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Theoretical Musings
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.
Category: Physics
A physicist at CERN has been arrested for suspicions of ties to Al Qaeda. Don't worry I already checked www.hasthelhcdestoryedtheearth.com and www.hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com and both assured me that, so far, Al Qaeda has not managed to generate black holes that would...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 5:23 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Society
Barack Obama has been awarded an honorary degree from Arizona State University the Nobel Prize in Peace for "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." I recommend a bag of popcorn, a big soda, and...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 9:12 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Astronomy
Via physicsandcake, on some days I wish I was as dorky and as elegant as Carl Sagan: Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 12:56 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Computer Science
The Netflix prize for movie rankings has been awarded with the winner being BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos. This is very cool, but since it's Monday I think we need a good dose of reality. So here is the first comment on...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 12:34 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Quantum Computing
Scott Aaronson, Leonid Grinberg, and Louis Wasserman's "Worldview Manager" is now live at http://projects.csail.mit.edu/worldview/home. It seems that I am not in much conflict over quantum computing So, damnit, I may be wrong, but at least I'm consistent (the hobgoblin of...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 5:58 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Behavior
In his latest New York Times op-ed column, David Brooks, the conservative liberals can most stomach, attempts to tackle the problem of "what makes a genius". This is, of course, the kind of reasonable length topic that one can explain...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 6:01 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Society
Over at Healthy Algorithms, the healthy theoretical computer scientist, puts up a very interesting graph about spatial variation in Medicare expenditures in the last six months of life. Paper here. Interesting stuff, but am I the only one who gaffs...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 12:06 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Go Ahead, Waste Your Time
Can quantum computers efficiently compute factorials? BaconCamp? Day Took Er Silicon Valley Jrbs? I wonder how I'd do on a RQ test?...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 1:33 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Extralusionary Intelligence
Like many an arrogant kid before me, when I graduate from high school in my podunk hometown (no, it wasn't marshy, and I say podunk with all the warm feelings of a idyllic childhood), I was filled with confidence that...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 12:49 PM • 38 Comments •
Category: Go Ahead, Waste Your Time
Part three in my continuing pedantic slow-as-molasses walk through Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. List of posts here: introduction, ch 1, ch 2. SPOILER ALERT: Dude, I can't talk about the book without giving away what the...
Posted by Dave Bacon at 8:54 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
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