Hi Magnus I think that's a very good bet. Quantum calculations have to deal with possible states and not just actual ones. The analogies and possible identities with what minds do will be unavoidable.
David M ----- Original Message ----- From: "Magnus Berg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 1:16 PM Subject: [MD] Quantum computing Hi there I'd better start by reintroducing myself. I'm Magnus Berg from Sweden and has been lurking here for so long that I guess most of you here have never seen me post. On the other hand, I recognize many of the current posters so I guess some of you will remember me. Anyway, as some of you might remember, I'm a computer guy and I just saw that a new quantum computer is being demoed today. I'm afraid I was unable to attend the demo physically, but their site is very interesting, and pretty MoQ:ish actually. Just read this (from http://www.dwavesys.com/index.php?page=quantum-computing) (my *emphasis*) "We now know that Turing was only partially correct. Not all computers are equivalent. His work was based on an assumption — that computation and information were abstract entities, divorced from the rules of physics governing the behavior of the computer itself. One of the most important developments in modern science is the realization that information (and computation) can never exist in the abstract. *Information is always tied to the physical stuff upon which it is written.* What is possible to compute is completely determined by the rules of physics. Turing's work, and conventional computer science, are only valid if a computer obeys the rules of Newtonian physics — the set of rules that apply to large and hot things, like baseballs and humans. If elements of a computer behave according to different rules, such as the rules of QM, this assumption fails and many very interesting possibilities emerge." When quantum computers become more common, I think they will start provoking philosophical questions in much the same lines we're doing here. Any takers? Magnus moq_discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ moq_discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
