August 2009 : The Quantum Pontiff

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Dave Bacon is a theoretical ski bum who is also a pseudo professor. His research is on quantum computing, his scientific passions extend to everything in physics, mathematics, computer science and beyond, and his personal pleasures include making wine, playing poker, skiing, camping, and daydreaming (although not all of those at the same time.) Nothing he says on this blog should be construed as having anything to do with his employer or his dog.

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The use of Occam's razor on this website is strickly prohibited.

Cows are well approximated by a sphere.

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August 30, 2009

Caesar Salad

Category: Bacon

You've got to love a country where a Caesar salad includes a big helping of Bacon: All hail Caesar Bacon!...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 10:14 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

August 26, 2009

Help the Quantum Pontiff Survive 15.5 Hours in Transit

Category: Quantum Computing

I'm off to Zurich tomorrow for 8th Symposium on Topological Quantum Computing which I'm greatly looking forward to (this will be my first trip to Switzerland.) What I'm not looking forward to is the 15.5 hours it will take me...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 11:23 AM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

August 21, 2009

Adiabaticly Failing for Random Instances

Category: Quantum Computing

An interesting paper on the arXiv's today, arXiv:0908.2782, "Adiabatic quantum optimization fails for random instances of NP-complete problems" by Boris Altshuler, Hari Krovi, and Jeremie Roland. Trouble for D-wave?...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 10:30 AM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

August 20, 2009

I Am Poor the iPhone App

Category: Technology

I Am Poor, the $0.99 iPhone app:The mac & cheese, Ramen noodles, and tuna is my artistic rendition of what poor college students eat with their limited funds. The icon on your iPhone or iPod Touch always reminds you (and...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 8:27 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

August 19, 2009

Microsoft Station Q Postdocs

Category: Physics

Want a job hacking away at topological quantum computing (and more) by day and surfing (by morning?) on the beautiful Southern California coast near Santa Barbara? Okay, well maybe surfing isn't part of the job description, but Microsoft's Station Q...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 1:16 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

August 15, 2009

Small Town Benefits

Category: Self: Meet Center. Center: Meet Self.

Living in a small rural town is hard. Jobs are often difficult to come by (in the Northwest this is particularly true of towns that have suffered the slow fall of the timber industry.) The county where I grew up,...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 7:46 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

August 11, 2009

The French Running Diet

Category: Self: Meet Center. Center: Meet Self.

Buzzing on Scienceblogs right now is PalMDs ongoing attempt to get his BMI in shape. In honor, I shall post my latest attempt at getting in shape:Kids and adults: don't try this at home! How did I do it? Eat...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 8:22 PM • 13 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Helmet Heads Hijacked?

Category: Funny Ha Ha

How did I miss this one from 2005? And how come no one told me to take off my tinfoil hat? Via @kmerritt, "On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets: An Empirical Study" by Ali Rahimi, Ben Recht, Jason Taylor,...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 12:41 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

August 10, 2009

March Meeting GQI Invited Speakers

Category: GQI

March is ages away, but it is time to start planning for the APS March meeting, to be held in the beautiful rose city, Portland, Oregon (Note to skiers that Mt. Hood is just a short distance away :) )...

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Posted by Dave Bacon at 3:57 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks