Quantum internet: the next global network is already being laid – The Conversation UK

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Google reported a remarkable breakthrough towards the end of 2019. The company claimed to have achieved something called quantum supremacy, using a new type of quantum computer to perform a benchmark test in 200 seconds. This was in stark contrast to the 10,000 years that would supposedly have been needed by a state-of-the-art conventional supercomputer to complete the same test.

Despite IBMs claim that its supercomputer, with a little optimisation, could solve the task in a matter of days, Googles announcement made it clear that we are entering a new era of incredible computational power.

Yet with much less fanfare, there has also been rapid progress in the development of quantum communication networks, and a master network to unite them all called the quantum internet. Just as the internet as we know it followed the development of computers, we can expect the quantum computer to be accompanied by the safer, better synchronised quantum internet.

Like quantum computing, quantum communication records information in what are known as qubits, similar to the way digital systems use bits and bytes. Whereas a bit can only take the value of zero or one, a qubit can also use the principles of quantum physics to take the value of zero and one at the same time. This is what allows quantum computers to perform certain computations very quickly. Instead of solving several variants of a problem one by one, the quantum computer can handle them all at the same time.

These qubits are central to the quantum internet because of a property called entanglement. If two entangled qubits are geographically separated (for instance, one qubit in Dublin and the other in New York), measurements of both would yield the same result. This would enable the ultimate in secret communications, a shared knowledge between two parties that cannot be discovered by a third. The resulting ability to code and decode messages would be one of the most powerful features of the quantum internet.

There will be no shortage of commercial applications for these advanced cryptographic mechanisms. The world of finance, in particular, looks set to benefit as the quantum internet will lead to enhanced privacy for online transactions and stronger proof of the funds used in the transaction.

Recently, at the CONNECT Centre in Trinity College Dublin, we successfully implemented an algorithm that could achieve this level of security. That this took place during a hackathon a sort of competition for computer programmers shows that even enthusiasts without detailed knowledge of quantum physics can create some of the building blocks that will be needed for the quantum internet. This technology wont be confined to specialist university departments, just as the original internet soon outgrew its origins as a way to connect academics around the world.

But how could this quantum internet be built anytime soon when we currently can only build very limited quantum computers? Well, the devices in the quantum internet dont have to be completely quantum in nature, and the network wont require massive quantum machines to handle the communication protocols.

One qubit here and there is all a quantum communication network needs to function. Instead of replacing the current infrastructure of optical fibres, data centres and base stations, the quantum internet will build on top of and make maximum use of the existing, classical internet.

With such rapid progress being made, quantum internet technology is set to shape the business plans of telecom companies in the near future. Financial institutions are already using quantum communication networks to make inter-bank transactions safer. And quantum communication satellites are up and running as the first step to extending these networks to a global scale.

The pipes of the quantum internet are effectively being laid as you read this. When a big quantum computer is finally built, it can be plugged into this network and accessed on the cloud, with all the privacy guarantees of quantum cryptography.

What will the ordinary user notice when the enhanced cryptography of the quantum internet becomes available? Very little, in all likelihood. Cryptography is like waste management: if everything works well, the customer doesnt even notice.

In the constant race of the codemakers and codebreakers, the quantum internet wont just prevent the codebreakers taking the lead. It will move the race track into another world altogether, with a significant head start for the codemakers. With data becoming the currency of our times, the quantum internet will provide stronger security for a new valuable commodity.

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Quantum internet: the next global network is already being laid - The Conversation UK

Why Quantum Computing Gets Special Attention In The Trump Administration’s Budget Proposal – Texas Standard

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The Trump administrations fiscal year 2021 budget proposal includes significant increases in funding for artificial intelligence and quantum computing, while cutting overall research and development spending. If Congress agrees to it, artificial intelligence, or AI, funding would nearly double, and quantum computing would receive a 50% boost over last years budget, doubling in 2022, to $860 million. The administration says these two fields of research are important to U.S. national security, in part because China also invests heavily in these fields.

Quantum computing uses quantum mechanics to solve highly complex problems more quickly than they can be solved by standard or classical computers. Though fully functional quantum computers dont yet exist, scientists at academic institutions, as well as at IBM, Google and other companies, are working to build such systems.

