Select Page ::

EDAPs Focal One HIFU to be Showcased at Two Major Robotics & Urology International Congresses – Yahoo Finance

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

EDAP TMS S.A.

LYON, France, June 28, 2022 -- EDAP TMS SA (Nasdaq: EDAP) (the Company), the global leader in robotic energy-based therapies, today announced its participation to two major forthcoming international robotics and urology congresses:

The EAU Congress is one of the preeminent international events dedicated to the urology community. Focal One Robotic Focal HIFU will be featured and demonstrated at EDAPs booth #C26 for the duration of the event. Congress presentation topics will include use of HIFU focal therapy in prostate cancer along with supportive HIFU case reviews. Additionally, results from a randomized trial comparing ExactVu 29Mhz micro-ultrasound with MRI will also be presented.

The SRS Congress is the largest gathering of multi-specialty robotic physicians from around the world dedicated to advancing techniques and approaches in elevating patient care. Focal One Robotic Focal HIFU will be presented in the Friday Focal Therapy and Prostate Cancer plenary presentation given by Brian Miles, MD, FACS, Professor of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College and Vice-Chair Dept. of Urology at Houston Methodist, Houston, TX. Focal One Robotic Focal HIFU will also be presented by Ryan Rhodes, CEO EDAP USA in the SRS Innovative Technologies Session held on Sunday.

Marc Oczachowski, EDAP's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, We look forward to attending EAU this year, Europes largest urology congress and the first in-person event since 2019. EAU is a tremendous opportunity for us to hear positive experiences from our current customer base while engaging with new prospective customers and urology thought leaders from across Europe. We will also be demonstrating Focal One, which we believe is the most advanced focal therapy platform on the market today. It is high profile meetings such as EAU that allow us to raise the visibility of focal therapy as a viable option within the prostate cancer care continuum and are a key element of our Focal One growth strategy.

Story continues

Ryan Rhodes, CEO of EDAP USA, added: We look forward to meeting with many of the leading urology thought leaders from across the U.S while attending SRS. Many of these clinical attendees have been early adopters of new innovative and emerging robotic technologies in their clinical practice as a means to improve the quality of patient care. Focal therapy and specifically Focal One Robotic HIFU adoption continue to grow as more centers embrace the need to offer prostate cancer patients less invasive treatments. Focal One is the most advanced HIFU platform today controlled by Urologists incorporating robotics, advanced imaging, image fusion along with the ability to deliver precise targeted therapeutic ultrasound to ablate prostate tissue.

About EAU :

The EAU represents the leading authority within Europe on urological practice, research, and education. Over 18,000 medical professionals have joined its ranks and contributed to our mission: To raise the level of urological care throughout Europe and beyond.Aims and Objectives of EAU : to act as the representative body for European urologists and facilitate the continued development of urology and all its subspecialties, to foster the highest standards of urological care throughout Europe, to encourage urological research and enable the broadcasting of its results, to promote contributions to the medical and scientific literature by its members, to promote European urological achievements worldwide, to establish European standards for training and urological practice, to contribute to the determination of European urological health care policies, to disseminate high quality urological information to patients and public. https://uroweb.org

About SRS: This society is founded on the fundamental principles of education and collaboration as a means to tackle the complex issues of robotic surgery. This type of society gives us enormous possibilities in terms of multi-centric studies, database collection, fellowship training and funding support. We are an organization that will seek participation from residents and fellows and young faculty in the hope that we can assist them as they embrace robotics. The society is global with each continent having its own board and input into SRS activities. It is the pioneering spirit of our members and of our founding board that will make this society a success. The Society of Robotic Surgery will encompass robotics, minimally invasive techniques, NOTES and single port access surgery. This will provide the diversity to allow clinicians to adapt to changes in technology and will provide an innovative forum in which to expand our horizons and improve our clinical and academic potential. https://srobotics.org

About EDAP TMS SA

A recognized leader in the global therapeutic ultrasound market,EDAP TMSdevelops, manufactures, promotes and distributes worldwide minimally invasive medical devices for various pathologies using ultrasound technology. By combining the latest technologies in imaging and treatment modalities in its complete range of Robotic HIFU devices,EDAP TMSintroduced the Focal One inEuropeand in the U.S. as an answer to all requirements for ideal prostate tissue ablation. With the addition of the ExactVu Micro-Ultrasound device, EDAP TMS is now the only company offering a complete solution from diagnostics to focal treatment of Prostate Cancer. EDAP TMS also produces and distributes other medical equipment including the Sonolith i-move lithotripter and lasers for the treatment of urinary tract stones using extra-corporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). For more information on the Company, please visithttp://www.edap-tms.com, us.hifu-prostate.com and http://www.focalone.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including matters not yet known to us or not currently considered material by us, and there can be no assurance that anticipated events will occur or that the objectives set out will actually be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the clinical status and market acceptance of our HIFU devices and the continued market potential for our lithotripsy device, as well as the length and severity of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, including its impacts across our businesses on demand for our devices and services. Factors that may cause such a difference also may include, but are not limited to, those described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in particular, in the sections "Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F.

Company ContactBlandine ConfortInvestor Relations / Legal AffairsEDAP TMS SA+33 4 72 15 31 50bconfort@edap-tms.com

Investor ContactJohn FrauncesLifeSci Advisors, LLC212-915-2568jfraunces@lifesciadvisors.com

See the original post here:

EDAPs Focal One HIFU to be Showcased at Two Major Robotics & Urology International Congresses - Yahoo Finance

Space Gardening, Digestion, and Robotics Top Crew Schedule – NASA (.gov)

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Expedition 67 crew members pose with fresh fruit delivered aboard the Progress 81 cargo craft on June 3, 2022.

Space gardening and the human digestive system were at the top of the science schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The seven Expedition 67 residents also worked throughout the day filming their activities, inspecting station hardware, and testing a new robotic arm.

Space agriculture is a way to sustain healthy astronauts on future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond without relying on packed cargo missions traveling farther in space. The XROOTS experiment on the orbiting lab is exploring growing radishes and mizuna greens using hydroponic and aeroponic techniques. NASA Flight Engineer Bob Hines nourished those plants today and checked seed cartridges and wicks to ensure they germinate and grow.

Hines also inspected and photographed the condition of windows in the Destiny laboratory and the Kibo laboratory modules. NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren continued testing a headset that enables 3-D high definition holograms in real-time for immersive and innovative communication and research techniques. He also swapped hard drives on a station laptop computer.

Flight Engineers Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti joined each other today inspecting and cleaning hatch components on the U.S. modules. Watkins also audited, inspected, and stowed hardware in the Tranquility module and the Quest airlock. Cristoforetti checked smoke detectors in the Columbus laboratory module and tested a specialized garment that can monitor an astronauts health wirelessly.

All four astronauts have also been filming their activities this week to prepare future crews training for upcoming station missions. The quartet have been recording, narrating, and downlinking videos documenting the operation of exercise equipment, network communications gear, and cargo stowage aboard the space station.

The lack of gravity affects the human body in a multitude of ways. Scientists observe station crew members during long-term missions to understand and counteract the undesired effects of weightlessness. Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev once again scanned their digestive system using an ultrasound device after breakfast. Researchers are exploring how organs and vessels in the gastrointestinal tract adapt to spaceflight.

Robotics testing is still ongoing this week in the stations Russian segment. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov continued checking out and filming the European robotic arm, the stations third and newest robotic manipulator, and its ability to maneuver on the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module.

NASA and Northrop Grumman are continuing to work on a plan for Cygnus to try another reboost attempt as early as Saturday, June 25, that would lead to Cygnus potentially departing the station next Tuesday, June 28. The plan is being discussed with the International Space Station partners this week and a forward plan is expected as early as Thursday.

The reboost is designed to provide Cygnus with an enhanced capability for station operations as a standard service for NASA.

Learn more about station activities by following thespace station blog,@space_stationand@ISS_Researchon Twitter, as well as theISS FacebookandISS Instagramaccounts.

Get weekly video highlights at:http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/videoupdate/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here:www.nasa.gov/subscribe

The rest is here:

Space Gardening, Digestion, and Robotics Top Crew Schedule - NASA (.gov)

Millington teen and robotics teammates address pedestrian safety – New Jersey Hills

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

LONG HILL TWP. If you feel safer crossing the street some years into the future, Armaan Lerner and his robotics teammates might be responsible.

Lerner, a Millington resident and Watchung Hills Regional High School rising sophomore, competes with the Exit 65A robotics team based in Livingston. The squad received a 2021 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-Lemelson InvenTeams Grant for a pedestrian safety module.

That invention is named MaPSS, which stands for Micromobility and Pedestrian Safety System. The Exit 65A team presented it on June 15 at MITs EurekaFest.

Lerner first became interested in robotics in the third grade while attending Millington Elementary School. After attending a clinic introducing young students to robotics and the involved coding, he began competing in the VEX IQ robotics league. The VEX competitions, which are held year-round at the regional, state and national levels, culminate in a world championship each April.

At these competitions, Lerner met other league competitors from Livingston, whom he competed against often through the years. Eventually, the Livingston VEX team decided to join the First Lego League for high schoolers, and recruited Lerner to join although he was only a seventh grader.

The teams first year together focused on a challenge called City Shaper, which required teams to form ideas that would improve city life. With his new teammates, Lerner helped devise the idea of an improved pedestrian safety system that would alert drivers of nearby pedestrians.

With this idea, the Exit 65A team won the New Jersey Robotics State Championship in 2020. The team was invited to present its invention at the Robotics World Festival in Detroit, but the event was canceled due to Covid.

In spring 2021, the team decided to apply for the MIT-Lemelson InvenTeams Grant, which would allow it to further develop its pedestrian safety module.

In August 2021, the team was notified that it was one of 30 finalists, out of which eight would receive the grant. Two months later, it was formally announced the Exit 65A team would receive the grant for its invention.

The MaPSS would replace the pedestrian crossing systems currently in use. Utilizing internal components such as a radio and radar, the module detects pedestrians and shines lights to alert drivers.

Prior to the recent EurekaFest, the team wanted professional input on its invention and turned to Livingston officials and police officers. We found that the officials were very receptive to our idea and thought it a viable solution to pedestrian safety, commented Lerner.

At the festival, the team presented a MaPSS prototype to MIT staff and other grant recipients. A small-scale road was constructed with blind turns and hills to show how the teams solution impacts current driving habits.

My favorite part of the process has been working with my team and collaborating with them to solve any problems that may arise, added Lerner. We do sometimes encounter issues, but they allow us to come together and problem-solve as a team.

Next steps include obtaining a provisional patent, which is already under way. Then, the team wishes to road test MaPSS, which was limited due to the grants guidelines on human testing.

I am very honored to have received this grant, and further motivated to keep this process going after attending the Eureka Festival, concluded Lerner. I am excited to keep working on this project to see where we can take it.

Continue reading here:

Millington teen and robotics teammates address pedestrian safety - New Jersey Hills

Lab Robotics Market 2022 Projections and Future Opportunities Recorded for the Period 2030 Designer Women – Designer Women

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Quadintel published a new report on theLab RoboticsMarket. The research report consists of thorough information about demand, growth, opportunities, challenges, and restraints. In addition, it delivers an in-depth analysis of the structure and possibility of global and regional industries.

Global Lab Robotics Market is valued approximately at USD $$ Billion in 2021 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than % over the forecast period 2022-2030.

Lab Robotics are the robots used in laboratories to perform multiple tasks like capping clipping labeling and dispensing. They help in managing workflow. Accuracy of the robots while performing tasks in the laboratories, high productivity with minimal wastage has driven the Lab Robotics Market.

