Monthly Archives: February 2016

Trend of Technology

Quantum Computing Today

From how an enzyme works in a biological reaction to how our brain potentially works in metaphysical realms, quantum mechanics may just provide us the answers we have been fumbling in the darkness for so long. Through the quantum superposition and entanglement, nature has its own way to create miracles which may previously seem unfathomable in the classical scale before our eyes.

In theory, because of the superposition possibility of the quantum bits (called Qubits, explained by an earlier blog article on new chip designs), if we can use the qubits to represent computational mechanisms, it should deliver exponentially increased computing power, by an order of millions of times faster than traditional computers. Researchers at World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland in January 2016 expressed great enthusiasms that such technologies will become available and be the disruptive force to the traditional computing and communication technologies by year 2020. It comes with high hopes that quantum computers may bring a giant leap forward in complex computations such as in machine learning and optimization. We may also expect that the future machines can become a lot smarter in a “humanly” way.

Quantum computers are hard to produce because the difficulties to detect the quantum particles or control the quantum state. Some current pioneers of these quantum machine initiatives, either the quantum chips made by IBM or D-Wave machines that Google has invested in, may require special algorithms to operate. Traditional algorithms are not suitable on these quantum designs. Because algorithms can definitely make a significant difference on the performance of the problem-solving of any machine, heated debates and competitions on these new quantum computers are common. The light-year promises in computational power from these quantum machines compared to the classical supercomputers or algorithms have yet been demonstrated, but by theory, that stage is achievable.

New ideas are coming out these years to make these machines capable of handling all conventional computational jobs. We may need it for many current AI algorithms to work faster and better. However the economical or practical judgment of whether we need a sickle to shave the beard is another question. From pure computational standpoints, software simulations of quantum computations are possible and in progress in the technology world today. These simulations can offer significant cost advantage over the hardware solutions before we truly can harness the quantum particles in measurable ways.

The future scenarios will likely be that hardware and software go hand in hand as the evolution of traditional computation has indicated. We hope that not just machines, but all common people will benefit from the fruits of these breakthroughs. By then, advancements in science and technology, and expanded understanding of our universe may well lead us into another period of explorations and new questions on just about everything.

Random Thoughts

A Force Awakens – From Star War to Future Diversity

Café Scene in Star War - The Force Awakens
Café Scene in Star War – The Force Awakens


Diversity has become an alarmingly thorny issue again lately, no matter on college campuses or in corporations. The news and public interests that it has generated are just slightly shy of those in the 1960s. From Princeton to Harvard or Yale, students are demanding the re-evaluation of their past worshipped alumni who may historically have biased on diversity issues. Princeton is examining if the name of the famous Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs should be renamed without Wilson – a Princeton Class of 1879, governor, US president and Nobel Peace Prize winner; while Yale is considering the removal of the name of John C. Calhoun – a Yale 1804 graduate, senator and US vice president, from one of their residential colleges. Diversity lawsuits are also perplexing the top managements of many large corporations, as frequently as they fear to hear.

From the US immigration debates to the European migrant saga, from the pockets of bloody religious fights to the military’s allowing women in all combat battles, from the changes of demographic distributions to the global denouncement of the mistreatment of women in outdated cultures, although generations’ progress on diversity have been made little by little, either in hiss-hiss mode or everyone-go-through-a-training mode, a new look at the diversity is apparently in need.

What will really be the future situation of the diversity? Can we have the unbiased view that can stand the test of the passing of the time? Diversity is a force that awakens with the developments of human societies and modern sciences and technologies. More than ever, ignorance and arrogance on diversity are deterrents on progress.

As the author watched the Star War’s latest episode, The Force Awakens, she can’t help marveling at that café scene (See pic.) of the Maz’s castle on the planet of Tokodana where Luke the Skywalker’s lost lightsaber was located once more. Various species of the galaxies are gathering together as equals in a rip-roarious café. If one day we earthly humans indeed need to live among the strange-looking ETs, would we be able to enjoy our drink just the same as we do today? When joint survival is no longer a topic but a necessity, the respect of diversity seems the only way for every being. Unfortunately our current diversity challenges even among all humans are already daunting.

History may come to a stage calling for a new level of awakening on diversity, based more and more on fairness and open-mindedness, with sensitivity and insensitivity. Some deep soul searching is likely needed for each of us. It’s futile to demand that the slave owners of the past or whoever outlawed women as voters a few centuries back be dug out from their tombs and sentenced. However as educated and future-minded as we are, in our modern day-to-day life and work, have we advanced enough to have the tolerance of differences, the equal views of others, the willingness to give fair credits to people who are different than ourselves? Can we practice to have the true acceptance from the mind and heart to the evolving needs of the diversity for the years and decades to come?