I’m currently visiting the Perimeter Institute for a workshop on fault-tolerant quantum computing. The workshop is great, but the coolest thing is that I get to wear a badge which calls me fault-tolerant:
Am I robust? I certainly don’t feel robust, indeed every day it seems entropy finds yet another way to sneak attack me 🙂
A Thesis Where?
Bridges, Motors, Beveled Gears, MIT Engineers
MIT, the Caltech of the east coast, gets optimized.
Dr. Quantum Says
“Let’s go quantum”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc[/youtube]
Rumors
Higgs rumor spreads to Slate.com. Me, I want to start a rumor that a Manhattan project for quantum computing has already built a large scale quantum computer (now wouldn’t that make a certain company which has built a small special purpose analog classical computer mad.)
Karma's Gonna Getcha
A while back, I wrote a post, Laugh Therapy where I described a paper, quant-ph/0610117 by M. I. Dyakonov entitled “Is Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computation Really Possible?” The tone of my post was flipant and commentors (both online and offline) rightly pointed out that the proper way to resond to such a post is not with my bad jokestering, but by pointing out the technical flaws in the argument. i.e. to respond like a professional and not like a clown (which, of course, is my first reaction to nearly everything in the world.) At the time I didn’t think much about it, except that I agreed with the commentors. But I also thought, but yeah, when will this ever really be important? I mean no offense but large chunks of what I see on the arxiv everyday is, well, kind of junky (and I don’t exclude myself from this category.) So what harm is there in one more paper which I strongly disagreed with on the arxiv?
Karma, however, must have heard these musing in my head, since today I received a rejection for a grant proposal and what did I find in one of the reviews? Yep, you guessed it, a reference to quant-ph/0610117. Doh.
Quantum Ode to U.S. Physics Deparments :)
Looking over the AMO/Condensed Matter job rumor mill this moring I was hoping to see that the luck of theoretical quantum computing folk in U.S. physics departments has improved, but alas! Anyone willing to rumor monger and lighten my mood by revealing a change in attitude? And, since it was just Memorial Day here in the US:
Where have all the quantum theorists gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the quantum theorists gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the quantum theorists gone?
Canada has picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Quantum Books
Last week I stumbled upon a new quantum computing book, Quantum Computing for Computer Architects
In SFO airport the other day I was browing the science section of a bookstore when I came across Punk Science
Punk Science demonstrates that ideas from the cutting-edge of science actually explain phenomena that have previously been thought of as paranormal. Dr. Samanta-Laughton offers a new model of the universe, where consciousness generates life, where black holes exist inside our bodies as well as far out in space, and where the same science explains galaxies and planets as well as human evolution, auras and chakras. Drawing on the very latest in scientific understanding, the Black Hole principle outlined by [sic] in this book, represents the next leap forward in both human understanding and living, and gives a closer approximation to scientific reality than the macho-approach of the old-style physics.
Doh, radical indeed.
Oh, and commentor Perry notes that quantum computers feature in a new mystery novel, Simple Genius
GQI Newsletter Online
The latest newsletter for the APS topical group on Quantum Information, Concepts and Computation is now available here. But you knew that already because your a member, right?
Impact of Just Linear Algebra
In an email from the QIC editor:
Dear QIC authors, referees, editors, and readers,
As you may have noticed, in the latest (for 2005) calculation, QIC has an ISI impact factor 3.584 (as a comparison: PRA scores 2.997), while most journals counted by the ISI have an impact factor below 1. QIC is ranked 14th out of 1000+ IS/IT/CS/SE related journals the ISI covers.
That’s a high impact factor for “just” linear algebra!