Request To Download Sample of This Strategic Report: https://www.quadintel.com/request-sample/lab-robotics-market/QI037

For Instance: A study carried out in the Tokyo evaluated that up to 80% of task in life science industry can benefit vastly with high productivity rate by using lab robotics Also, increasing number of widespread evaluation studies and development of industry and task specific lab robots is most likely to boost the overall growth of the Global Lab Robotics Market. However, lack of utility guidelines, high installation cost and lack flexibility during multiple tasks can obstruct the markets expansion over the projection period of 2022-2028.

The key regions considered for the GlobalLab Robotics Marketstudy includes Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading region across the world. Advancement in robotic technology and presence of trained professionals to control the robots is driving the market growth in the North America. Whereas, Asia Pacific is also anticipated to exhibit highest growth rate over the forecast period 2022-2028. The market is expected to grow during the projected period, due to rising automation in the laboratories.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The pandemic of COVID-19 has also reduced the availability of and demand for non-COVID-19-related medical treatment. A wide range of treatments, including emergency care for acute diseases, routine check-ups, and recommended cancer screenings, are being postponed or avoided by patients. Undiagnosed illnesses and a failure to intervene early will have serious long-term health consequences. COVID-19 has accelerated a variety of existing and emerging healthcare trends, including changing consumer attitudes and habits, the convergence of life science and health care, rapid advances in digital health technologies, and new talent and care delivery models, to name a few.

Request a Sample PDF copy of the report @https://www.quadintel.com/request-sample/lab-robotics-market/QI037

Major market player included in this report are:

Ab Controls

Aurora Biomed

Peak Analysis and Automation

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Yaskawa Electric

Tecan Group

Chemspeed Technologies Als Automated Lab Solutions

Hudson Robotics

Universal Robots

St Robotics

The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the Application within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:

By End-User:

Pharmaceutical Industry

Life Science Industry

Biopharmaceutical Industry

Research Laboratories

Clinical Laboratories

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORThttps://www.quadintel.com/request-sample/lab-robotics-market/QI037

By Region:

North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

Spain

Italy

ROE

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

Australia

South Korea

RoAPAC

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of the World

Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year 2018, 2019, 2020

Base year 2021

Forecast period 2022 to 2028

Target Audience of the Global Lab Robotics Market in Market Study:

Key Consulting Companies & Advisors

Large, medium-sized, and small enterprises

Venture capitalists

Value-Added Resellers (VARs)

Third-party knowledge providers

Investment bankers

Investors

Access full Report Description, TOC, Table of Figure, Chart, etc. @ https://www.quadintel.com/request-sample/lab-robotics-market/QI037

Table of Contents:

Factors Influencing

The global market is forecast to witness a rapid growth, owing to increasing demand for technological advancements from end-users. Moreover, increasing investments in research and development activities, launches, partnerships, and other strategic initiatives will benefit the market. Furthermore, the growing focus of authorities towards increasing urbanization and industrialization is forecast to drive the market growth.

What aspects regarding the regional analysis Market are included in this report?

Request Full Report : https://www.quadintel.com/request-sample/lab-robotics-market/QI037

About Quadintel:

We are the best market research reports provider in the industry. Quadintel believes in providing quality reports to clients to meet the top line and bottom line goals which will boost your market share in todays competitive environment. Quadintel is a one-stop solution for individuals, organizations, and industries that are looking for innovative market research reports.

Get in Touch with Us:

Quadintel:Email:sales@quadintel.comAddress: Office 500 N Michigan Ave, Suite 600, Chicago, Illinois 60611, UNITED STATESTel: +1 888 212 3539 (US TOLL FREE)Website:https://www.quadintel.com/

Read the original post:

Lab Robotics Market 2022 Projections and Future Opportunities Recorded for the Period 2030 Designer Women - Designer Women

What is quantum computing? – TechTarget

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Quantum computing is an area of study focused on the development of computer based technologies centered around the principles ofquantum theory. Quantum theory explains the nature and behavior of energy and matter on thequantum(atomic and subatomic) level. Quantum computing uses a combination ofbitsto perform specific computational tasks. All at a much higher efficiency than their classical counterparts. Development ofquantum computersmark a leap forward in computing capability, with massive performance gains for specific use cases. For example quantum computing excels at like simulations.

The quantum computer gains much of its processing power through the ability for bits to be in multiple states at one time. They can perform tasks using a combination of 1s, 0s and both a 1 and 0 simultaneously. Current research centers in quantum computing include MIT, IBM, Oxford University, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In addition, developers have begun gaining access toquantum computers through cloud services.

Quantum computing began with finding its essential elements. In 1981, Paul Benioff at Argonne National Labs came up with the idea of a computer that operated with quantum mechanical principles. It is generally accepted that David Deutsch of Oxford University provided the critical idea behind quantum computing research. In 1984, he began to wonder about the possibility of designing a computer that was based exclusively on quantum rules, publishing a breakthrough paper a few months later.

Quantum Theory

Quantum theory's development began in 1900 with a presentation by Max Planck. The presentation was to the German Physical Society, in which Planck introduced the idea that energy and matter exists in individual units. Further developments by a number of scientists over the following thirty years led to the modern understanding of quantum theory.

Quantum Theory

The Essential Elements of Quantum Theory:

Further Developments of Quantum Theory

Niels Bohr proposed the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory. This theory asserts that a particle is whatever it is measured to be, but that it cannot be assumed to have specific properties, or even to exist, until it is measured. This relates to a principle called superposition. Superposition claims when we do not know what the state of a given object is, it is actually in all possible states simultaneously -- as long as we don't look to check.

To illustrate this theory, we can use the famous analogy of Schrodinger's Cat. First, we have a living cat and place it in a lead box. At this stage, there is no question that the cat is alive. Then throw in a vial of cyanide and seal the box. We do not know if the cat is alive or if it has broken the cyanide capsule and died. Since we do not know, the cat is both alive and dead, according to quantum law -- in a superposition of states. It is only when we break open the box and see what condition the cat is in that the superposition is lost, and the cat must be either alive or dead.

The principle that, in some way, one particle can exist in numerous states opens up profound implications for computing.

A Comparison of Classical and Quantum Computing

Classical computing relies on principles expressed by Boolean algebra; usually Operating with a 3 or 7-modelogic gateprinciple. Data must be processed in an exclusive binary state at any point in time; either 0 (off / false) or 1 (on / true). These values are binary digits, or bits. The millions of transistors and capacitors at the heart of computers can only be in one state at any point. In addition, there is still a limit as to how quickly these devices can be made to switch states. As we progress to smaller and faster circuits, we begin to reach the physical limits of materials and the threshold for classical laws of physics to apply.

The quantum computer operates with a two-mode logic gate:XORand a mode called QO1 (the ability to change 0 into a superposition of 0 and 1). In a quantum computer, a number of elemental particles such as electrons or photons can be used. Each particle is given a charge, or polarization, acting as a representation of 0 and/or 1. Each particle is called a quantum bit, or qubit. The nature and behavior of these particles form the basis of quantum computing and quantum supremacy. The two most relevant aspects of quantum physics are the principles of superposition andentanglement.

Superposition

Think of a qubit as an electron in a magnetic field. The electron's spin may be either in alignment with the field, which is known as aspin-upstate, or opposite to the field, which is known as aspin-downstate. Changing the electron's spin from one state to another is achieved by using a pulse of energy, such as from alaser. If only half a unit of laser energy is used, and the particle is isolated the particle from all external influences, the particle then enters a superposition of states. Behaving as if it were in both states simultaneously.

Each qubit utilized could take a superposition of both 0 and 1. Meaning, the number of computations a quantum computer could take is 2^n, where n is the number of qubits used. A quantum computer comprised of 500 qubits would have a potential to do 2^500 calculations in a single step. For reference, 2^500 is infinitely more atoms than there are in the known universe. These particles all interact with each other via quantum entanglement.

In comparison to classical, quantum computing counts as trueparallel processing. Classical computers today still only truly do one thing at a time. In classical computing, there are just two or more processors to constitute parallel processing.EntanglementParticles (like qubits) that have interacted at some point retain a type can be entangled with each other in pairs, in a process known ascorrelation. Knowing the spin state of one entangled particle - up or down -- gives away the spin of the other in the opposite direction. In addition, due to the superposition, the measured particle has no single spin direction before being measured. The spin state of the particle being measured is determined at the time of measurement and communicated to the correlated particle, which simultaneously assumes the opposite spin direction. The reason behind why is not yet explained.

Quantum entanglement allows qubits that are separated by large distances to interact with each other instantaneously (not limited to the speed of light). No matter how great the distance between the correlated particles, they will remain entangled as long as they are isolated.

Taken together, quantum superposition and entanglement create an enormously enhanced computing power. Where a 2-bit register in an ordinary computer can store only one of four binary configurations (00, 01, 10, or 11) at any given time, a 2-qubit register in a quantum computer can store all four numbers simultaneously. This is because each qubit represents two values. If more qubits are added, the increased capacity is expanded exponentially.

Quantum Programming

Quantum computing offers an ability to write programs in a completely new way. For example, a quantum computer could incorporate a programming sequence that would be along the lines of "take all the superpositions of all the prior computations." This would permit extremely fast ways of solving certain mathematical problems, such as factorization of large numbers.

The first quantum computing program appeared in 1994 by Peter Shor, who developed a quantum algorithm that could efficiently factorize large numbers.

The Problems - And Some Solutions

The benefits of quantum computing are promising, but there are huge obstacles to overcome still. Some problems with quantum computing are:

There are many problems to overcome, such as how to handle security and quantum cryptography. Long time quantum information storage has been a problem in the past too. However, breakthroughs in the last 15 years and in the recent past have made some form of quantum computing practical. There is still much debate as to whether this is less than a decade away or a hundred years into the future. However, the potential that this technology offers is attracting tremendous interest from both the government and the private sector. Military applications include the ability to break encryptions keys via brute force searches, while civilian applications range from DNA modeling to complex material science analysis.

See the article here:

What is quantum computing? - TechTarget

QC Ware Announces Q2B22 Tokyo To Be Held July 13-14 – HPCwire

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 28, 2022 QC Ware, a leading quantum software and services company, today announced the inaugural Q2B22 Tokyo Practical Quantum Computing, to be held exclusively in person at The Westin Tokyo in Japan on July 13- 14, 2022. Q2B is the worlds largest gathering of the quantum computing community, focusing solely on quantum computing applications and driving the discourse on quantum advantage and commercialization. Registration and other information onQ2B22 Tokyo is available athttp://q2b.jp.

Q2B22 Tokyo will feature top academics, industry end users, government representatives, and quantum computing vendors from around the world.

Japan has led the way with ground-breaking research on quantum computing, said Matt Johnson, CEO of QC Ware. In addition, the ecosystem includes some of Japans largest enterprises, forward-thinking government organizations, and a thriving venture- backed startup community. Im excited to be able to connect the Japanese and international quantum computing ecosystems at this unique event.

QC Ware has been operating in Japan since 2019 and recently opened up an office in Tokyo.

Q2B22 Tokyo will be co-hosted by QunaSys, a leading Japanese developer company working on innovative algorithms focused on accelerating the development of quantum technology applicability in chemistry and sponsored by IBM Quantum.

Japans technology ecosystem is actively advancing quantum computing. QunaSys is a key player in boosting technology adoption, driving business, government, and academia collaboration to enable the quantum chemistry ecosystem. We are pleased to work with QC Ware and co-host Q2B22 Tokyo bringing Q2B to Japan, said Tennin Yan, CEO of QunaSys.

IBM Quantum has strategically invested in Japan to accelerate an ecosystem of world- class academic, private sector and government partners, including installation of the IBM Quantum System One at the University of Tokyo, and the co-development of the Quantum Innovation Initiative Consortium (QIIC), said Aparna Prabhakar, Vice President, Partners and Alliances, IBM Quantum. We are excited to work with QC Ware and QunaSys to bring experts from a wide variety of quantum computing fields to Q2B22 Tokyo.

