Certain problems remain insurmountable for quantum computers.
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Researchers have uncovered a “nightmare scenario” computation tied to a rare form of quantum material that remains unsolvable, even with the most advanced quantum computers.
In contrast to the simpler task of determining the phase of standard matter, such as identifying whether water is in a solid or liquid state, the quantum equivalent can prove exceedingly challenging. Thomas Schuster and his team at the California Institute of Technology have demonstrated that identifying the quantum phase of matter can be notably difficult, even for quantum machines.
They mathematically examined a scenario in which a quantum computer receives a set of measurements regarding the quantum state of an object and must determine its phase. Schuster mentioned that this is not necessarily an impossible task, but his team has shown that a considerable number of quantum phases of matter—such as the complex interactions between liquid water and ice, including unusual “topological” phases that exhibit strange electrical currents—might necessitate quantum computers to perform computations over extremely protracted periods. This situation mirrors a worst-case scenario in laboratory settings, where instruments may need to operate for billions or even trillions of years to discern the characteristics of a sample.
This doesn’t imply that quantum computers are rendered obsolete for this analysis. As Schuster noted, these phases are unlikely to manifest in actual experiments involving materials or quantum systems, serving more as an indicator of our current limitations in understanding quantum computers than posing an immediate practical concern. “They’re like nightmare scenarios. It would be quite unfortunate if such a case arose. It probably won’t happen, but we need to improve our comprehension,” he stated.
Bill Fefferman from the University of Chicago raised intriguing questions regarding the overall capabilities of computers. “This might illuminate the broader limits of computation: while substantial speed improvements have been realized for specific tasks, there will inevitably be challenges that remain too daunting, even for efficient quantum computers,” he asserted.
Mathematically, he explained, this new research merges concepts from quantum information science employed in quantum cryptography with foundational principles from materials physics, potentially aiding progress in both domains.
Looking ahead, the researchers aspire to broaden their analysis to encompass more energetic or excited quantum phases of matter, which are recognized as challenging for wider calculations.
South Korea’s intelligence agency has elevated the national cyber threat level due to fears that hackers may exploit the chaos caused by recent fires in government data centers, which have disrupted crucial digital infrastructure nationwide.
The National Cybersecurity Centre, managed by the Intelligence Reporting Agency, has raised its alert from “Warning” to “Warning” as of Monday, highlighting fears that hackers could take advantage of the vulnerabilities during recovery efforts.
The incident occurred on Friday evening at the National Information Resources Service in Great Jeon, approximately 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Seoul. This facility is one of three operational government data centers that handle critical digital infrastructure across the nation.
Workers had relocated a Lithium-ion battery from the server room on the fifth floor to the basement when the fire started. It spread to other nearby batteries and servers, resulting in one worker sustaining first-degree burns, while firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze after 22 hours.
By Saturday morning, officials had shut down 647 government systems to prevent further damage. Government email and intranet systems were offline, along with mobile identification services, postal banks, complaint portals, and major government websites.
Schools lost access to student records, and tax deadlines passed without being processed. Real estate transactions faced delays due to the inability to verify digital documents. The national crematorium reservation system was impacted, and many hospitals and transport terminals initially left citizens without physical identification cards.
As of 1 PM on Tuesday, 89 out of the 647 affected systems had been restored, including significant government portals, postal services, and identity verification systems.
Officials estimate that 96 of the affected systems have suffered complete failure, necessitating a recovery period of about four weeks as they are moved to a large backup facility. This disruption is expected to persist through Chuseok, the major public holiday in early October.
President Lee Jae Myung issued an apology on Sunday. During a crisis meeting, he expressed dismay at the lack of a backup operating system, stating, “It was a foreseeable incident, but there were no countermeasures. It’s not that the measures didn’t work; they simply didn’t exist.”
When questioned about the backup procedures, an official remarked that they were “driving without a map.”
The upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, set to be hosted in the southeastern city of Kyoto at the end of October, has raised security concerns as officials from the US, China, and other regions plan to attend.
In October 2022, a fire involving a lithium-ion battery at Kakao, the company behind the popular messaging app KakaoTalk, resulted in millions losing access to messaging, taxis, and digital payments, leading to national chaos.
Following the Kakao incident, parliament passed legislation mandating redundant systems and intervals between batteries and other equipment for internet service providers and data center operators.