Scott Aaronson is a professor of computer science and the founding director of the Quantum Information Center at the University of Texas at Austin. He says applications for quantum computing include simulation of chemistry and physics problems. These simulations enable scientists to design new materials, drugs, superconductors and solar cells, among other applications.

Aaronson says the governments role is to support basic scientific research the kind needed to build and perfect quantum computers.

We do not yet know how to build a fully scalable quantum computer. The quantum version of the transistor, if you like, has not been invented yet, Aaronson says.

On the software front, researchers have not yet developed applications that take full advantage of quantum computings capabilities.

Thats often misrepresented in the popular press, where its claimed that a quantum computer is just a black box that does everything, Aaronson says.

Competition between the U.S. and China in quantum computing revolves, in part, around the role such a system could play in breaking the encryption that makes things secure on the internet.

Truly useful quantum computing applications could be as much as a decade away, Aaronson says. Initially, these tools would be highly specialized.

The way I put it is that were now entering the very, very early, vacuum-tube era of quantum computers, he says.

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Why Quantum Computing Gets Special Attention In The Trump Administration's Budget Proposal - Texas Standard

U.S. Progress on AI and Quantum Computing Will Best China, Says CTO Michael Kratsios – BroadbandBreakfast.com

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WASHINGTON, February 21, 2020 - U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios expressed confidence in the supremacy of the U.S.s artificial intelligence and quantum computing programs over Chinas, in a talk at the Hudson Institute on Thursday.

United States research on AI and quantum computing features the most highly cited papers, most investment by the private sector, and greatest government funding, he said.

This assertion challenges the Made in China 2025 Initiative, a 10-year plan that China issued in 2015, and which outlined 10 key tech industries in which China hopes to become a world leader.

Recent progress by the Chinese government in the field of high-speed fiber-optic broadband, AI and surveillance have fueled some analysts fears that the Chinese will hit their targets.

Kratsios laid out four key components of a winning tech strategy in which the U.S. excels: Leadership development, a low-regulatory environment, a belief in the power of the citizen workforce, and international engagement with allies.

Kratsios referenced two specific examples to bolster his argument. He mentioned how Trump committed to at least $200 million for STEM education last year, and how American corporations came more than matched that figure by donating $300 million.He also recounted the story that he said put America at the head of the pack in the quantum supremacy race. The story bears upon the uniting of resources invested by the U.S. government in the Quantum Lab at UC Santa Barbara with Googles subsequent acquisition of the lab and connection of that research team to its treasure trove of resources.

Its not a James Bond/Jason Borne crossover, but the concept of quantum supremacy is vital for national security, Kratsios said. America has only achieved it through a free market of ideas involving prudent government investing and private sector intervention.

Governmental funding and R&D are unique in that they fill the gaps that the private sector doesnt focus on.

Kratsios elaborated that the government tends to invest in early-stage, pre-competitive R&D which it expects the private sector to nurture and raise into a mature industry, such as in the case of the UCSB Quantum Lab.

Kratsios also gave made some comments on the proposals that the EU released Wednesday regarding AI and data. He characterized their approach to AI as values-based, and worried that they do not prioritize implementation.

Kratsios also found fault with the documents binary approach to classifying AI as high risk or not high risk, saying the report clumsily attempts to bucket AI-powered technology into two camps when there should be more spectrum and flexibility in the model.

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U.S. Progress on AI and Quantum Computing Will Best China, Says CTO Michael Kratsios - BroadbandBreakfast.com

Scientists Have Discovered a Brand New Electronic State of Matter – ScienceAlert

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Scientists have observed a new state of electronic matter on the quantum scale, one that forms when electrons clump together in transit, and it could advance our understanding and application of quantum physics.

Movement is key to this new quantum state. When electric current is applied to semiconductors or metals, the electrons inside usually travel slowly and somewhat haphazardly in one direction.

Not so in a special type of medium known as aballistic conductor, where the movement is faster and more uniform.

The new study shows how in very thin ballistic conducting wires, electrons can gang up creating a whole new quantum state of matter made solely from speeding electrons.

"Normally, electrons in semiconductors or metals move and scatter, and eventually drift in one direction if you apply a voltage," says physicist Jeremy Levy, from the University of Pittsburgh. "But in ballistic conductors the electrons move more like cars on a highway."