Q2B22 Tokyo will feature keynotes from top academics such as:

Other keynotes include:

Japanese and international end-users discussing active quantum initiatives, such as:Automotive:

Materials and Chemistry:

Finance and more:

In addition to IBM Quantum, Q2B22 Tokyo, is sponsored by D-Wave Systems, KeysightTechnologies, NVIDIA, Quantinuum Ltd., Quantum Machines, andStrangeworks, Inc.Other sponsors include:

Q2B has been run by QC Ware since 2017, with the annual flagship event held in Northern Californias Silicon Valley. Q2B Silicon Valley is currently scheduled for December 6-8 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

About QC Ware

QC Ware is a quantum software and services company focused on ensuring enterprises are prepared for the emerging quantum computing disruption. QC Ware specializes in the development of applications for near-term quantum computing hardware with a team composed of some of the industrys foremost experts in quantum computing. Its growing network of customers includes AFRL, Aisin Group, Airbus, BMW Group, Covestro, Equinor, Goldman Sachs, Itau Unibanco, and Total. QC Ware Forge, the companys flagship quantum computing cloud service, is built for data scientists with no quantum computing background. It provides unique, performant, turnkey quantum computing algorithms. QC Ware is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and supports its European customers through its subsidiary in Paris and its Asian customers from a Tokyo office. QC Ware also organizes Q2B, the largest annual gathering of the international quantum computing community.

Source: QC Ware

See the original post here:

QC Ware Announces Q2B22 Tokyo To Be Held July 13-14 - HPCwire

Quantum computing will revolutionize every large industry – CTech

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Israeli Team8 venture group officially opened this years Cyber Week with an event that took place in Tel Aviv on Sunday. The event, which included international guests and cybersecurity professionals, showcased the country and the industry as a powerhouse in relation to Startup Nation.

Opening remarks were made by Niv Sultan, star of Apple TVs Tehran, who also moderated the event. She then welcomed Gili Drob-Heinstein, Executive Director at the Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center (ICRC) at Tel Aviv University, and Nadav Zafrir, Co-founder of Team8 and Managing Partner of Team8 Platform to the stage.

I would like to thank the 100 CSOs who came to stay with us, Zafrir said on stage. Guests from around the world had flown into Israel and spent time connecting with one another ahead of the official start of Cyber Week on Monday. Team8 was also celebrating its 8th year as a VC, highlighting the work it has done in the cybersecurity arena.

The stage was then filled with Admiral Mike Rogers and Nir Minerbi, Co-founder and CEO of Classiq, who together discussed The Quantum Opportunity in computing. Classical computers are great, but for some of the most complex challenges humanity is facing, they are not suitable, said Minerbi. Quantum computing will revolutionize every large industry.

Classiq develops software for quantum algorithms. Founded in 2020, it has raised a total of $51 million and is funded by Team8 among other VC players in the space. Admiral Mike Rogers is the Former Director of American agency the NSA and is an Operating Partner at Team8.

We are in a race, Rogers told the large crowd. This is a technology believed to have advantages for our daily lives and national security. I told both presidents I worked under why they should invest billions into quantum, citing the ability to look at multiple qubits simultaneously thus speeding up the ability to process information. According to Rogers, governments have already publicly announced $29 billion of funding to help develop quantum computing.

Final remarks were made by Renee Wynn, former CIO at NASA, who discussed the potential of cyber in space. Space may be the final frontier, and if we do not do anything else than what we are doing now, it will be chaos 100 miles above your head, she warned. On stage, she spoke to the audience about the threats in space and how satellites could be hijacked for nefarious reasons.

Cybersecurity and satellites are so important, she concluded. Lets bring the space teams together with the cybersecurity teams and help save lives.

After the remarks, the stage was then transformed to host the evenings entertainment. Israeli-American puppet band Red Band performed a variety of songs and was then joined by Marina Maximilian, an Israeli singer-songwriter and actress, who shared the stage with the colorful puppets.

The event was sponsored by Meitar, Delloitte, LeumiTech, Valley, Palo Alto, FinSec Innovation Lab, and SentinelOne. It marked the beginning of Cyber Week, a three-day conference hosted by Tel Aviv University that will welcome a variety of cybersecurity professionals for workshops, networking opportunities, and panel discussions. It is understood that this year will have 9,000 attendees, 400 speakers, and host people from 80 different countries.

2 View gallery

Red Band performing 'Seven Nation Army'.

(Photo: James Spiro)

More here:

Quantum computing will revolutionize every large industry - CTech

Quantum Error Correction: Time to Make It Work – IEEE Spectrum

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Dates chiseled into an ancient tombstone have more in common with the data in your phone or laptop than you may realize. They both involve conventional, classical information, carried by hardware that is relatively immune to errors. The situation inside a quantum computer is far different: The information itself has its own idiosyncratic properties, and compared with standard digital microelectronics, state-of-the-art quantum-computer hardware is more than a billion trillion times as likely to suffer a fault. This tremendous susceptibility to errors is the single biggest problem holding back quantum computing from realizing its great promise.

Fortunately, an approach known as quantum error correction (QEC) can remedy this problem, at least in principle. A mature body of theory built up over the past quarter century now provides a solid theoretical foundation, and experimentalists have demonstrated dozens of proof-of-principle examples of QEC. But these experiments still have not reached the level of quality and sophistication needed to reduce the overall error rate in a system.

The two of us, along with many other researchers involved in quantum computing, are trying to move definitively beyond these preliminary demos of QEC so that it can be employed to build useful, large-scale quantum computers. But before describing how we think such error correction can be made practical, we need to first review what makes a quantum computer tick.

Information is physical. This was the mantra of the distinguished IBM researcher Rolf Landauer. Abstract though it may seem, information always involves a physical representation, and the physics matters.

Conventional digital information consists of bits, zeros and ones, which can be represented by classical states of matter, that is, states well described by classical physics. Quantum information, by contrast, involves qubitsquantum bitswhose properties follow the peculiar rules of quantum mechanics.

A classical bit has only two possible values: 0 or 1. A qubit, however, can occupy a superposition of these two information states, taking on characteristics of both. Polarized light provides intuitive examples of superpositions. You could use horizontally polarized light to represent 0 and vertically polarized light to represent 1, but light can also be polarized on an angle and then has both horizontal and vertical components at once. Indeed, one way to represent a qubit is by the polarization of a single photon of light.

These ideas generalize to groups of n bits or qubits: n bits can represent any one of 2n possible values at any moment, while n qubits can include components corresponding to all 2n classical states simultaneously in superposition. These superpositions provide a vast range of possible states for a quantum computer to work with, albeit with limitations on how they can be manipulated and accessed. Superposition of information is a central resource used in quantum processing and, along with other quantum rules, enables powerful new ways to compute.

Researchers are experimenting with many different physical systems to hold and process quantum information, including light, trapped atoms and ions, and solid-state devices based on semiconductors or superconductors. For the purpose of realizing qubits, all these systems follow the same underlying mathematical rules of quantum physics, and all of them are highly sensitive to environmental fluctuations that introduce errors. By contrast, the transistors that handle classical information in modern digital electronics can reliably perform a billion operations per second for decades with a vanishingly small chance of a hardware fault.

Of particular concern is the fact that qubit states can roam over a continuous range of superpositions. Polarized light again provides a good analogy: The angle of linear polarization can take any value from 0 to 180 degrees.

Pictorially, a qubits state can be thought of as an arrow pointing to a location on the surface of a sphere. Known as a Bloch sphere, its north and south poles represent the binary states 0 and 1, respectively, and all other locations on its surface represent possible quantum superpositions of those two states. Noise causes the Bloch arrow to drift around the sphere over time. A conventional computer represents 0 and 1 with physical quantities, such as capacitor voltages, that can be locked near the correct values to suppress this kind of continuous wandering and unwanted bit flips. There is no comparable way to lock the qubits arrow to its correct location on the Bloch sphere.

Early in the 1990s, Landauer and others argued that this difficulty presented a fundamental obstacle to building useful quantum computers. The issue is known as scalability: Although a simple quantum processor performing a few operations on a handful of qubits might be possible, could you scale up the technology to systems that could run lengthy computations on large arrays of qubits? A type of classical computation called analog computing also uses continuous quantities and is suitable for some tasks, but the problem of continuous errors prevents the complexity of such systems from being scaled up. Continuous errors with qubits seemed to doom quantum computers to the same fate.

We now know better. Theoreticians have successfully adapted the theory of error correction for classical digital data to quantum settings. QEC makes scalable quantum processing possible in a way that is impossible for analog computers. To get a sense of how it works, its worthwhile to review how error correction is performed in classical settings.

Simple schemes can deal with errors in classical information. For instance, in the 19th century, ships routinely carried clocks for determining the ships longitude during voyages. A good clock that could keep track of the time in Greenwich, in combination with the suns position in the sky, provided the necessary data. A mistimed clock could lead to dangerous navigational errors, though, so ships often carried at least three of them. Two clocks reading different times could detect when one was at fault, but three were needed to identify which timepiece was faulty and correct it through a majority vote.

The use of multiple clocks is an example of a repetition code: Information is redundantly encoded in multiple physical devices such that a disturbance in one can be identified and corrected.

As you might expect, quantum mechanics adds some major complications when dealing with errors. Two problems in particular might seem to dash any hopes of using a quantum repetition code. The first problem is that measurements fundamentally disturb quantum systems. So if you encoded information on three qubits, for instance, observing them directly to check for errors would ruin them. Like Schrdingers cat when its box is opened, their quantum states would be irrevocably changed, spoiling the very quantum features your computer was intended to exploit.

The second issue is a fundamental result in quantum mechanics called the no-cloning theorem, which tells us it is impossible to make a perfect copy of an unknown quantum state. If you know the exact superposition state of your qubit, there is no problem producing any number of other qubits in the same state. But once a computation is running and you no longer know what state a qubit has evolved to, you cannot manufacture faithful copies of that qubit except by duplicating the entire process up to that point.

Fortunately, you can sidestep both of these obstacles. Well first describe how to evade the measurement problem using the example of a classical three-bit repetition code. You dont actually need to know the state of every individual code bit to identify which one, if any, has flipped. Instead, you ask two questions: Are bits 1 and 2 the same? and Are bits 2 and 3 the same? These are called parity-check questions because two identical bits are said to have even parity, and two unequal bits have odd parity.

The two answers to those questions identify which single bit has flipped, and you can then counterflip that bit to correct the error. You can do all this without ever determining what value each code bit holds. A similar strategy works to correct errors in a quantum system.

Learning the values of the parity checks still requires quantum measurement, but importantly, it does not reveal the underlying quantum information. Additional qubits can be used as disposable resources to obtain the parity values without revealing (and thus without disturbing) the encoded information itself.

Like Schrdingers cat when its box is opened, the quantum states of the qubits you measured would be irrevocably changed, spoiling the very quantum features your computer was intended to exploit.

What about no-cloning? It turns out it is possible to take a qubit whose state is unknown and encode that hidden state in a superposition across multiple qubits in a way that does not clone the original information. This process allows you to record what amounts to a single logical qubit of information across three physical qubits, and you can perform parity checks and corrective steps to protect the logical qubit against noise.

Quantum errors consist of more than just bit-flip errors, though, making this simple three-qubit repetition code unsuitable for protecting against all possible quantum errors. True QEC requires something more. That came in the mid-1990s when Peter Shor (then at AT&T Bell Laboratories, in Murray Hill, N.J.) described an elegant scheme to encode one logical qubit into nine physical qubits by embedding a repetition code inside another code. Shors scheme protects against an arbitrary quantum error on any one of the physical qubits.