The left-leaning Hankyoreh newspaper questioned what last week’s failures indicated about “a nation that prides itself on being an information technology powerhouse.”
In a similar vein, the conservative Dong-a Ilbo remarked that referring to South Korea as a digital leader has become “embarrassing.”
Lawmakers from both the ruling party and the opposition have traded blame regarding the responsibility for the crisis. President’s Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-Sik directed authorities on Monday to focus on resolving the issue rather than criticizing the previous administration.
aOur children moved out, and my wife and I treated ourselves to a new car for our upcoming driving vacation in Europe. We had been driving family cars with the kids for years, but now we wanted something just for us.
To my surprise, she arranged a test drive for my birthday in a Tesla Model S. It was unlike any car I had ever experienced. “Amazing, this is amazing.” It felt like the future with a computer on the steering wheel that constantly updated with new features. However, opinions seem to have changed since then, as Tesla’s sales dropped by 13% in the first few months of the year. There have even been protests against Elon Musk and his actions outside Tesla facilities around the world.
Despite concerns about charging infrastructure, we found Tesla’s network to be exceptional. We traveled all over Europe, even fitting five adults and all our luggage in the car. As someone who wanted to move away from diesel and gasoline, the environmentally friendly electric vehicle was a perfect fit for us.
My political views leaned left, but owning a Tesla was never intended to be a political statement for us. Little did we know how our choices would later become politicized.
Initially, I tried to ignore the negative opinions about Elon Musk, but as his political stances became more apparent, it became harder to overlook. Many Tesla owners also began feeling uncomfortable with the association and started expressing their concerns online.
Protesters demonstrating against Tesla CEO Elon Musk during the national Tesla Takedown Rally outside dealers in Pasadena, California. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
With the growing concerns and price drops in the second-hand market, my daughter suggested selling the Tesla. However, I feel stuck as it has been a perfect fit for our lifestyle in every other aspect. Maybe I’ll consider a European electric car for our next purchase.
Delivery workers in Ballymena, Northern Ireland are often seen gathered around McDonald’s, waiting for orders and discussing the mysteries of the system that controls their work lives.
This week, gig workers, unions, and human rights organizations are demanding more transparency from Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo regarding the algorithms that dictate their work assignments and pay. A campaign has been launched calling for greater transparency.
Workers question why some are given jobs as soon as they log in while others who have been waiting are ignored. They wonder why the app sometimes indicates no available delivery person, even when a restaurant is busy.
One driver, speaking anonymously, expressed frustration at trying to understand the algorithm’s logic. They speculate on how geolocation and other factors may influence the system’s decisions.
Drivers find the lack of human interaction and underpayment for their work disheartening. They struggle with automated processes and often feel disconnected from the platforms they work for.
While these issues persist, there is a growing demand for transparency and accountability in the gig economy. Workers like Lucas Myron have experienced sudden disruptions in their work without clear explanations or recourse.
James Farrar, a former Uber driver who successfully challenged the company for better employment rights, now advocates for gig workers’ rights. He highlights the challenges faced by workers who must navigate opaque algorithms and make decisions with little information.
The lack of transparency in algorithm-driven platforms creates uncertainty and stress for workers, who often feel powerless in understanding or challenging the decisions made about their work.
If anything symbolizes the end of Twitter, it’s the rise and fall of Oprah Winfrey’s account.
Oprah joined the platform in 2009. First time tweeting Live from her popular TV show “HI TWITTERS. Thank you for the warm welcome. It feels very 21st century.”
Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Center Professor Axel Brands said it was a “landmark moment” for the platform.
“That was really the moment when the numbers skyrocketed.”
Oprah still has an account under the renamed X with 41.7 million followers. But since November 2022, a month after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the site was completed, she posted: Just once – In January 2023, she told Chelsea Clinton that she was “still laughing so hard 😂” about Clinton accidentally wearing two different black shoes at an event.
Debate over X reignited last week after the Australian government took the platform to court to force it to remove a video of a Sydney bishop allegedly being stabbed while leading a church service.
Company X says it complied with the order to delete the footage of the stabbing (though, ironically, just below the post announcing its compliance is a comment saying someone had shared the full graphic video) Musk has been harshly critical of Australia’s request to delete the footage. We asked Mr. X for comment.
But as debate intensifies over what responsibility social media platforms have to stop the spread of violent or extremist content, other questions are emerging. “What is Twitter/X anymore?”