"The discovery we made shows that when electrons can be made to attract one another, they can form bunches of two, three, four and five electrons that literally behave like new types of particles, new forms of electronic matter."

Ballistic conductors can be used for stretching the boundaries of what's possible in electronics and classical physics, and the one used in this particular experiment was made from lanthanum aluminate and strontium titanate.

Interestingly, when the researchers measured the levels of conductance they found they followed one of the most well-known patterns in mathematics Pascal's triangle. Asconductanceincreased, it stepped up in a pattern that matches one of the rows of Pascal's triangle, following the order 1, 3, 6, 10 and so on.

"The discovery took us some time to understand but it was because we initially did not realise we were looking at particles made up of one electron, two electrons, three electrons and so forth," says Levy.

This clumping of electrons is similar to the way that quarks bind together to form neutrons and protons, according to the researchers. Electrons in superconductors can team up like this too, joining together in pairs to coordinate movement.

The findings may have something to teach us about quantum entanglement, which in turn is key to making progress with quantum computing and a super-secure, super-fast quantum internet.

According to Levy, it's another example of how we're reverse engineering the world based on what we've found from the discovery of the fundamentals of quantum physics building on important work done in the last few decades.

"Now in the 21st century, we're looking at all the strange predictions of quantum physics and turning them around and using them," says Levy.

"When you talk about applications, we're thinking about quantum computing, quantum teleportation, quantum communications, quantum sensing ideas that use the properties of the quantum nature of matter that were ignored before."

The research has been published in Science.

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Andrew Weatherall was uncompromising, pioneering, and a true alternative visionary – DJ Mag

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One of the most respected, important and influential DJ/producers in our scene, Andrew Weatherall, has passed away. The tragic news was confirmed by his management in the afternoon of Monday 17th February in a short statement. He was 56.

A wry, sardonic character with a wicked sense of humour, Andrew was a legend of the underground scene. Uncompromising, pioneering, and a true alternative visionary, his influence on modern-day music cannot be underestimated.

Brought up in Windsor in Berkshire, west of London, Weatherall was a music fiend from the off. Thrown out of school, he was influenced by punk and post-punk and started playing in bands in his teenage years. When the acid house wave hit the UK in the late 80s he was at the centre of it, acerbically chronicling the nascent scene via the Boys Own fanzine and DJing at early London acid house club-nights like Shoom, Spectrum and The Trip.

Weatherall soon got into production, sitting in on sessions with Manchester hell-raisers the Happy Mondays, before getting the gig producing tracks on the new album by Primal Scream. A largely ignored Scottish indie band at that point, Primal Scream had taken to accompanying Weatherall on assorted DJ excursions, and when he remixed one of their songs into the dubbed-out, exultant Loaded prefixing the track with a We wanna get loaded and have a good time sample from 1966 Peter Fonda movie The Wild Angels it became massive in the clubs as much of the nations youth partied every weekend.

His work on Screamadelica was simply magnificent: his dubby, blissed-out takes on tracks like Come Together and Higher Than The Sun captured the UKs post-E zeitgeist immaculately, and led to the album topping most end-of-year Best Of lists on release in 1991. It won the first ever Mercury Music Prize in 1992, and is still cited as one of the finest albums ever in any genre.

As the most celebrated producer and remixer in the scene at the time (his work with My Bloody Valentine, One Dove and Saint Etienne was also justifiably lauded), Weatherall couldve cashed in at this point but instead took a left-of-centre turn. He set up Sabres Of Paradise with Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns (later both of The Aloof) most memorably producing astounding chill-out cut Smokebelch II that came out on Warp, followed by albums Sabresonic, Haunted Dancehall and Versus and also set up a label and club-night using the Sabres name. At Sabresonic he chiefly span techno and electro, providing a platform for talent from the emerging techno movement and a futuristic soundtrack for the more discerning London clubber.

After Sabres dissolved he set up Two Lone Swordsmen with Keith Tenniswood, a number of new labels Emissions Audio Output, Rotters Golf Club and then a number of experimental projects over ensuing years, including The Asphodells (with Tim Fairplay) and A Love From Outer Space (with Sean Johnston). He also produced the debut album by Bristol noiseniks Fuck Buttons.