Since then, the QEC community has developed many improved encoding schemes, which use fewer physical qubits per logical qubitthe most compact use fiveor enjoy other performance enhancements. Today, the workhorse of large-scale proposals for error correction in quantum computers is called the surface code, developed in the late 1990s by borrowing exotic mathematics from topology and high-energy physics.

It is convenient to think of a quantum computer as being made up of logical qubits and logical gates that sit atop an underlying foundation of physical devices. These physical devices are subject to noise, which creates physical errors that accumulate over time. Periodically, generalized parity measurements (called syndrome measurements) identify the physical errors, and corrections remove them before they cause damage at the logical level.

A quantum computation with QEC then consists of cycles of gates acting on qubits, syndrome measurements, error inference, and corrections. In terms more familiar to engineers, QEC is a form of feedback stabilization that uses indirect measurements to gain just the information needed to correct errors.

QEC is not foolproof, of course. The three-bit repetition code, for example, fails if more than one bit has been flipped. Whats more, the resources and mechanisms that create the encoded quantum states and perform the syndrome measurements are themselves prone to errors. How, then, can a quantum computer perform QEC when all these processes are themselves faulty?

Remarkably, the error-correction cycle can be designed to tolerate errors and faults that occur at every stage, whether in the physical qubits, the physical gates, or even in the very measurements used to infer the existence of errors! Called a fault-tolerant architecture, such a design permits, in principle, error-robust quantum processing even when all the component parts are unreliable.

A long quantum computation will require many cycles of quantum error correction (QEC). Each cycle would consist of gates acting on encoded qubits (performing the computation), followed by syndrome measurements from which errors can be inferred, and corrections. The effectiveness of this QEC feedback loop can be greatly enhanced by including quantum-control techniques (represented by the thick blue outline) to stabilize and optimize each of these processes.

Even in a fault-tolerant architecture, the additional complexity introduces new avenues for failure. The effect of errors is therefore reduced at the logical level only if the underlying physical error rate is not too high. The maximum physical error rate that a specific fault-tolerant architecture can reliably handle is known as its break-even error threshold. If error rates are lower than this threshold, the QEC process tends to suppress errors over the entire cycle. But if error rates exceed the threshold, the added machinery just makes things worse overall.

The theory of fault-tolerant QEC is foundational to every effort to build useful quantum computers because it paves the way to building systems of any size. If QEC is implemented effectively on hardware exceeding certain performance requirements, the effect of errors can be reduced to arbitrarily low levels, enabling the execution of arbitrarily long computations.

At this point, you may be wondering how QEC has evaded the problem of continuous errors, which is fatal for scaling up analog computers. The answer lies in the nature of quantum measurements.

In a typical quantum measurement of a superposition, only a few discrete outcomes are possible, and the physical state changes to match the result that the measurement finds. With the parity-check measurements, this change helps.

Imagine you have a code block of three physical qubits, and one of these qubit states has wandered a little from its ideal state. If you perform a parity measurement, just two results are possible: Most often, the measurement will report the parity state that corresponds to no error, and after the measurement, all three qubits will be in the correct state, whatever it is. Occasionally the measurement will instead indicate the odd parity state, which means an errant qubit is now fully flipped. If so, you can flip that qubit back to restore the desired encoded logical state.

In other words, performing QEC transforms small, continuous errors into infrequent but discrete errors, similar to the errors that arise in digital computers.

Researchers have now demonstrated many of the principles of QEC in the laboratoryfrom the basics of the repetition code through to complex encodings, logical operations on code words, and repeated cycles of measurement and correction. Current estimates of the break-even threshold for quantum hardware place it at about 1 error in 1,000 operations. This level of performance hasnt yet been achieved across all the constituent parts of a QEC scheme, but researchers are getting ever closer, achieving multiqubit logic with rates of fewer than about 5 errors per 1,000 operations. Even so, passing that critical milestone will be the beginning of the story, not the end.

On a system with a physical error rate just below the threshold, QEC would require enormous redundancy to push the logical rate down very far. It becomes much less challenging with a physical rate further below the threshold. So just crossing the error threshold is not sufficientwe need to beat it by a wide margin. How can that be done?

If we take a step back, we can see that the challenge of dealing with errors in quantum computers is one of stabilizing a dynamic system against external disturbances. Although the mathematical rules differ for the quantum system, this is a familiar problem in the discipline of control engineering. And just as control theory can help engineers build robots capable of righting themselves when they stumble, quantum-control engineering can suggest the best ways to implement abstract QEC codes on real physical hardware. Quantum control can minimize the effects of noise and make QEC practical.

In essence, quantum control involves optimizing how you implement all the physical processes used in QECfrom individual logic operations to the way measurements are performed. For example, in a system based on superconducting qubits, a qubit is flipped by irradiating it with a microwave pulse. One approach uses a simple type of pulse to move the qubits state from one pole of the Bloch sphere, along the Greenwich meridian, to precisely the other pole. Errors arise if the pulse is distorted by noise. It turns out that a more complicated pulse, one that takes the qubit on a well-chosen meandering route from pole to pole, can result in less error in the qubits final state under the same noise conditions, even when the new pulse is imperfectly implemented.

One facet of quantum-control engineering involves careful analysis and design of the best pulses for such tasks in a particular imperfect instance of a given system. It is a form of open-loop (measurement-free) control, which complements the closed-loop feedback control used in QEC.

This kind of open-loop control can also change the statistics of the physical-layer errors to better comport with the assumptions of QEC. For example, QEC performance is limited by the worst-case error within a logical block, and individual devices can vary a lot. Reducing that variability is very beneficial. In an experiment our team performed using IBMs publicly accessible machines, we showed that careful pulse optimization reduced the difference between the best-case and worst-case error in a small group of qubits by more than a factor of 10.

Some error processes arise only while carrying out complex algorithms. For instance, crosstalk errors occur on qubits only when their neighbors are being manipulated. Our team has shown that embedding quantum-control techniques into an algorithm can improve its overall success by orders of magnitude. This technique makes QEC protocols much more likely to correctly identify an error in a physical qubit.

For 25 years, QEC researchers have largely focused on mathematical strategies for encoding qubits and efficiently detecting errors in the encoded sets. Only recently have investigators begun to address the thorny question of how best to implement the full QEC feedback loop in real hardware. And while many areas of QEC technology are ripe for improvement, there is also growing awareness in the community that radical new approaches might be possible by marrying QEC and control theory. One way or another, this approach will turn quantum computing into a realityand you can carve that in stone.

This article appears in the July 2022 print issue as Quantum Error Correction at the Threshold.

From Your Site Articles

The Spooky Quantum Phenomenon You’ve Never Heard Of – Quanta Magazine

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Perhaps the most famously weird feature of quantum mechanics is nonlocality: Measure one particle in an entangled pair whose partner is miles away, and the measurement seems to rip through the intervening space to instantaneously affect its partner. This spooky action at a distance (as Albert Einstein called it) has been the main focus of tests of quantum theory.

Nonlocality is spectacular. I mean, its like magic, said Adn Cabello, a physicist at the University of Seville in Spain.

But Cabello and others are interested in investigating a lesser-known but equally magical aspect of quantum mechanics: contextuality. Contextuality says that properties of particles, such as their position or polarization, exist only within the context of a measurement. Instead of thinking of particles properties as having fixed values, consider them more like words in language, whose meanings can change depending on the context: Timeflies likean arrow. Fruitflies likebananas.

Although contextuality has lived in nonlocalitys shadow for over 50 years, quantum physicists now consider it more of a hallmark feature of quantum systems than nonlocality is. A single particle, for instance, is a quantum system in which you cannot even think about nonlocality, since the particle is only in one location, said Brbara Amaral, a physicist at the University of So Paulo in Brazil. So [contextuality] is more general in some sense, and I think this is important to really understand the power of quantum systems and to go deeper into why quantum theory is the way it is.

Researchers have also found tantalizing links between contextuality and problems that quantum computers can efficiently solve that ordinary computers cannot; investigating these links could help guide researchers in developing new quantum computing approaches and algorithms.

And with renewed theoretical interest comes a renewed experimental effort to prove that our world is indeed contextual. In February, Cabello, in collaboration with Kihwan Kim at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, published a paper in which they claimed to have performed the first loophole-free experimental test of contextuality.

The Northern Irish physicist John Stewart Bell is widely credited with showing that quantum systems can be nonlocal. By comparing the outcomes of measurements of two entangled particles, he showed with his eponymous theorem of 1965 that the high degree of correlations between the particles cant possibly be explained in terms of local hidden variables defining each ones separate properties. The information contained in the entangled pair must be shared nonlocally between the particles.

Bell also proved a similar theorem about contextuality. He and, separately, Simon Kochen and Ernst Specker showed that it is impossible for a quantum system to have hidden variables that define the values of all their properties in all possible contexts.

In Kochen and Speckers version of the proof, they considered a single particle with a quantum property called spin, which has both a magnitude and a direction. Measuring the spins magnitude along any direction always results in one of two outcomes: 1 or 0. The researchers then asked: Is it possible that the particle secretly knows what the result of every possible measurement will be before it is measured? In other words, could they assign a fixed value a hidden variable to all outcomes of all possible measurements at once?

Quantum theory says that the magnitudes of the spins along three perpendicular directions must obey the 101 rule: The outcomes of two of the measurements must be 1 and the other must be 0. Kochen and Specker used this rule to arrive at a contradiction. First, they assumed that each particle had a fixed, intrinsic value for each direction of spin. They then conducted a hypothetical spin measurement along some unique direction, assigning either 0 or 1 to the outcome. They then repeatedly rotated the direction of their hypothetical measurement and measured again, each time either freely assigning a value to the outcome or deducing what the value must be in order to satisfy the 101 rule together with directions they had previously considered.

They continued until, in the 117th direction, the contradiction cropped up. While they had previously assigned a value of 0 to the spin along this direction, the 101 rule was now dictating that the spin must be 1. The outcome of a measurement could not possibly return both 0 and 1. So the physicists concluded that there is no way a particle can have fixed hidden variables that remain the same regardless of context.

While the proof indicated that quantum theory demands contextuality, there was no way to actually demonstrate this through 117 simultaneous measurements of a single particle. Physicists have since devised more practical, experimentally implementable versions of the original Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem involving multiple entangled particles, where a particular measurement on one particle defines a context for the others.

In 2009, contextuality, a seemingly esoteric aspect of the underlying fabric of reality, got a direct application: One of the simplified versions of the original Bell-Kochen-Specker theorem was shown to be equivalent to a basic quantum computation.

The proof, named Mermins star after its originator, David Mermin, considered various combinations of contextual measurements that could be made on three entangled quantum bits, or qubits. The logic of how earlier measurements shape the outcomes of later measurements has become the basis for an approach called measurement-based quantum computing. The discovery suggested that contextuality might be key to why quantum computers can solve certain problems faster than classical computers an advantage that researchers have struggled mightily to understand.

Robert Raussendorf, a physicist at the University of British Columbia and a pioneer of measurement-based quantum computing, showed that contextuality is necessary for a quantum computer to beat a classical computer at some tasks, but he doesnt think its the whole story. Whether contextuality powers quantum computers is probably not exactly the right question to ask, he said. But we need to get there question by question. So we ask a question that we understand how to ask; we get an answer. We ask the next question.

Some researchers have suggested loopholes around Bell, Kochen and Speckers conclusion that the world is contextual. They argue that context-independent hidden variables havent been conclusively ruled out.

In February, Cabello and Kim announced that they had closed every plausible loophole by performing a loophole free Bell-Kochen-Specker experiment.

