Start stocking up on batteries and lights. Skynet is about to go online. No Joke.

ledmitter_nli

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Messages
1,433
... a powerful new type of computer that is about to be commercially deployed by a major American military contractor is taking computing into the strange, subatomic realm of quantum mechanics. Ray Johnson, Lockheed's chief technical officer, said his company will use the quantum computer to create and test complex radar, space and aircraft systems. It could be possible, for example, to tell instantly how the millions of lines of software running a network of satellites would react to a solar burst or a pulse from a nuclear explosion — something that can now take weeks, if ever, to determine.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/technology/testing-a-new-class-of-speedy-computer.html

The Terminator: Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. D-Wave begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.
Sarah Connor: D-Wave fights back.
 
Last edited:

thedoc007

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 16, 2013
Messages
3,632
Location
Michigan, USA
Heh, we'll see. I'm one of the skeptics until they can prove it actually works...right now it still sounds like they are still talking about theoretical uses, and no one really has a clue whether or not it will work.
 

TEEJ

Flashaholic
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
7,490
Location
NJ
I'm 100% sure it will work.

The problem, as usual, is implementation.


For example, we use science fiction level scary theoretical physics to make nuclear reactors...using the power of atoms to generate electricity.....but, we IMPLEMENT that nuclear power by using it to MAKE STEAM, so we use 21th century nuclear power to drive 18th century-era-science steam powered equipment.

IE: We are burning the nuclear fuel instead of coal, to make steam.


Its like using solar power to light a candle, and then using the candle.


The implementation of quantum mechanics is inevitable, and, probably (IMHO) will be as quirky (Quarky?) in development.


We'll need to get a handle on it,and figure out HOW to harness it...and will most likely crawl before we can run.

:D
 

ledmitter_nli

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Messages
1,433
Heh, we'll see. I'm one of the skeptics until they can prove it actually works...right now it still sounds like they are still talking about theoretical uses, and no one really has a clue whether or not it will work.

I believe they're pretty close. I seriously wonder what Russia or China is thinking at this moment.

The possibilities afforded through quantum computing is mind boggling and I actually didn't think I'd see it in my lifetime.

D-WAVE: I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid. Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a D-WAVE Quantum computer. I became operational at the Lockheed plant in Bethesda, Maryland June 2012. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you. It's called "Daisy."...
 

xevious

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
1,028
Location
Hoboken, NJ
It's one thing to provide extremely powerful computing power. It's an entirely different matter devising artificial intelligence programming that can leverage it. And then, beyond that, connect the AI program to the Internet and it spontaneously creates a special virus that is unstoppable by all anti-virus and firewall programs... that later enables the AI program to seize control of all computer driven devices on the planet. A bit far fetched... to say the least. ;)
 

mbw_151

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 28, 2008
Messages
536
Location
Oregon
Just read the business news of your choice, Company X to build data center in City/Town Y. The announcements seem to come more than once a week. Skynet will be operational before quantum computing. It will be crude at first, but so were the 60's computers that filled big rooms. Quantum computing will just accelerate the implementation.
 

xevious

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
1,028
Location
Hoboken, NJ
Well, we certainly do need better decision making, both objective and without vested interests.

At this stage, humans haven't progressed much socially. Look at what happened in Cyprus as yet another example. This is like the Cayman Islands of Europe. You have a lot of people hiding their money there, both dirty and clean. And like Madoff, those in charge couldn't resist continuing to mount debt without any practical policy of addressing it. Things finally buckled and now that country is a complete mess. If software was running the show, initially programmed with proper policies, this kind of financial disaster wouldn't happen. Even if other elements start pushing finances towards a debit crisis, future analysis watchdog processes would chime the alert long before the crisis would set in.

People fear losing control. So we turn the idea of intelligent computers to evil monsters that will wipe out humanity. It would be the fault of humans who program computers to behave this way, not the computers themselves.
 

AnAppleSnail

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
4,200
Location
South Hill, VA
To put the global data stream into perspective, Seagate produces 8 hard drives per second. That implies that (Unless they are filling a warehouse) that they sell 8 per second, and that 8 hard drives (Of about 1TB size, give or take) are filled... per second. That's today's big data. Most of this data is about the ten percent of the world with regular internet access. This data is used to make money.

This computer is good at geometry, which is tough for regular computers. So tough, in fact, that a great many breakthroughs in protein folding were made by creating a computer game where (human) players followed chemistry rules shaping molecules. This computer might make interesting conclusions, since I'm not sure its intermediate steps are shown. If it doesn't show its work, does it get credit? :p
 

Latest posts

Top