), and at the end when Joan comforted Alan (01:47:25).

In 1945, Alan Turing was appointed an OBE (Order of the British Empire) by King George VI for his wartime services, but his work in Bletchley Park remained a secret for many years.

In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II granted Alan Turing a posthumous pardon【E4】.

其實不是 Alan、而是戰爭辦公室,提出在報紙刊登謎題,來招募有潛質的密碼破解員。1942年1月13日,《每日電訊報》登出一系列謎題,包括填字遊戲(右圖),總時限為12分鐘【E3】。

Alan 沒有設計 Enigma 破解機器,或命名它為「Christopher」。儘管他的貢獻是原創,他只是把波蘭的 Bomba 重新設計。Alan 與他的團隊密切合作,建造了六台這樣的機器,共同努力破解 Enigma 密碼。

建造經費,由高層提供。1941年,首相 Winston Churchill 到訪 Bletchley Park,一班密碼破解員備受鼓舞。由於平日密碼破解工作缺乏資源,他們曾感到沮喪。因此,他們聯名寫信給首相,Alan Turing 也有簽署。讀過信後,Churchill 吩咐他的首席顧問:「即日辦妥!確保他們獲得一切想要的,完成後向我報告。」

Joan Clarke 並不是從解謎中招募來的。她在劍橋大學,只獲頒數學雙甲學位,因為當時全學位不授予女性。1939年,她的上司引薦她到 Bletchley Park。起初,她是一名文員,但很快被賞識是一位出色的密碼破解員。當時,Alan Turing 在8號小屋工作,致力破解德國海軍密碼。很快,8號小屋添加座位,讓 Joan Clarke 工作。

Alan Turing 是同性戀者,但他確實曾向 Joan Clarke 求婚,扮演正常生活的「模仿遊戲」。影片中,Joan Clarke 由 Keira Knightley 飾演,Alan Turing 由 Benedict Cumberbatch 飾演。這部電影由 Morten Tyldum 執導,Graham Moore 編劇。該劇本包括以下句子:

很多時候,
正是大家不抱期望之人,
作出大家不敢想像之事。
--- 電影《模仿遊戲》。
這精句在電影中,出現三次:童年 Christopher 鼓勵 Alan(00:26:16),後來 Alan 激勵 Joan(00:36:43),最後 Joan 安慰 Alan(01:47:25)。

1946年,因其戰時貢獻,英王喬治六世向 Alan Turing 頒授 OBE(Order of the British Empire,大英帝國勳章)。但他在 Bletchley Park 的工作,多年來一直保密。

2013年,英女王伊麗莎白二世,賜予 Alan Turing 死後赦免【E4】。

The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded (2016) 模仿遊戲:艾倫·圖靈解碼(2016)

Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis, 2016. ISBN: 1419718932. Click to enlarge (click again to close)
文字:Jim Ottaviani,繪圖:Leland Purvis,2016年出版。ISBN: 1419718932。 點擊放大(再擊關閉)
Download 46.6MB【207 pages】

Alan Turing's life was depicted in this graphic novel from his school days, covering his Turing machines, his codebreaking work at Bletchley Park, his post-war development of the computer, and his ultimate suicide.

All the time, the stories feature his thinking-while-running style.

The contents are fairly accurate, based on an autobiography by Andrew Hodges and Douglas Hofstadter, and a little book by Sara Turing, the mother of Alan Turing【F1】.

The narrative goes into quite some details, with 200+ pages. The more you know about Alan Turing, the more you'll appreciate this graphic novel:

Alan Turing wrote his 1936 paper, invented his computing machine, to solve the Entscheidungsproblem, a German word for 'Decision Problem'. This was a challenge from the German mathematician David Hilbert, who asked for a method, an algorithm, to give a proof of any math statement from axioms.

Just before Alan Turing would like to publish his paper, an American logician Alonzo Church also published a solution to the same problem. Alan's supervisor, Max Newman, found that they took different approaches. He urged Alan to publish nonetheless, with a note mentioning Alonzo's work. Alan quickly added an appendix, showing that both approaches are equivalent.

Max Newman wrote a letter to Alonzo Church, who worked at Princeton University. He suggested Alonzo to take up Alan Turing as his student. Alan went to Princeton and obtained his PhD under Alonzo in 1938.

Oh yes, it was Alonzo Church, Alan's PhD advisor, who first used the term 'Turing machine'.

下載 46.6MB【共207頁】

這本漫畫小說,描繪 Alan Turing 的生平,從他的學生時代,到他的圖靈機,再到他在 Bletchley Park 的密碼破解工作,戰後對計算機的發展,及他的最終自盡。

無時無刻,故事都彰顯他的風格:邊跑邊想。

內容相當認真,是根據 Andrew Hodges 和 Douglas Hofstadter 著作的自傳改編,以及 Alan Turing 的母親 Sara Turing 寫的一本小書【F1】。

其中敘述有很多細節,共計200多頁。對 Alan Turing 了解越多,就越懂欣賞這本圖畫小說:

在1936年發表的論文,Alan Turing 發明他的計算機器,以解決 Entscheidungsproblem,是「判定問題」的德語詞。這項挑戰,來自德國數學家 David Hilbert,要求提供一種方法、一種算法,對任何數學陳述,給予由公理引伸而來的證明。

Alan Turing 正想發表這篇論文之際,美國邏輯學家 Alonzo Church 也解決了相同問題。Alan 的導師 Max Newman 發現,二人採取方法各異。他敦促 Alan 發表文章,附上注釋提及 Alonzo 的貢獻。很快,Alan 在論文添加附錄,表明這兩種方法,是等效的。

Max Newman 寫信給普林斯頓大學的 Alonzo Church,推薦 Alan Turing 為他的學生。Alan 抵達普林斯頓大學,並在 Alonzo 指導下進修,於1938年獲得博士學位。

哦,對的。正是 Alan 的博士導師 Alonzo Church,首先使用「圖靈機」一詞。

The iconic scene from Disney's Snow White: Have A Bite. Click to enlarge (click again to close)
迪士尼《白雪公主》中標誌性的一幕:咬上一口。 點擊放大(再擊關閉)
Most likely Alan watched the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs during his time in America. This was the first Disney full-length animated feature film, released in 1937. There was a scene in which the wicked witch held an apple in a steaming pot of poison, chanting:
Dip the apple in the brew,
Let the Sleeping Death seep through.
Alan was much impressed by this scene. He enjoyed reciting these lines. Perhaps this sowed the seed, decades later, for Alan's ultimate imitation game: to simulate Snow White biting a poisonous apple【F2】.

Making a graphic novel is no easy task. You need to draft the stories, to sequence the development, to polish the dialogues, etc. Please read the acknowledgement for the names of contributors.

在美國這段時間,Alan 大有可能觀賞電影《雪姑七友》。這是1937年,迪士尼發行的首齣長篇動畫故事片。其中有一幕:邪惡的女巫,在熱氣騰騰毒藥煱中,拿著一只蘋果,唸唸有詞:
將蘋果浸入釀酒中,
讓沉睡的死亡滲透。
Alan 對此幕印象深刻,他喜歡背誦這些台詞。也許從此埋下種子,成為十多年後,Alan 的終極「模仿遊戲」:模擬白雪公主,咬毒蘋果【F2】。

製作一本漫畫小說,並非易事。需要起草故事、順理思路、修飾對白等。各貢獻者名字,詳列致謝篇,敬請細讀。

Notes and Links 說明及連結