The experiment entailed measuring the spins of two entangled trapped ions in various directions, where the choice of measurement on one ion defined the context for the other ion. The physicists showed that, although making a measurement on one ion does not physically affect the other, it changes the context and hence the outcome of the second ions measurement.

Skeptics would ask: How can you be certain that the context created by the first measurement is what changed the second measurement outcome, rather than other conditions that might vary from experiment to experiment? Cabello and Kim closed this sharpness loophole by performing thousands of sets of measurements and showing that the outcomes dont change if the context doesnt. After ruling out this and other loopholes, they concluded that the only reasonable explanation for their results is contextuality.

Cabello and others think that these experiments could be used in the future to test the level of contextuality and hence, the power of quantum computing devices.

If you want to really understand how the world is working, said Cabello, you really need to go into the detail of quantum contextuality.

Link:

The Spooky Quantum Phenomenon You've Never Heard Of - Quanta Magazine

IonQ and GE Research Demonstrate High Potential of Quantum Computing for Risk Aggregation – Business Wire

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

COLLEGE PARK, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), an industry leader in quantum computing, today announced promising early results with its partner, GE Research, to explore the benefits of quantum computing for modeling multi-variable distributions in risk management.

Leveraging a Quantum Circuit Born Machine-based framework on standardized, historical indexes, IonQ and GE Research, the central innovation hub for the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), were able to effectively train quantum circuits to learn correlations among three and four indexes. The prediction derived from the quantum framework outperformed those of classical modeling approaches in some cases, confirming that quantum copulas can potentially lead to smarter data-driven analysis and decision-making across commercial applications. A blog post further explaining the research methodology and results is available here.

Together with GE Research, IonQ is pushing the boundaries of what is currently possible to achieve with quantum computing, said Peter Chapman, CEO and President, IonQ. While classical techniques face inefficiencies when multiple variables have to be modeled together with high precision, our joint effort has identified a new training strategy that may optimize quantum computing results even as systems scale. Tested on our industry-leading IonQ Aria system, were excited to apply these new methodologies when tackling real world scenarios that were once deemed too complex to solve.

While classical techniques to form copulas using mathematical approximations are a great way to build multi-variate risk models, they face limitations when scaling. IonQ and GE Research successfully trained quantum copula models with up to four variables on IonQs trapped ion systems by using data from four representative stock indexes with easily accessible and variating market environments.

By studying the historical dependence structure among the returns of the four indexes during this timeframe, the research group trained its model to understand the underlying dynamics. Additionally, the newly presented methodology includes optimization techniques that potentially allow models to scale by mitigating local minima and vanishing gradient problems common in quantum machine learning practices. Such improvements demonstrate a promising way to perform multi-variable analysis faster and more accurately, which GE researchers hope lead to new and better ways to assess risk with major manufacturing processes such as product design, factory operations, and supply chain management.

As we have seen from recent global supply chain volatility, the world needs more effective methods and tools to manage risks where conditions can be so highly variable and interconnected to one another, said David Vernooy, a Senior Executive and Digital Technologies Leader at GE Research. The early results we achieved in the financial use case with IonQ show the high potential of quantum computing to better understand and reduce the risks associated with these types of highly variable scenarios.

Todays results follow IonQs recent announcement of the companys new IonQ Forte quantum computing system. The system features novel, cutting-edge optics technology that enables increased accuracy and further enhances IonQs industry leading system performance. Partnerships with the likes of GE Research and Hyundai Motors illustrate the growing interest in our industry-leading systems and feeds into the continued success seen in Q1 2022.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. is a leader in quantum computing, with a proven track record of innovation and deployment. IonQ's current generation quantum computer, IonQ Forte, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems, including IonQ Aria, a system that boasts industry-leading 20 algorithmic qubits. Along with record performance, IonQ has defined what it believes is the best path forward to scale. IonQ is the only company with its quantum systems available through the cloud on Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as through direct API access. IonQ was founded in 2015 by Christopher Monroe and Jungsang Kim based on 25 years of pioneering research. To learn more, visit http://www.ionq.com.

IonQ Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature, including the words anticipate, expect, suggests, plan, believe, intend, estimates, targets, projects, should, could, would, may, will, forecast and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to IonQs ability to further develop and advance its quantum computers and achieve scale; IonQs ability to optimize quantum computing results even as systems scale; the expected launch of IonQ Forte for access by select developers, partners, and researchers in 2022 with broader customer access expected in 2023; IonQs market opportunity and anticipated growth; and the commercial benefits to customers of using quantum computing solutions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: market adoption of quantum computing solutions and IonQs products, services and solutions; the ability of IonQ to protect its intellectual property; changes in the competitive industries in which IonQ operates; changes in laws and regulations affecting IonQs business; IonQs ability to implement its business plans, forecasts and other expectations, and identify and realize additional partnerships and opportunities; and the risk of downturns in the market and the technology industry including, but not limited to, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors section of IonQs Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and other documents filed by IonQ from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and IonQ assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. IonQ does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

IonQ and GE Research Demonstrate High Potential of Quantum Computing for Risk Aggregation - Business Wire

US Pursues Next-gen Exascale Systems with 5-10x the Performance of Frontier – HPCwire

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

With the Linpack exaflops milestone achieved by the Frontier supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the United States is turning its attention to the next crop of exascale machines, some 5-10x more performant than Frontier. At least one such system is being planned for the 2025-2030 timeline, and the DOE is soliciting input from the vendor community to inform the design and procurement process.

A request for information (RFI) was issued today by the Department of Energy, seeking feedback from computing hardware and software vendors, system integrators, and other entities to assist the DOE National Laboratories in planning for next-gen exascale systems. The RFI says responses will inform one or more DOE system acquisition RFPs, which will describe requirements for system deliveries in the 20252030 timeframe. This could include the successor to Frontier (aka OLCF-6), the successor to Aurora (aka ALCF-5), the successor to Crossroads (aka ATS-5), the successor to El Capitan (aka ATS-6) as well as a next-generation NERSC system (possibly NERSC-11). Note that of the predecessor systems, only Frontier has been installed so far.

Heres an excerpt from the RFI:

DOE is interested in the deployment of one or more supercomputers that can solve scientific problems 5 to 10 times faster or solve more complex problems, such as those with more physics or requirements for higher fidelity than the current state-of-the-art systems. These future systems will include associated networks and data hierarchies. A capable software stack will meet the requirements of a broad spectrum of applications and workloads, including large-scale computational science campaigns in modeling and simulation, machine intelligence, and integrated data analysis. We expect these systems to operate within a power envelope of 2060 MW. These systems must be sufficiently resilient to hardware and software failures, in order to minimize requirements for user intervention. As the technologies evolve, we anticipate increased attention to resilience in other supercomputing system developments.

While the RFI states a desired overall performance increase of 5-10x, the notice sharpens the estimate to 1020+ FP64 exaflops systems in the 2025+ timeframe and 100+ FP64 exaflops in the 2030+ timeframe, achieved through hardware and software acceleration mechanisms.

This is roughly 8 times more than 2022 systems in 2026 and 64 times more in 2030, the RFI states. For lower-precision AI, there is an expected multiple of at least 8 to 16 times the FP64 rates.

A section on mission need stresses the importance of data-driven modeling and simulation to the nations science, energy and security priorities. [T]he United States must continue to push strategic advancements in HPC bringing about a grand convergence of modeling and simulation, data analytics, deep learning, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and other emerging capabilities across integrated infrastructures in computational ecosystems, the RFI states.

As such, these systems are expected to solve emerging data science, artificial intelligence, edge deployments at facilities, and science ecosystem problems, in addition to the traditional modeling and simulation applications.

The ideal future system will also be more agile, modular and extensible.

We also wish to explore the development of an approach that moves away from monolithic acquisitions toward a model for enabling more rapid upgrade cycles of deployed systems, to enable faster innovation on hardware and software. One possible strategy would include increased reuse of existing infrastructure so that the upgrades are modular. A goal would be to reimagine systems architecture and an efficient acquisition process that allows continuous injection of technological advances to a facility (e.g., every 1224 months rather than every 45 years), asserts the RFI.

A key thrust of the DOE supercomputing strategy is the creation of an Advanced Computing Ecosystem (ACE) that enables integration with other DOE facilities, including light source, data, materials science, and advanced manufacturing.

The next generation of supercomputers will need to be capable of being integrated into an ACE environment that supports automated workflows, combining one or more of these facilities to reduce the time from experiment and observation to scientific insight, the document states.

The information collected in response to the RFI will support next-generation system planning and decision-making at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory. The labs will use the information to update their advanced system roadmaps and to draft future RFPs (requests for proposals) for those systems.

The RFI published today has some similar hallmarks to the one issued by the Collaboration for Oak Ridge, Argonne and Livermore aka CORAL in 2012. However, a couple people I spoke with at Oak Ridge National Laboratory last week said they dont expect there to be another CORAL program, partly because the cadence is off on account of the rewritten Aurora contract. Delays and reconceptualizations moved that system from the CORAL-1 to CORAL-2 timeline.

The original CORAL contract called for three pre-exascale systems (~150-200 petaflops each) with at least two different architectures to manage risk. Only two systems Summit at Oak Ridge and Sierra at Livermore were completed in the intended timeframe, using nearly the same heterogeneous IBM-Nvidia architecture. CORAL-2 took a similar tack, calling for three exascale-class systems with at least two distinct architectures. Two of these systems Frontier and El Capitan are based on a very similar heterogenous HPE AMD+AMD architecture. The redefined Aurora which is based on the heterogenous HPE Intel+Intel architecture takes the place of the third system.

More here:

US Pursues Next-gen Exascale Systems with 5-10x the Performance of Frontier - HPCwire

Alan Turing’s Everlasting Contributions to Computing, AI and Cryptography – NIST

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

An enigma machine on display outside the Alan Turing Institute entrance inside the British Library, London.

Credit: Shutterstock/William Barton

Suppose someone asked you to devise the most powerful computer possible. Alan Turing, whose reputation as a central figure in computer science and artificial intelligence has only grown since his untimely death in 1954, applied his genius to problems such as this one in an age before computers as we know them existed. His theoretical work on this problem and others remains a foundation of computing, AI and modern cryptographic standards, including those NIST recommends.

The road from devising the most powerful computer possible to cryptographic standards has a few twists and turns, as does Turings brief life.

Alan Turing

Credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

In Turings time, mathematicians debated whether it was possible to build a single, all-purpose machine that could solve all problems that are computable. For example, we can compute a cars most energy-efficient route to a destination, and (in principle) the most likely way in which a string of amino acids will fold into a three-dimensional protein. Another example of a computable problem, important to modern encryption, is whether or not bigger numbers can be expressed as the product of two smaller numbers. For example, 6 can be expressed as the product of 2 and 3, but 7 cannot be factored into smaller integers and is therefore a prime number.

Some prominent mathematicians proposed elaborate designs for universal computers that would operate by following very complicated mathematical rules. It seemed overwhelmingly difficult to build such machines. It took the genius of Turing to show that a very simple machine could in fact compute all that is computable.

His hypothetical device is now known as a Turing machine. The centerpiece of the machine is a strip of tape, divided into individual boxes. Each box contains a symbol (such as A,C,T, G for the letters of genetic code) or a blank space. The strip of tape is analogous to todays hard drives that store bits of data. Initially, the string of symbols on the tape corresponds to the input, containing the data for the problem to be solved. The string also serves as the memory of the computer. The Turing machine writes onto the tape data that it needs to access later in the computation.

Credit: NIST

The device reads an individual symbol on the tape and follows instructions on whether to change the symbol or leave it alone before moving to another symbol. The instructions depend on the current state of the machine. For example, if the machine needs to decide whether the tape contains the text string TC it can scan the tape in the forward direction while switching among the states previous letter was T and previous letter was not C. If while in state previous letter was T it reads a C, it goes to a state found it and halts. If it encounters the blank symbol at the end of the input, it goes to the state did not find it and halts. Nowadays we would recognize the set of instructions as the machines program.