What happened to the site, once a staple of the news cycle and political debate, now increasingly abandoned by those who once religiously followed it?
The beginning: “Utopian vision”
A former Twitter Australia employee, who requested anonymity, said Twitter had lofty goals in its early days.
“I think it was definitely a utopian vision at the time. Like many of these founders, they really thought they were disruptors and creating a space for real public debate. “I was thinking about it,” she says. “I think people really enjoyed it at the time. It was a very fast-moving, innovative platform where you could get the latest news and follow and connect with people you really admired. Even in the early days, it always had parts of it as a toxic swamp, but not entirely.”
“It had a social profile,” she says. “Remember when everyone was obsessed with the existence of blue ticks and pretended that people who didn’t have them didn’t care?”
Although the exact number of monthly active users is unknown, Twitter/X has had a significant impact on the world of news and politics over the years, although it has not had the broad mainstream appeal of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or TikTok. I did.
“It’s a very specific, limited audience,” Brands says. “But the types of audiences that could be reached on Twitter were journalists, politicians, activists, and various forms of experts. Often people who were influential in other communities online and offline.”
Belinda Barnett, senior lecturer in media and communications at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology, said: In essence, it has become a must-have tool, especially for journalists. ”
This was also because Twitter’s features, especially @mentions and hashtags, are well-suited for breaking news.
For example, Twitter became big in Japan in part because people turned to Twitter as a way to communicate and organize when the country was hit by a devastating tsunami in 2011, said a former Twitter user. Employees speak.
“It became a real lifeline for people and a way for people to be rescued,” she said.
According to a 2021 Pew study, 69% of U.S. Twitter users said they got their news from the site, 46% said the site gave them a better understanding of current events, and 30% said the site made them more interested in politics. They responded that they felt more involved.
The breaking news feature was not without its problems. The immediacy of this platform gave voice to dissidents and citizen journalists, which was crucial for uprisings like those seen in the Arab Spring, but it also allowed politicians to bypass traditional journalistic mediation. Bruns says it’s now possible.
“There are quite a few politicians who have essentially stopped giving interviews to journalists, leaving them exposed to critical questions and basically just posting their announcements on Twitter.”
Barnett said misinformation and trolls have always been a problem, but the company is committed to what she calls the “three pillars”: user blue checkmarks, moderation policies, and trust and safety. team.
“All of these things worked together to give us some credibility during breaking news, so people went there. Twitter in the old days certainly spread misinformation, but it started trending before it spread.” I often ended up crushing it,” she said.
Now: Musk’s Wild West
Barnett said all three pillars were quickly dismantled after Musk acquired the platform at the end of 2022.
The trust and safety teams were among those who were abruptly fired within weeks of Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the company, showing up to work at headquarters with a ceramic sink on their first day. A video of Mr. Musk’s entrance was posted on the site with the caption, “Let it sink in.”
Many people who were blocked from the site for violating online rules, including Donald Trump, had their accounts reinstated (although Trump’s account was later blocked again).
The verification process has changed dramatically. Instead of being given blue ticks for being a celebrity or working for a popular news site, you can now buy them.
My approach to moderation has also changed. Mr. Musk’s spat with the Australian government reveals something about his vision for X, which he sees as a bastion of free speech.
“They’re very reluctant to engage in any kind of arbitration,” Brands said. “To some extent, this reflects the broader sense that free speech in the United States is an absolute good above all else. On the other hand, in Australia, Europe, and many other regions, the right to free speech and protection from harmful speech are And that would essentially sound like censorship to many otherwise very liberal people in the United States.”
Ironically, in 2022, X suspended the accounts of people who criticized Musk, including those of several prominent journalists from CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. account has been banned Track the whereabouts of your private jet using public data.
“Elon wants it both ways,” Barnett says. “He wants it to be the original Twitter, which was certainly absolutely critical to the news cycle,” but he also wants to “remove the pillars and processes that Twitter has spent years building up and make it more… We also want it to promote community. ”
“I think it’s becoming a toxic mess,” Barnett says.
The future: a place out of control
A Pew study found that 60% of U.S. Twitter users left the platform for more than a few weeks in the first few months after Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. A quarter of those surveyed said they had not used the site at all in the past year.
Even the most prolific tweeters saw their use of the platform decrease, with the number of tweets per month dropping by 25%.
