Category: Where’s Dabacon?

Five years ago I (it’s me Dave Bacon former supposed pseudo-professor and one time quantum pontiff) jumped off the academic ship, swam to shore, and put on a new set of clothes as a software developer for Google. Can it really have been five years? Well I should probably update this blog so my mom knows what I’ve been up to.

• I helped build and launch Google Domains. From quantum physics professor to builder of domain name registrar. I bet you wouldn’t have predicted that one! Along the way I was lucky to be surrounded by a team of software engineers who were gracious enough to tell me when I was doing silly things, and show me the craft that is a modern software development. I may now, in fact, be a real software developer. Though this just means that I know how much I still need to master.
• We built a cabin! Well, we worked with wonderful architects and buiders to construct “New Caelifera” over in the Methow Valley (about 4 hours east of Seattle).
  I have to say that this was one of the funnest things I’ve done in my life. Who knew a dumpy software engineer could also be an aesthete. Even cooler, the end result is an awesome weekend place that you have to drive through a National Park to get to. I’ve been super spoiled.
• Lost: my sister, Catherine Bacon, and my dog, the Test Dog. Life is precious and we should cherish it!
• Gained: a new puppy, Imma Dog Bacon. Imma dog? You’re a dog! Imma Dog!
  
• Hobbies. arXiv:1605.03266. The difference between being a hobby scientist and a professional scientist is that when you’re a professional it’s “Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Success!” and when you’re a hobbiest it’s “Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Fffffffaaaaaiiiiiillllll. Success?” Yes I’m that guy that reads your quantum computing papers at night after work for fun.

So maybe I’ll write another blog post in five years? Or maybe I should resurrect the Pontiff. I saw the Optimizer the other day, and he suggested that since it’s hard for me to blog about quantum computing stuff what with Google involved as it is, I could blog about stuff from the past. But I’m more of a promethean than a pastoralist. It didn’t occur to me until later that there is an alternative solution, one that is particularly appealing to a quantum dude like myself: maybe I should start blogging about an alternative universe? I’ve always liked Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.

Next week, Wed-Fri, I’ll be at University of Maryland for a workshop titled “From Quantum Information and Complexity to Post Quantum Information Security” sponsored by the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), NIST, and the University of Maryland.  This should be a lot of fun: my talk is titled “Help!  There is a Computer in My Physical System!” and the program looks to have some fun talks as well.  And…here is the important part…it looks like I will have about three extra hours to spend in downtown D.C. (I’m flying out of DCA).  This is amazing because, while I fly in to Washington D.C. a lot, I never ever seem to have any extra time in my schedule when visiting.  So, if you had three hours in Washington D.C. what would you do?  (Cue Libertarian jokes about destroying the government in 3,2,1…)

Today is graduation day for me. Wait, Dave, haven’t you already graduated before. Thrice? Yep, indeed, but today I get to participate in graduation from a totally different perspective. I get to be the commencement speaker for my high school graduation ceremony. Yep, Yreka High School class of 2007 gets to sit and listen to me pontifficate. Well hopefully they will survive! 🙂
The speech, or a rough approximation of what I said, is posted below the fold.
Continue reading “Graduation Day”

5/7: MIT Quantum Information Processing seminar series (4pm in 26-214)

Title: Quantum Algorithms Using Clebsch-Gordan Transforms
Abstract: In nearly every quantum algorithm which exponentially outperfroms the best classical algorithm the quantum Fourier transform plays a central role. Recently, however, cracks in the quantum Fourier transform paradigm have begun to emerge. In this talk I will discuss one such development which arises in a new efficient quantum algorithm for the Heisenberg hidden subgroup problem. In particular I will show how considerations of symmetry for this hidden subgroup problem lead naturally to a different transform than the quantum Fourier transform, the Clebsch-Gordan transform over the Heisenberg group. Clebsch-Gordan transforms over finite groups thus appear to be an important new tool for those attempting to find new quantum algorithms. [Part of this work was done in collaboration with Andrew Childs (Caltech) and Wim van Dam (UCSB)]

5/10: University of Oregon Physics Seminar (4pm in 100 Willamette)

Title: When Physicists Build Quantum Algorithms
Abstract: Our universe is a quantum universe, obeying the laws of quantum theory to high precision. Thus it makes perfect sense to base the most fundamental model of a computer (which is, of course, nothing more than a physical device obeying the laws of physics) upon gadgets which respect the laws of quantum theory. Such “quantum computers” have attracted widespread attention over the last decade, in large part due to the ability of these computers to break modern cryptosystems and to outperform classical computers at certain algorithmic tasks. An important grand challenge for quantum computing these days is to find new quantum algorithms which outperform their classical counterparts. As a physicist, however, you may wonder, “what role can I play in coming up with new quantum algorithms, I’m just a pragmatic physicist?” In this talk I will give examples of new quantum algorithms inspired and devised by physicists, using tools and techniques which are near and dear to most physicists. These new quantum algorithms suggest that there is much that physics can contribute to the theory of quantum computing algorithms.

5/16: Perimeter Institute Quantum Discussions (4pm in room 405):

Title: Quantum Algorithms Using Clebsch-Gordan Transforms
Abstract: In nearly every quantum algorithm which exponentially outperfroms the best classical algorithm the quantum Fourier transform plays a central role. Recently, however, cracks in the quantum Fourier transform paradigm have begun to emerge. In this talk I will discuss one such development which arises in a new efficient quantum algorithm for the Heisenberg hidden subgroup problem. In particular I will show how considerations of symmetry for this hidden subgroup problem lead naturally to a different transform than the quantum Fourier transform, the Clebsch-Gordan transform over the Heisenberg group. Clebsch-Gordan transforms over finite groups thus appear to be an important new tool for those attempting to find new quantum algorithms. [Part of this work was done in collaboration with Andrew Childs (Caltech) and Wim van Dam (UCSB)]

And I’m not even interview for jobs 😉 And look, I’ve got the same title and abstract for my MIT and Perimeter talks. Been a long time since I gave the same talk twice. From past experience the jokes are bad in both talks 🙂

Tomorrow I’m heading down to Portland, Oregon to give a talk at Reed College. What, you’ve never heard of Reed? Shame on you! Why should you have heard of it? Because it produces an astounding number of excellent students who go on to graduate school. In fact the leading institutions for producing undergraduates who go on to get Ph.D.’s (per capita) are 1. Caltech, 2. Harvey Mudd, and 3. Reed. (For details see this page. At Caltech, 42 out of every 100 undergraduates go on to get a Ph.D., a truly astoundingly high number.)