It took some time, but eventually it became clear to everyone that Turing was right: The Turing machine could indeed compute all that seemed computable. No number of additions or extensions to this machine could extend its computing capability.

To understand what can be computed it is helpful to identify what cannot be computed. Ina previous life as a university professor I had to teach programming a few times. Students often encounter the following problem: My program has been running for a long time; is it stuck? This is called the Halting Problem, and students often wondered why we simply couldnt detect infinite loops without actually getting stuck in them. It turns out a program to do this is an impossibility. Turing showed that there does not exist a machine that detects whether or not another machine halts. From this seminal result followed many other impossibility results. For example, logicians and philosophers had to abandon the dream of an automated way of detecting whether an assertion (such as whether there are infinitely many prime numbers) is true or false, as that is uncomputable. If you could do this, then you could solve the Halting Problem simply by asking whether the statement this machine halts is true or false.

Turing went on to make fundamental contributions to AI, theoretical biology and cryptography. His involvement with this last subject brought him honor and fame during World War II, when he played a very important role in adapting and extending cryptanalytic techniques invented by Polish mathematicians. This work broke the German Enigma machine encryption, making a significant contribution to the war effort.

Turing was gay. After the war, in 1952, the British government convicted him for having sex with a man. He stayed out of jail only by submitting to what is now called chemical castration. He died in 1954 at age 41 by cyanide poisoning, which was initially ruled a suicide but may have been an accident according to subsequent analysis. More than 50 years would pass before the British government apologized and pardoned him (after years of campaigning by scientists around the world). Today, the highest honor in computer sciences is called the Turing Award.

Turings computability work provided the foundation for modern complexity theory. This theory tries to answer the question Among those problems that can be solved by a computer, which ones can be solved efficiently? Here, efficiently means not in billions of years but in milliseconds, seconds, hours or days, depending on the computational problem.

For example, much of the cryptography that currently safeguards our data and communications relies on the belief that certain problems, such as decomposing an integer number into its prime factors, cannot be solved before the Sun turns into a red giant and consumes the Earth (currently forecast for 4 billion to 5 billion years). NIST is responsible for cryptographic standards that are used throughout the world. We could not do this work without complexity theory.

Technology sometimes throws us a curve, such as the discovery that if a sufficiently big and reliable quantum computer is built it would be able to factor integers, thus breaking some of our cryptography. In this situation, NIST scientists must rely on the worlds experts (many of them in-house) in order to update our standards. There are deep reasons to believe that quantum computers will not be able to break the cryptography that NIST is about to roll out. Among these reasons is that Turings machine can simulate quantum computers. This implies that complexity theory gives us limits on what a powerful quantum computer can do.

But that is a topic for another day. For now, we can celebrate how Turing provided the keys to much of todays computing technology and even gave us hints on how to solve looming technological problems.

What’s the deal with political correctness? – ReachOut Australia

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

If youve ever spent time in a Facebook comments thread, its easy to be confused about whether being PC is a good thing or not. There are lots of people in either camp, all ready to passionately defend their positions. But what does it all mean? Has political correctness gone too far, or do we just need a reminder about what being PC actually means?

In a nutshell, political correctness means avoiding language and actions that insult, exclude or harm people who are already experiencing disadvantage and discrimination. Some everyday examples of politically correct behaviour include:

When people complain about political correctness gone mad, its usually because they associate being PC with being unable to act and behave as they please. Oftentimes, people who practise political correctness are accused of denying other people the right to free speech, or of sucking the fun out of everything.

The argument that being PC prevents freedom of speech is flawed. Freedom of speech gives a person the right to say what they feel, but it also gives other people the right to point out if they are being offensive. Freedom of speech doesnt mean your words cant be criticised; it just means you cant be silenced.

Some people also ignore political correctness for the sake of having a laugh. When someone jokes about a group theyre not a part of, their words can contribute to discrimination against that group. The person who is making the joke doesnt have a lot to lose, but the people who are the butt of the joke often do.

Political correctness is an important idea that protects people who are vulnerable to discrimination, but it can be misunderstood.

When model Kendall Jenner did a photoshoot for Vogue magazine dressed as a ballerina, it ruffled a few feathers. There were complaints that the photoshoot was offensive because it appropriated the ballerina culture. Some people felt that the photoshoot robbed ballerinas of work they were more qualified for than Jenner.

This incident wasnt a case of cultural appropriation, because dancers and ballet culture werent being discriminated against, and ballerinas arent an oppressed group of people, unlike groups whove experienced discrimination and disadvantages in many ways, such as Aboriginal Australians or women.

Political correctness is intended to help us use language that helps instead of harms. Whether the discrimination comes from racism, homophobia, sexism or transphobia, the bottom line remains the same. Being PC just means you understand that your actions affect people who are vulnerable to discrimination. While things can occasionally get out of hand when people forget what certain concepts such as cultural appropriation mean, its important that were all aware of the effects of our actions and words.

See the original post here:

What's the deal with political correctness? - ReachOut Australia

11 Examples Of Political Correctness Gone Mad – HITC

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Heres 11 examples of political correctness gone mad.

1. The BBC has dropped the use of the terms Before Christ (BC) and Anno Domini (AD) on one of their programmes and decided that the terms Before Common Era / Common Eraare more appropriate

2. The European Parliament introducedproposals tooutlawtitles stating marital status such as Miss and Mrs so as not to causeoffence. It also meant that Madame and Mademoiselle, Frau and Frauleinand Senora and Senorita would bebanned.

3. Throughout several US councils and organisations, any terms using the word man as aprefix or suffix have been ruled as not being politically correct.Manhole is nowreferred to as a utility or maintenance hole.

4. Loveablecartoon rogue Dennis the Menace has been given a politically correct make over. BBC chiefs decided totake away his edge in the remake. Gone are his bombs, catapult, water pistol and peashooter and in their place is a simpleboyish grin.

5. SpottedDick a classicEnglish dessert has been renamed to avoid embarrassment. The traditional pudSpotted Dick has been given the title Spotted Richard, after UK council bossesfearedthe original namemight cause offence.

6. A school in Seattle renamed its Easter eggs springspheres to avoid causing offence to people who did not celebrate Easter.

7. A UK council has banned the term brainstorming and replaced it with thought showers, as local lawmakers thought the term may offend epileptics.

8.A UK recruiter was stunned when herjob advert for reliable and hard-working applicants wasrejected by the job centre as it could be offensive to unreliable and lazy people.

9. Gillingham fans had begun to fondly offer celery to their goalkeeper, Big Fat Jim Stannard. The club, however, decided thatcelery could result in health and safety issues inside the ground. As a result,fans were subjected to celery searches with the ultimate sanction forpossession of celeryallegedly being a life ban.

10. In 2007, Santa Clauses in Sydney, Australia, were banned from sayingHo Ho Ho. Their employer, the recruitment firm Westaff (that supplieshundreds of Santas across Australia), allegedly told all trainees that ho ho ho couldfrighten children, and be derogatory to women. Why ? Because Ho Ho Ho is tooclose to the American (not Australian, mind you) slang for prostitute.

11. Some USschools now have a holiday treeevery at Christmas, rather than a Christmas tree.

Read the original here:

11 Examples Of Political Correctness Gone Mad - HITC

The comedy of Steven Wright: Cerebral, offbeat and politically incorrect? – PW-Philadelphia Weekly

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

From Dave Chappelle to Joe Rogan to Louis C.K., standup comedians have increasingly become victims of cancel culture. In the cases of the above-mentioned jokesters, the nature of their acts (and, in the case of C.K., personal life) make them obvious targets of those who come down on the side of political correctness. But who could ever imagine veteran funny guy Steven Wright earning the wrath of the woke?

After all, the 66-year-old Boston-area native has gained fame and fortune with cerebral, kooky lines like: A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me. Im afraid of widths. And, If you are in a spaceship travelling at the speed of light and you turn on the headlights, does anything happen? But it turns out even he has raised the ire of the politically correct.

I had this joke: A friend of mine has a trophy wife, and apparently it wasnt first place, offered the comic who is on the road throughout this year Now, [people are] upset over it for two reasons. Theyre upset because a trophy wife obviously is a woman based on how she looks. I didnt invent this concept. The trophy wife has been around for 50 years. But theyre outraged by this.

But being Steven Wright, he has conjured an offbeat defense to such responses. He explained that he prefaces the joke by saying, Would you like to hear a politically incorrect joke? Receiving an affirmative response from the audience, he then says: You sure you want to hear it? The ushers are gonna bring down a piece of paper. Youre gonna have to sign a release, that you agree to hear this joke.

And then I tell the joke, and then theyre still upset, but I just bow [and say], I asked you. And you said, yes. And youre still upset, but I got to tell the joke anyway!

In a more serious vein, Wright, whose onstage delivery can be described as deadpan-bordering-on-catatonic, added he has a line that he has yet to use in a performance: If you minded your own business, you wouldnt be offended.

Crediting Carlin

Although their public personas and use of language (Wrights act is devoid of four-letter words) couldnt be more different, Wright has always counted the late George Carlin as a major influence on his particular brand of comedy. That, he said, is because, he talked about every day, little things, like just all the little things that everyone sees and deals with, and thats what I do. Im talking about the most mundane things. Im talking about microwave ovens and sponges. So thats how he influenced me: What to talk about.

Wright added that he was sure he knows what Carlin, a vociferous defender of free speech who died in 2008, would think of cancel culture. I would love to hear what he would be saying about this, he said. He would rip this. He would shred this.

Human radar screen

Whether the subject is dating, sex or politics, so much of standup comedy is the result of personal experiences on the part of the performer, who exaggerates common, relatable happenstances to comedic effect. But Wright deals in concepts so bizarre and surreal that most people could never conceive of them, much less relate to them. So how does he mine his comedy gold?

I just notice the world through my day, whatever Im doing, he explained. Im like subconsciously scanning. Airport control towers have that radar with that arm that sweeps around, and the little blips are the planes, you know?

So I have one of those in my head; its just sweeping around, scanning for something weird. I mean, I dont get up and go to the store [expecting] there will be something weird. I just automatically, notice stuff. Thats where the jokes come from.

No interest in series TV

Wrights unique, intrinsically hilarious space-cadet character would seem perfectly suited to be the foundation of a situation comedy. But that has never happened and, he insisted, never will.

There were a couple of situations that were presented, but they just seemed overwhelming to me, he admitted. I didnt know how my humor would go into that situation, although my persona could have gone into it. It wouldnt have to be my jokes of course, but the idea of going into something that large with all those people in a network and everything, it seemed too much to me.

Id rather just be alone or off to the side.

See the rest here:

The comedy of Steven Wright: Cerebral, offbeat and politically incorrect? - PW-Philadelphia Weekly

Lightyear flop is a sign audiences are weary of Hollywood wokeness – New York Post

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Hollywood was founded by, and for generations run by, pure showmen who were fanatically devoted to giving the audience what it wanted. Today Hollywoods message is, Let us entertain you! But first, a brief lecture on whats wrong with you, the audience

Artists and entertainment corporations have always been desperate to be taken seriously, hence their need to manufacture respectability via awards given out by high-falutin, august-sounding institutions such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (Sciences? You guys are creating pretty pictures, not curing cancer.)

The Oscars originally went to box office giants glossy romantic dramas and swaggering historical epics. Then the movie industry divided into awards pictures and audience pictures. In the past few years, even the audience pictures have started to fill up with reminders about racism, feminism, immigration, etc. These are important matters, but people go to the movies primarily for escape.