A DJs DJ, Weatherall was frequently spoken about in hushed terms by the scenes cognoscenti as, pretty much, the Ultimate Don. Mixing up cosmic dub, skewed electro, trippy techno, raucous rockabilly and anything else he goddamn fancied, a Weatherall DJ set was always an out-there journey.

Over the years Weatherall was also a prolific lino-print artist; was artist in residence for book publishers Faber & Faber; was terminally a champion of many underground, leftfield artists; and one of the funniest and most down-to-earth people in the business. Genius is an over-used term, but it is undeniably apt when applied to Andrew.

Only last week he announced details of his new, low-slung spacey dub release, Unknown Plunderer, and was looking forward to a fruitful year which was to include DJ dates under the A Love From Outer Space brand.

Andrew was treated in Whipps Cross hospital in east London for a blocked artery, but sadly died on the morning of the 17th of February of a pulmonary embolism when the blood clot reached his heart. His death was swift and peaceful, according to the statement from his management company. The dance scene was united in grief at the passing of one of the absolute legends in the game.

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Andrew Weatherall was uncompromising, pioneering, and a true alternative visionary - DJ Mag

OPINION: If face masks are the new normal, why are we acting like everything’s business as usual? – ABS-CBN News

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January was a long month. 2020 took us into its thorny arms withthe impending threat of World War 3, the Australian bush fires, the passing of Kobe Bryant, and a host of other catastrophic events that made Biblical apocrypha look plausible.

And while we didnt get a seven-headed beast rising up from out the sea, we did get something pretty closethe eruption of Taal and days of ashfall, and the coronavirus. Thats like two for the four horsemen of the apocalypse, if were still stretching the Revelation metaphor.

These calamities prompted, well, widespread panic, and the harried procuring of face masksspecifically the N95 model, the kind you see on doctors and nurses on a normal day. The Mercury Drug near my place was small, so it wasnt long lines I saw but an anxious throng of people pooling up at the counter as I queued up. Owning this commodity was life or death. I mean, we're talking about the unofficial successor of SARS, and a condition in which microscopic volcanic glass shreds your lungs up from the inside.

I had heard stories of doomsday opportunists buying masks in bulk and reselling them for exorbitant prices, taking advantage of shortages they themselves caused. But it wasnt long until everybody got a face mask and, despite the dystopic mood that plagued (pun tragically intended) our day-to-day lives, we carried on, faces covered up and fears slightly assuaged.

And then it became... a look. It seemed as though the face of the city had changed, and the N95 became a wardrobe staple. The sight of crowds suddenly appeared a little unfamiliar with noses and mouths obscured. Surgical masks became neutral pieces, compatible with business formal and smart casual. It wasnt long before I started seeing custom face masks in different colors, shapes and prints, some even with tastefully placed filters.Look at this goddamned Instagram postof a face mask hooked up to a mason jar with leaves in it.

A friend told me hed go to the office and see people comparing face masks. His was a model from Airinium, a face mask company designed to keep you respitorally healthy in any urban environment,whose website describes its productas one that offers a personalized fit for optimal comfort and with such sleek design that it will enhance your everyday outfit. Masks come in quartz grey, onyx black, pearl pink, and other designs.

"Warcore" is a termcoined by VOGUEto describe a fashion movement inspired by the aesthetics of armed combat. You'll know it when you see it: military fatigues, assault vests, glossy black boots designed for both runway-rocking and curbstomping coppers. While sartorial items like camo pants and wearing your Doc Martens to protests isn't new, warcore is different. According to Mr Porter, "'Warcore' is something thats come off the back of the utilitarian trend thats been doing the rounds, but is a bit more aggressive. What this means is super-thick, anti-stab fabric, waistcoats in the style of bulletproof flak jackets, buckled belts and sportswear layered over more sportswear."

A friend told me hed go to the office and see people comparing face masks. His was a model from Airinium

The proliferation of face masks seems to fall squarely into the trend of warcore. While we've seen the item in non-conflict settingsfor example, Kpop stars hiding their faces when they show up at the airportthe face mask constantly shows up on our feeds, in a news cycle that perpetually reports violence on a global scale. Hong Kong protestors wear face masks to defend against gas attacks and the scrutinizing eye of a growing surveillance state. Mass movements over the last decade have been encapsulated in at least one picture of a triumphant rioter with a bandana over their face.