Whether this trend continues is a difficult question to answer, but one reason is that it has become prohibitively expensive for researchers studying social media to continue their work under Musk. That’s what happened.
For many years, Twitter has provided application programming interfaces (APIs) to academic researchers and private sector organizations for a fee. About a year ago, the cost of accessing these APIs skyrocketed.
Aaron Smith, director of Pew’s Data Lab, said the center has developed a “pretty rich body of research” on Twitter over the years, but that access to the API is now limited due to the price increase for accessing Tweets. He said that such annual fees have become expensive. “It’s bigger than our team’s entire research budget for several years” – they couldn’t do any more research on the platform.
Bruns says academics are in the same position. “We cannot conduct particularly exploratory research, such as looking for hate speech bots or misinformation on the platform. [X] Almost priced out of the market. ”
This is unfortunate, as academic research on Twitter has shown that the platform was able to identify and dispel some hate speech and misinformation in the past, but will now go even further unchecked. he says.
“Certainly, it’s already starting to turn into platforms like Gab and Parler and things like that. [Trump’s] In True Social, people on the far right vehemently agree with each other and ferociously hate everyone else. ”
Even former employees have since deactivated their accounts. “I think it’s a really dangerous space right now and it’s out of control,” she says.
“I miss it sometimes. I always thought this was a great newswire for journalists and citizen journalists…I don’t know, but I found myself sitting watching breaking news and wondering where to go. There’s a hole left, and I’m hoping someone will try to fill that gap.”
Interactive true crime-style podcasts that armchair detectives can engage with are nothing new (see below solve), but modern audio games are highly appealing.
In cold tape, Andrew Fairfield, a behavioral scientist, was murdered on an Antarctic base during the long winter (a setting familiar to fans of recent True Detective TV seasons). There are 16 other people left at the base, all of whom are suspects.
Listeners are invited to assist DCI Tessa McAllister by piecing together victims’ audio diaries, secret recordings, police interviews, and other compelling evidence. Moreover, those who solve the case will have the opportunity to be selected as Super Sleuth 2024 at Crime Con London 2024 and enter a competition where they can win £10,000 in prizes (literally all the time spent on real crime might pay off).
At the top of this week’s list is Alice Levine’s new show featuring a woman who purchases a cheap island off the coast of Nicaragua and invites a Channel 4 camera crew to film a new reality series with her there. However, multiple disasters ensue…
Holly Richardson television editor assistant
This week’s picks
Muhammad Ali, one of the subjects of Kate Griggs’ dyslexic thinking lessons. Photo: Photoreporters Inc/REX
the price of paradise Wide range of weekly episodes available The story of Jane Gaskin, who bought a private island off the coast of Nicaragua on the cheap, is fascinating. In 2002, the former Playboy Bunny became the unexpected star of Channel 4’s reality show No Going Back, but Alice Levine, in all her gory glory, brought the story to a new audience. This is the story of a family who leave behind a comfortable life in England, but soon find themselves embroiled in controversy, corruption, and kidnapping. Hannah Verdier
Deep Cover: The Nameless Man Weekly episodes widely available starting Monday “There’s a confession, but there’s no body.” Director Jake Halpern’s carefully researched fourth season follows the pair as they investigate rumors of a teenager who bragged about killing a black man in order to join a white supremacist group. depicts a federal agent. But who was the man? And can Halpern solve the murder the other way around? HV
dyslexia thinking lessons Wide range of weekly episodes available Grit, determination, heightened spatial awareness: all qualities that Muhammad Ali (pictured above) possessed, and which presenter Kate Griggs identified as a form of dyslexic thinking. In a fascinating podcast, she tells her wife Ronnie about the skills that have made him a champion. Other exciting guests include wildlife presenter Hamza He Yassin and author Riz He Pichon. HV
apple and tree Wide range of weekly episodes available Narrator Vogue Williams connects parents and children in this warm and intimate podcast. First up is Sam. He has a tender and understanding conversation with his intelligent father Rakku about growing up gay in the Indian community. It’s a beautiful conversation until he tells his father’s gay friends that he came out while watching The X Factor. HV
Cold Tape: Beyond Winter Wide range of weekly episodes available A cold case involving the murder of a behavioral scientist at a remote base in Antarctica in the dead of winter sets the stage for this innovative murder mystery game. You must try to solve murder cases through a cache of files such as audio diaries and police interviews. If you can crack the case, you could win a £10,000 reward. HV
There’s a podcast for that
Timecop’s Gloria Ruben and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Photo: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy
This week, graham virtue Our picks for the 5 best podcasts on bad movie, from the chaotic “How Did This Get Made?” Until TCM’s masterfully produced The Plot Thickens: The Devil’s Candy.