One reason Top Gun: Maverick is such a huge success the biggest movie of Tom Cruises career and probably the biggest movie of this year is that it simply ignores all quarrelsome real-world issues. TG:M seeks merely to entertain, not to persuade you that the people who made it are virtuous.

Meanwhile, Disneys much-touted Lightyear came out and did surprisingly poorly after a lot of week-of-release talk about the lesbian relationship in the film. The same-sex marriage is a small part of the story and no one should be bothered by the existence of gay people, even in a kids movie, but the shocking underperformance must have Disney wondering whether people stayed away because they thought (even if mistakenly) that Lightyear was a message movie.

Disneys decision to spend a couple of minutes of screen time reminding us that its a gay-friendly company may well have cost it millions in ticket sales for what was supposed to be its annual Pixar mega-blockbuster. Disney has to consider the idea that there might be many Pixar fans who have no problem with gay marriage who nevertheless would prefer the matter be left out of kids movies. Disney also chose a side in the Florida dispute about teaching sexual orientation to little kids, and it may have damaged one of the worlds most valuable brands.

James Patterson the quintessence of a popular writer who doesnt care about sending a message was swamped with criticism when he suggested white male writers in Hollywood are victims of just another form of racism. That sounds dumb on the surface, but every producer in Hollywood is loudly proclaiming his commitment to inclusivity, which is another way of saying he is desperate to hire people other than non-handicapped straight white males. TV networks are proudly announcing new requirements that (at, for instance, CBS) at least 50% of staff writers be members of minority groups. Once hired, such staffers often push for stories about pressing social problems.

Result? A British TV survey found that 62% of viewers think political correctness has gone too far.

Im in a lot of meetings now, where people tell me, This will never get on because its not woke enough, observes Egyptian-born British comedy writer-producer Ash Atalla. Polling shows TV producers are much more interested in foregrounding issues such as transgender rights than the British public (which is notably more PC than we Americans are). In the US, a poll focusing on the entertainment industry found that 65% agree that corporate wokeness has gone too far.

Its amusing that members of the entertainment industry often refer to it as the industry, as though they have forgotten the most important word. With the collapse in Netflixs stock price, Disneys box office headache and the revival of Top Gun, Hollywood execs must be wondering whether their progressive politics have amounted to a kind of self-imposed woke tax.

Kyle Smith is critic-at-large for National Review.

Lightyear flop is a sign audiences are weary of Hollywood wokeness - New York Post

Ross Douthat: The end of Roe is just the beginning – St. Paul Pioneer Press

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

By any reasonable political science theory, any normal supposition about how power works in our republic, this day should not have come.

The anti-abortion movement has spent half a century trying to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that was presumed to reflect the enlightened consensus of the modern age. It has worked against the publics status quo bias, which made Roe v. Wade itself popular, even if the country remained conflicted about the underlying issue. Against the near-universal consensus of the media, academic and expert class. Against the desires of politicians who were nominally supportive of its cause, the preferences of substantial portions of American conservatisms donor class.

Across all those years the anti-abortion cause also swam against the sociological and religious currents of American life, which have favored social liberalism and secularization. It found little vocal support among Hollywoods culture-shapers and crusaders for social justice, or the corporate entities that have lately embraced so many progressive causes. It was hampered by the hiddenness of the injustice it opposed, the voicelessness of the constituency on whose behalf it tried to speak.

And it worked against the weight of the American class hierarchy, since anti-abortion sentiment is stronger among less-educated and lower-income Americans exactly the wrong constituency to start with, according to cynics and realists alike, if you want to pressure the elite or change the world.

More, the anti-abortion movement has had to succeed twice. Its entirely true that the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade is the work of a somewhat accidental supermajority, created by the haphazard interaction between judicial mortality and Donald Trumps unlikely victory.

But its also true that the anti-abortion side already built an apparent high court majority the standard way, in the Reagan era, by supporting Republican presidents who won big, popular majorities and appointed a raft of justices whose philosophy was supposedly opposed to the liberal policymaking of the Warren court.

When three of those justices, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter and Sandra Day OConnor, voted to effectively uphold Roe in 1992s Planned Parenthood v. Casey, their decision clearly aspired to be a permanent settlement, a call to end a national controversy with a common mandate rooted in the Constitution. The anti-abortion movement was an always-marginal and embattled cause, and in that moment it did seem defeated.

Yet 30 years later, here we are. And for all the contingency involved, future scholars of mass movements will find in the anti-abortion cause a remarkable example of sustained activism against substantial odds, of grassroots mobilization in defiance of elite consensus of democratic virtues, to borrow from political scientist Jon Shields, that would be much more widely recognized and studied if they had not been exercised in a cause opposed by progressives and the left.

But the story doesnt end here. While the anti-abortion movement has won the right to legislate against abortion, it has not yet proven that it can do so in a way that can command durable majority support. Its weaknesses will not disappear in victory. Its foes and critics have been radicalized by its judicial success. And the vicissitudes of politics and its own compromises have linked the anti-abortion cause to various toxic forces on the right some libertine and hyperindividualist, others simply hostile to synthesis, conciliation and majoritarian politics.

The anti-abortion movement is inevitably bound to some kind of conservatism, insofar as an anti-abortion ethic is hard to separate from a conservative ethic around sex, monogamy and marriage. But among its own writers and activists, the movement has understood itself to also be carrying on the best of Americas tradition of social reform, including causes associated with liberalism and progressivism.

At the same time the anti-abortion movements many critics regard it as not merely conservative but as an embodiment of reaction at its worst punitive and cruel and patriarchal, piling burdens on poor women and doing nothing to relieve them, putting unborn life ahead of the lives and health of women while pretending to hold them equal.

To win the long-term battle, to persuade the countrys vast disquieted middle, opponents of abortion need models that prove this critique wrong. They need to show how abortion restrictions are compatible with the goods that abortion advocates accuse them of compromising the health of the poorest women, the flourishing of their children, the dignity of motherhood even when it comes unexpectedly or amid great difficulty.

These issues may be secondary compared with the life-or-death question of abortion itself, but they are essential to the holistic aspects of political and ideological debate. In any great controversy, people are swayed to one side or another not just by the rightness of a particular position, but by whether that position is embedded in a social vision that seems generally attractive, desirable, worth siding with and fighting for.

Here some of the pathologies of right-wing governance could pave a path to failure for the anti-abortion movement. You can imagine a future in which anti-abortion laws are permanently linked to a punitive and stingy politics, in which women in difficulties can face police scrutiny for a suspicious miscarriage but receive little in the way of prenatal guidance or postnatal support. In that world, serious abortion restrictions would be sustainable in the most conservative parts of the country, but probably nowhere else, and the long-term prospects for national abortion rights legislation would be bright.

But there are other possible futures. The anti-abortion impulse could control and improve conservative governance rather than being undermined by it, making the GOP more serious about family policy and public health. Well-governed conservative states like Utah could model new approaches to family policy; states in the Deep South could be prodded into more generous policy by anti-abortion activists; big red states like Texas could remain magnets for internal migration even with restrictive abortion laws.

And it is not only the anti-abortion movement that could alienate the conflicted middle in the post-Roe world. The pro-abortion rights side is presently in danger of jettisoning its time-tested rhetorical moves in the name of progressive political correctness and refusing to compromise its maximalist policy demands.

Moreover, certain redoubts of contemporary progressivism have a grimmer spirit unhappy, sterile, future-fearing than the youthful atmosphere of 1960s liberalism in which the abortion rights movement won so many victories. If Alabama and Mississippi arent the best advertisements for the anti-abortion vision, neither are Seattle and San Francisco necessarily brilliant advertisements for where uncut social liberalism ends up.

All of which is to say that any confident prediction about this rulings consequences is probably a foolish one. There can be no certainty about the future of abortion politics because for almost 50 years all policy debates have been overshadowed by judicial controversy, and only now are we about to find out what the contest really looks like. Its merely the end of the beginning; the true end, in whatever settlement or victory, lies ahead.

Ross Douthat writes a column for the New York Times.

View original post here:

Ross Douthat: The end of Roe is just the beginning - St. Paul Pioneer Press

The Metaverse: A Universe without Culture – Stanford Review

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Facebooks recent rebranding as Meta spurred renewed interest in the idea of a metaverse an immersive digital world that allows for interpersonal interaction. The newly renamed company aims to refocus its efforts on creating metaverses for social life, work, and entertainment. A slew of other organizations, including both startups and tech bellwethers like Microsoft and Activision, have joined this effort.

If Metas goals are realized, individuals will presumably spend significant amounts of social and work time inside immersive digital environments, surrounded by people from all around the world in identical settings. Despite its seeming promise, this goal will have devastating impacts on cultures around the globe. The values of the Western elite encompassing ideas from religion and culture to political correctness are already being rapidly exported internationally through traditional social media, films, and American brands. If everyone across the globe spends their time in a single digital world shaped by those same Western elites, what cultural differences will still remain? We should discourage widespread adoption of the metaverse because it will hasten the decline of political and cultural diversity.

Economic globalization has played a critical role in building a consumer mono-culture. Brands and companies from global superpowers like the US and China dominate the consumption patterns of people especially the elite around the world. Huawei billboards fill airports across South America and iconic American fashion brands and music act as universal status symbols. These cultural exchanges are almost always unidirectional economically and politically weaker nations adopt the languages and consumption patterns of stronger ones. Speaking English is seen as a ticket to success around the globe and trends that begin in the US are gradually exported abroad.

However, even amid this consumerist onslaught, countries have been partially successful in maintaining their distinct cultural and political values. These differences are evident even across the seemingly aligned Western liberal democracies. Elements of French society, for example, have forcefully resisted the growth and spread of contemporary American progressivism. One of the most powerful forces persevering distinct cultures and communities is their unique physical surroundings. When citizens of a country spend their days in local schools, cafes, and parks, they reinforce cultural ties with their fellow citizens and form a shared view of the world. Even beyond the people, unique culture is inextricably tied to material aspects of the physical world such as architecture, food, and music and the symbolism that they convey. Thus, the constant presence of these distinct material elements strengthens cultural ties within each region.

Adoption of the metaverse will fundamentally change this reality. Today, individuals can already communicate with anyone via chat or video call, but this medium is incredibly impersonal. Most people use digital communication as an inferior substitute for in-person interactions. But if metaverse technology continues to improve, people will truly be able to have social circles that extend beyond their local communities. Spending time in these spaces could even become required as companies encourage their employees to work from home and businesses like Meta, Microsoft, and others rush to provide metaverse services to fulfill these needs. In these digital venues, what will be the accepted custom for interaction, and what kinds of discourse will be tolerated?

In both these regards, elite American and European norms will prevail. This principle has already been played out to a lesser degree in international work norms and the culture of social networks like Instagram and Facebook. Almost all international business is conducted in English and social standards are driven by elite American speech codes. Social networks are moderated with American norms surrounding political correctness and acceptable speech.

The metaverse would follow a similar pattern on a much larger scale with much worse consequences. Given that American designers and companies mostly representing the coastal elite have a first-mover advantage, the most fashionable metaverse locations will likely have norms resembling those of New York or San Francisco. Content moderation would be more akin to banning an individual from physical spaces than taking down their tweet. One by one, each countrys unique values will disappear, diminishing the diversity of the ideas marketplace.

Just as free-market competition between companies with unique products and visions allows for the emergence of the best services and business models, competition between countries with distinct political cultures allows for the best forms of government and political administration to thrive. Simultaneously, the existence of diverse political and cultural models allows those that are discontent with their surroundings to leave in search of better ones. In this way, diversity is our strength. A fully realized metaverse will undermine this diversity by exacerbating the existence of universal groupthink and cultural homogeneity. Ultimately, this new vector for globalization brought on by the metaverse would have devastating effects on human culture.

