This will make your head spin

[lost_in_space]

A team of scientists at the University of Illinois have designed a computer that can produce an answer before it knows the question. It uses optically based quantum computing based on two coupled optical interferometers nested within a third. The team succeeded in "counterfactually" searching a four-element database using a quantum search algorithm.

http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/06/0222quantum.html

Good, ask it what my wife's thinking.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

I want saturday's lotto numbers.

[AstroJunk (Jonathan)]

Counterfactual Computation - the ability to provide answers to questions that were never posed in the first place, has been around for some time.

Usually this is performed by utilizing two coupled middle managers, nested within a darkened office.

[ving (David)]

ok so it answers unasked questions.... cheryl does that al the time!

[33South (Chris)]

For those of you who have cable/satellite TV, or a good memory -

What about Johnny Carson's regular sketch where he gives answers to questions sealed in an envelope.

Still makes me laff

[avandonk]

They have shown the thing we take for granted, causality ie one thing causes another is not true at a fundamental level. Scary!

The old trick with the envelopes goes back so far ...
A bit like financial scams and cons, there is nothing new, but 'smart' people still fall for them.Whereas the better half knowing before you do, the solution could be she is smarter, no other conclusion is permissible!

Bert

[stinky]

Pretty clever - posting this thread BEFORE I asked "what makes my head spin?"

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Originally Posted by 33South

For those of you who have cable/satellite TV, or a good memory -

What about Johnny Carson's regular sketch where he gives answers to questions sealed in an envelope.

Still makes me laff

Yes, the great Carnac was a classic...the answer before the question...

Answer: Stevie Nicks...

Question: What does Stevie Wonder do when he tries to shave by himself?

...A classic...

This computer thinging is something to make the head spin!!! I was recently reading that Einstein was very unhappy with the Quantum stuff...from memory (and I am happy to be corrected) it was the uncertainty that upset him from Heisenberg's work...he wanted a more elegant solution in the building blocks...

[lost_in_space]

Originally Posted by wavelandscott

This computer thinging is something to make the head spin!!! I was recently reading that Einstein was very unhappy with the Quantum stuff...from memory (and I am happy to be corrected) it was the uncertainty that upset him from Heisenberg's work...he wanted a more elegant solution in the building blocks...

He had doubts about his own theories, and suffered criticism from the scientific community, but as science advances his doubts are being proven to be wrong. IOW he was (probably) right.