How was this made? One way to squeeze entertainment value out of a bad movie is to hear smart people making fun of it. For more than 300 episodes, hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas have used wrecking balls to make movies subpar. As actors in film and television, they bring inside information, unexpected empathy, and explosive anger to live shows that blare with infectious energy. The 50 Shades series has been given some punishment in recent series, but upcoming episodes will feature zany action movies like The Beekeeper and Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, which were featured on a recent UK tour. I am planning to work on it.
A new study investigated the relationship between shift work patterns, sociodemographic factors, and sleep disorders. They found that shift work, especially night shifts, significantly disrupted sleep, with about a third of all participants reporting at least one sleep disorder. The study also found that demographic factors such as gender, age, and education level influence sleep health.
A new study shows that working night shifts increases the incidence of sleep disorders, especially in young people with low levels of education.
Sleep is important not only for physical and mental health, but also for daytime and neurocognitive function. When people work in shifts (21% of workers in the European Union worked shifts in 2015), their circadian sleep-wake rhythms are often disrupted. Now, Dutch researchers have investigated the relationship between different shift work patterns, sociodemographic factors, and sleep disorders.
“Compared to working regular shifts during the day, working other shift types has been shown to have a higher incidence of sleep disturbances, especially those working rotational or regular night shifts,” GGZ Drenthe said Dr. Marike Lancel, a state mental health researcher.Institute and lead author of the study published in frontiers of psychiatry. “Notably, 51% of those working night shifts tested positive for at least one sleep disorder.”
ask about sleep
“There is a lot of evidence that shift work reduces sleep quality. However, there is little evidence of the impact that different types of shifts have on the prevalence of different sleep disorders and how this varies depending on demographic characteristics. “We know very little about whether they will,” Lancel continued.
To fill these gaps, researchers recruited more than 37,000 participants and provided demographic information indicating their shift work patterns (regular morning, evening, night, or switching between shifts).
They also completed a questionnaire screening on six common sleep disorder categories: insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnias, sleep-related breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders, and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.
Responses suggested that regular night shifts are the most debilitating condition when it comes to sleep. Half of night shift workers reported sleeping less than 6 hours in a 24-hour period, 51% reported one sleep disorder, and 26% reported two or more sleep disorders.
In the overall study population, approximately one-third tested positive for at least one sleep disorder and 12.6% tested positive for two or more sleep disorders.
Demographic factors and sleep health
Researchers also investigated whether demographic factors such as gender, age, and highest level of education influenced sleep health. We also considered whether participants lived alone, with a partner or children, or with others, such as friends or parents.
The results showed that although men slept less than women, sleep problems were more common in women. Age also affected sleep health. Although older participants tended to sleep less, most sleep disorders and their comorbidities were found to be more prevalent in the youngest participant group, those under 30 years of age.
Researchers found a correlation between education level and the likelihood of having disrupted sleep. “The effects of shift work on sleep are most pronounced among young people with low levels of education,” Lancel said. This group had shorter sleep duration and significantly higher prevalence of sleep disorders and their comorbidities.
Night shifts and sleep challenges
Researchers found that some people who work night shifts may have fewer sleep-related problems than others, but for the average night shift worker, this irregular work pattern can lead to less regular sleep-related problems. They said they would be more likely to struggle with healthy sleep. sleep. “People who work night shifts are unlikely to be completely immune to all the negative effects of night shifts, as they remain focused on their day jobs and out of sync with the environment in which they live,” Lancell said. explained.
The researchers also noted that their study had certain limitations. For example, people with sleep disorders may be more likely to participate in studies focused on sleep than people who sleep well. Nevertheless, the authors said their findings may provide important information for employers in occupations where shift work is common. It may also be used to educate strategies on how to best address and reduce the effects of night work and sleep days.
References: “Shift work is associated with widespread sleep disturbances, especially when working at night,” GJ Boersma, T. Mijnster, P. Vantyghem, GA Kerkhof, Marike Lancel, October 17, 2023. frontiers of psychiatry. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1233640
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