The Quantum Pontiff
Archives for January, 2010
arXiv Funding
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 13, 2010 Missed this over the break: a facebook note about the future of funding of the arXiv. The post points to two documents of interest, the first a statement about support: …We intend to establish a collaborative business model that will engage the institutions that benefit most from arXiv — academic institutions, research centers and government…
On the Turing Away
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 13, 2010 “The miracle of the appropriateness of the language of mathematics for the formulation of the laws of physics is a wonderful gift which we neither understand nor deserve.” – E. P. Wigner Our universe, or at least our understanding of the universe, appears to allow us to see its naked underbelly only through the use…
QIP 2010 Coming Up
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 13, 2010 As you can imagine, due to extenuating circumstances, I won’t be able to attend QIP in Zurich. Luckily my collaborator Steve Flammia will be there to give the talk on our recent work on adiabatic protocols (arXiv:0905.0901 and arXiv:0912.2098.) I know there will probably be a few bloggers attending QIP, but if anyone is interested…
Quantum Cartoons
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 13, 2010 Richard, a long while back (yes, I’m cleaning my inbox!), sent me some cartoons that were apparently floating around in the 70s when he did his BS in Chemistry that are quite amusing:
Everday Orthogonality
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 12, 2010 Another one from Michael, who spotted an article about one of my favorite mathematical words to use in everyday speech (much the chagrin of non-scientists) used in the Supereme Court of the United States: Supreme Court justices deal in words, and they are always on the lookout for new ones. University of Michigan law professor…
Childish QKD
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 11, 2010 Michael sends along an entry in the best title ever competition, this time a special baby Bacon edition: The pulse wave arrival time (QKd interval) in normal children The Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 95, Issue 5, Pages 716-721 B. Bercu, R. Haupt, R. Johnsonbaugh, D. Rodbard “In this household, young man, we will keep our…
More Human Than a Human
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 11, 2010 A while back I posted a short, hopefully jocular, note about the machine learning algorithm for catching card counters at blackjack. Here is a more substantial article about the system. I wonder if systems like these will find use outside of gambling: anywhere an employee performs a repeated physical task (think a grocery store clerk?)…
We are stardust. We Are Bacon.
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 8, 2010 Katherine passes along an amusing article about Bacon: As America’s bacon-frenzy illustrates, when culture, technology and economy allow mankind the option of unlimited bacon — for bacon to fill every moment and aspect of its life — Mankind will hit the “Bacon Me” button like an unhinged mandrill. In David Lynch’s Dune, when Kyle gnomically…
About the UBC Talk
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 5, 2010 About that talk at UBC which I posted about on Sunday… Q: How’d the talk in Vancouver go Monday, Dave? D: The slides were awesome and the animations dazzling. Q: So the talk went well? D: Don’t know. I didn’t give the talk. Q: Didn’t give the talk? Why not? D: Well at the time…
Talk at UBC Monday
Posted by Dave Bacon on January 3, 2010 Late notice, but I’m giving the theory seminar at UBC tomorrow, January 4, 2010 at noon: Title: Adiabatic Cluster State Quantum Computing Location: Hennings 318 Abstract: Models of quantum computation are important because they change the physical requirements for achieving universal quantum computation. For example, one-way quantum computing requires the preparation of an entangled state…