The Metaverse: A Universe without Culture - Stanford Review

What Did We Learn From 2020’s Racial Reckoning? – The Everygirl

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

The saying goes that hindsight is 20/20. Well, two years after the racial reckoning of summer 2020, some might say that our hindsight is still a bit blurry when it comes to equality and racial justice. That summer, ongoing protests broke out in response to the killing of multiple unarmed Black Americans, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Cities across the U.S. experienced large-scale demonstrations that lasted weeks, shedding light on perpetual issues of racism and discrimination in America. Now, as we repeat I cant breathe and say their names in response to a tragically familiar onslaught of Black massacres in 2022, it begs the question: What, if anything, did summer 2020 teach us about racism, social justice, and the hope for equality in the U.S.?

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who held his knee on Floyds neck for almost 10 minutes. People on the street watched and recorded in horror as Floyd repeated to the officer that he couldnt breathe. Earlier in the year, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed by police officers conducting a botched no-knock raid while sleeping in her Louisville apartment. And before that, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down by white racists while jogging in a Georgia neighborhood. The collective carnage was devastating, and people were rightfully outraged. Floyds murder was the last straw, of sorts, and Americans across the country protested the senseless, unnecessary, and racist attacks for months.

It felt like a shift was taking place as people banded together, shared information about demonstrations and resources, and, in what might have been the first time ever, spoke freely and honestly about racial injustices experienced by the Black community. Major companies even joined the conversation, releasing public statements condemning racism and alleging solidarity with Black Americans. Political correctness was seemingly replaced with unapologetic actionor so we thought. Soon enough, issues of anti-Black racism were overshadowed by the 2020 election and COVID-19 vaccine rollouts. Much of the fervor surrounding basic rights for Black Americans subdued, but racism and discrimination did not.

Since 2020, justice and equality for Black Americans have only improved by 0.2 percent, according to the National Urban Leagues 2022 State of Black America report. The report is released yearly and measures factors such as economics, social justice, health, civic engagement, and education for Black Americans compared to that of white Americans. While there have been increases in the median household income and a narrowing of the poverty gap for Black Americans, decreased access to health insurance, increased firearm-related deaths, and decreased civic engagement prevented a higher rate of improvement for Black Americans between 2020 and 2022. Overall, the Urban League determined that Black Americans only have 73.9 percent of the equality that white Americans have.

The documented improvements for the state of Black America are encouraging only until we examine the numbers and see that disparity between Black and white Americans are still extreme. Even with increases in median household income, there is a 37 percent difference with Black Americans having earned $43,862 compared to white Americans at $69,823. Black women are 59 percent more likely to die from childbirth than white women, the life expectancy for Black people is four years less than white people, Black men are 52 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, and Black men are three times more likely to be jailed if they are arrested.

An area of most concern in the Urban Leagues 2022 report is civic engagement. Voting rights are under attack in America, and gerrymandering, voter suppression, election sabotage, and intimidation are commonly used tactics to deter Black Americans from voting or prevent their votes from carrying significance. This is a direct response to the increase in voter turnout during the 2020 election. Coming off the heels of the racial reckoning summer and several social policy blunders by former president Trump, voter turnout was the highest its been since 1980. But when theres action, theres also reaction. Because of President Bidens win, and the subsequent big lie maintained by conservative politicians, 19 states passed 34 voter suppression laws in 2021, and more than 152 pieces of restrictive legislation carried over into 2022 for legislative consideration.

Injustices facing Black Americans are real, known, documented, and crippling. The National Urban Leagues State of Black America report is a sobering reality that overcoming systemic racism in America is an agonizingly slow process. In the span of two years, a life of full equality for Black Americans only became 0.2 percent closer. Zero. Point. Two. If the summer of 2020 taught us anything, it would be to prepare for the backlash. For as many strides that Black Americans make, opposition works double-time to squelch progress and maintain systems of discrimination and bigotry. Coupled with other political attempts to limit Americans rights as a whole, the uphill battle for equality will be that much more difficult for Black Americans.

Fighting collective and racialized battles at the same time is nothing new to Black Americans, and neither is the one step forward, two steps back pattern. While it can feel defeating and pointless to continue fighting for trickling equality, its a fight that countless people have endured before us and one that must continue no matter how slow the progress. We have many advantages today that racial justice advocates of the past didnt have, though, and those advantages add to our glimmers of hope. Social media allows us to have deeper, more transformative conversations, younger millennials and the Gen Z generation are actively outspoken and socially aware, American sports and music industries are more vocal about racial injustice, societal recognition of Black history and experiences are more common, and financial contributions to racial justice and civil rights groups have increased.

One way that we can tell progress is happening is by the intensity of counterattacks against progress, and were currently witnessing one of Americas most potent attempts to maintain systemic racism. While its frustrating, it also means were that much closer to the change thats been needed for centuries. This isnt the time to let up or give up. Instead, its time for each of us to rise to the occasion like never before by embodying and advocating for liberty and justice for all. The baton has been passed to us, and its our turn to run the race for equality.

The rest is here:

What Did We Learn From 2020's Racial Reckoning? - The Everygirl

Miller Center Announces Incredibly 15th Anniversary Season – BCTV – bctv.org

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Danzig

Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Suffers, David Sedaris, The Weight, Start Making Sense, Winnie the Pooh, The Machine and the renown Parsons Dance Company

The Miller Center for the Performing Arts at Reading Area Community College, long recognized as one of the premier performing venues in the Mid-Atlantic Region, is proud to announce a phenomenal 15th Anniversary Season led by Americana legend Mary Chapin Carpenter on August 16th. (Very limited tickets remain for the Mary Chapin Carpenter concert.) Tickets are on sale now, https://millercenter.racc.edu/mary-chapin-carpenter

The Miller Center season kicks off on August 6th with emerging Country artist, Allie Colleen. Allies first singles, Playin House and Aint the Only Hell My Momma Raised are in constant rotation on Country Radio Stations throughout the United States. Allie has a very interesting background with a legacy of legendary music in her family. Tickets are on sale now, https://millercenter.racc.edu/allie-colleen

High energy Gulf Coast Soul Band, The Suffers, are exploding onto the popular music scene bringing Rock & Roll, Funk and Classic American Soul to stages all over the world. The Suffers hit the Miller Center stage on September 20th. Tickets are on sale now, https://millercenter.racc.edu/the-suffers

Fans of the Talking Heads will want to make plans immediately to see Start Making Sense. The Start Making Sense concert will be a 15th Anniversary Signature event on Saturday, September 24th. The Miller Center will have a number of local artists performing leading up to the big concert. Frog Holler, one of Berks Countys favorite Americana, Country-Rock banks, will open for Start Making Sense. There will food trucks, face-painting and a carnival-type atmosphere outside in the Courtyard adjacent to the Miller Center all afternoon starting at 3pm including live outdoor entertainment. Tickets go on sale July 15th.

The ghosts of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and living legend Jerry Lee Lewis will come alive on October 6th with the Broadway smash, One Night in Memphis coming to the Miller Center Stage. One Night in Memphis captures the magical evening at Sun Studios in Memphis when the four iconic performers gathered for one time only. Tickets go on sale July 15th.

Miller Center House Manager, Megan Schappell, has developed a cost-effective ticket package that will enable the Miller Center attendees to save considerable dollars while attending multiple shows. The Build Your Own Miller Center Series will be a Buy Four, Get the Fifth Show for FREE opportunity for fans of the performing arts. We want to introduce flexibility to our audience members while encouraging fans to try new shows and new genres. Schappell proudly states, There is never a bad show at the Miller Center!

Irish Folk Artist, Julie Fowlis, who sang Touch the Sky and Into the Open Air from the Disney Smash Movie Brave, brings her beautiful Gaellic vocal stylings to the Miller Center on October 7th. Tickets are on sale now, https://millercenter.racc.edu/julie-fowlis

David Sedaris will be coming back to the Miller Center on October 13th. With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of Americas pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. If you love David Sedariss cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what youre getting into at his live readings. Youd be wrong. To see him read his own work onstage allows his autobiographical narrative to reveal a uniquely personal narrative that will keep you laughing throughout the evening. Dont miss this event, tickets will go fast! Tickets go on sale August 5th at 10am.

Contemporary Dance sensation, Parsons Dance Company, will be coming back on October 21st to the Miller Center after being the first dance performance inside of the Miller Center 15 years ago! Parsons Dance is a modern dance company, internationally renowned for creating and performing contemporary American dance of extraordinary artistry that is accessible and enriching to diverse audiences. Tickets go on sale August 12th.

On October 22nd, David Engel will be taking us to Pirate School and Wizard Academy. At 1pm, set sail for an incredibly successful program with Pirate School! During Pirate School! kids learn the finer points of mischief and become good pirates cooperating and carousing together while getting the chance to live out their dreams of the Golden Age of the Buccaneer!

At 4pm the Miller Center will transform into a Wizard Academy. Join this loony professor of Wizardry as he leads children on a zany day-in-the-life of a Wizard In Training (W.I.T). During Wizard Academy! children will have their brain, eyes and reflexes tested with fun challenges and illusions, and stir up the primal forces of their imaginations with instruction on potions, wand etiquette, and levitation. Kids encouraged to attend dressed in costume for both shows and will go on sale July 22nd.

Capitol Comedy is a performance group that uses the winning formula of musical comedy, multimedia animation, and political satire to engage audiences in an entertainment that is hilarious, insightful and non-partisan. This new show takes on the Biden administration with songs and sketches poking fun at everything from diversity-driven decision-making to dog training to dumping dollars on the electorate. Capitol Comedy is coming on October 28th and going on sale July 29th.

Father and son piano due, Ryan & Ryan will be bringing the holiday cheer with their Merry & Bright: Songs of Christmas Cheer show on December 9th. Ryan & Ryan is a proven hit with audiences of all generations. Their inventiveness, infectiousness, skill and general joy of life make for irresistibly engaging performances. To sum it up, they make music that inspires. Tickets go on sale September 16th.

On March 11th The Weight Band will be performing original songs as well as classics of The Band. They are led by Jim Weider, a 15-year former member of The Band and the Levon Helm Band. The Weight Band originated in 2013 inside the famed Woodstock barn of Levon Helm. Weider was inspired by Helm to carry on the musical legacy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group.Tickets go on sale September 23rd.

The acclaimed, record-breaking run of Disneys Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation, created and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller, will be arriving in Reading on March 28, 2023. The celebrated show for families of all ages, will bring Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, and Owl (and Tigger too!) to Reading, with performances running on March 28, 2023. Tickets go on sale July 15th.

Fan favorites, The Machine will be back April 21st! The Machine has forged a 30+ year reputation of extending the musical legacy of Pink Floyd. The New York-based quartet performs a diverse mix of The Floyds extensive 16-album repertoire, complete with faithful renditions of popular hits as well as obscure gems. Tickets are on sale now, https://millercenter.racc.edu/the-machine

_________________________________

The Miller Center for the Arts, located on the campus of Reading Area Community College, has become an anchor in the city of Readings cultural landscape. Our 500-seat theatre offers quality programming for all ages and interests. Whether you would like to see modern dance, improve comedy or a childrens show, the Miller Center has something for everyone.

Some of the more prominent acts that have appeared at the Miller Center include David Sedaris, Judy Collins, New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, Three Dog Night, The Machine, Tom Papa, and Josh Ritter. Please view ourfull list of showsfor more details on the current season.

Along with performances, the Miller Center also hosts community events and is available for rental. For more information on how we can accommodate your event, pleasecontact Megan Schappell, [emailprotected] or 610-607-6205.

Read this article:

Miller Center Announces Incredibly 15th Anniversary Season - BCTV - bctv.org

Select Page ::