You’ve got to love a country where a Caesar salad includes a big helping of Bacon:
All hail Caesar Bacon!
Experiments I'd Like To See, Part 1
I am selfish. Sometimes when I work on a research problem, I do it in the hope that it will actually turn into something which, you know, will be done experimentally. I know, I know, I should be more of a pure theorist and not hope for salvation validation from reality, but hey we can’t all be perfect. So, here is an experiment I’d like to see done: I would think it would be within the regime of what is doable in a few physical implementations of quantum computers now.
Help the Quantum Pontiff Survive 15.5 Hours in Transit
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 to get from the Seattle airport to the Zurich airport! So, any recommendations for papers I should read, lectures I should listen to, or videos I should watch in order to keep from going insane on during the flight?
Adiabaticly Failing for Random Instances
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?
Continue reading “Adiabaticly Failing for Random Instances”
A Pocket Full of Quantum Woo
Clearly I’m in the wrong business, this pseudo-professor gig. I should be using quantum physics for mucho dinero! I found out that this is possible via a reader who pointed me to the woo-nderful A Happy Pocket Full of Money
Continue reading “A Pocket Full of Quantum Woo”
I Am Poor the iPhone App
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 others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this.
But, we all would like to get a little richer so tapping on the info button will let you read on old classic by P.T. Barnum called ‘Art of Money Getting’ to give you some sage advice to help you increase your wealth.
Barnums “Golden Rules for Making Money” found in ‘Art of Money Getting’ will pay for ‘I Am Poor’ many times over.
h/t @ravenme (Apparently it took over 11 months to get approved on the iTunes store.)
Microsoft Station Q Postdocs
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 at UCSB has postdocs available with a deadline of October 16, 2009:
Station Q will be recruiting postdoctoral researchers. We are primarily interested in applicants with a strong background in quantum Hall physics, topological insulators, quantum information in condensed matter, and/or numerical methods, but will consider excellent candidates with different backgrounds.
Details of the application process can be found at http://stationq.ucsb.edu/jobs.html
Small Town Benefits
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, Siskiyou county, currently has an unemployment rate north of 18 percent. And yet, there are small towns where, well you might not have a good job, but you have something else which has tremendous value. Here is the view from near the top of my run this afternoon above Yreka, CAThe volcano to the right is Mt. Shasta and the one to the left is Goosenest (a great place to camp and see the Perseids.)
The French Running Diet
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 like a monk and run a lot.
Helmet Heads Hijacked?
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, and Noah Vawter.
Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government’s invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.
Obviously