Its comforting though that warcore seems to take on a more anti-authoritarian edgeits proponents looking more like Banksy caricatures than fascist pigs. Entertain the thought, though. Jawnz lords stepping up to the plate when the class war reaches its boiling point, throwing molotov cocktails at the boys in blue while donning Virgil Ablohs.

But this isntreallyabout warcore. My gripe is not high fashion's tendency to take the look of the streets and luxify it for haute couture consumption. That's a whole different conversation. We can't stop people from beautifying things we're already wearing for specifically utilitarian purposes. There is an argument for letting humans be human, and allowing them to find art and beauty in disaster. As VOGUE themselves put it: If fashion people are quick to adopt a trend or idea, the best we can hope is that this form of visual resistance lines up with actual resistance, actual political change. The clothes wont protect us and our freedoms, but the people inside them might."

We can't stop people from beautifying things we're already wearing for specifically utilitarian purposes. There is an argument for letting humans be human, and allowing them to find art and beauty in disaster.

And as much as I'd like to posture disdain at how capitalism commodifies our anxieties, I really freaking want an Airinium mask. That shit looks fly as hell, and I too am enchanted by the idea of looking like a decked-out badass in a riot, even though a record of perfect behavior in school leaves me completely unprepared for the event I tussle with a trained law enforcer.

What actually stresses me out is the omnipresence of the commodity, warcore aside. The face mask has, whether we notice it or not, shifted the way we go about our day-to-day affairs. There are times when I've gone out while wearing a face mask to catch up with an old friend, deadset on battling loneliness while suiting up for invisible contagions. For a period of a couple of weeks, my IG stories were chock full of the gear, people posting face mask selfies while making peace signs. I'm sure that shit is normal in South Korea, especially for bracing against the winter season's dry winds, but it ain't normal here. What used to be normal for motorcycle drivers and medical attendants became a wardrobe staple for the zeitgeist.

I look at the face of the city and its nose and mouth are erased. All I see are eyesnever shifty or panicked, but just resigned to the way of things. It's like a dystopian sci-fi movie, the kind where the hoi polloi lug around ramshackle cyborg prosthetics while doing normal shit like bargaining at the neon-lit wet market. Or like, a dieselpunk film, where Mad Max types sport war paint while doing non-desert raid related activities.

What I mean to say is, there is a clear dissonance between how our dystopia looks and how we feel about how it looks. I would feel more comfortable and sane if we, the general populace, were more aware of the dystopic quality of the present since we're already wearing its threads. And by that I don't mean using our coronavirus hysteria as an excuse to stoke anti-Chinese sentiments. I mean, we shouldn't be going to work. I mean, we shouldn't be acting like our days must go on as usual despite these disasters. The eruption of Taal and the spread of the coronavirus came at us full swing in that single hellish month and messed up our collective psycheshouldnt we be more anxious?

And even though these events are being managed in varying degrees of efficacy, shouldnt we be acting more like death is around the corner, what with all the other terrible shit happening in the world everyday? I come to work looking like I'm on the run from Big Brother, and sit down to discuss content output. Like this article. Sometimes, that distorted sense of (ab)normalcy is easy to take. Sometimes, it's hard to breathe.

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OPINION: If face masks are the new normal, why are we acting like everything's business as usual? - ABS-CBN News

Bleeding Edge Closed Beta Impressions – Attack of the Fanboy

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Over the Valentines Day weekend Microsoft and Ninja Theory held a closed beta for Bleeding Edge that was available to all Xbox Game Pass members. I spent a solid twenty-hours playing it myself (and would have played more if I wanted to sleep on the couch), and came away feeling generally positive about the experience. Ninja Theory has poured a healthy helping of love and passion into Bleeding Edge, and it shows in every conceivable way. But, despite the fantastic aesthetic, confident style, and solid combat I couldnt shake this feeling that a key ingredient was missing.

The moment I loaded into the game on my PC I noticed the distinct art-style, a mix of Borderlands and Overwatch if I had to sum it up. Bleeding Edge has a cell-shaded aesthetic bolstered by crisp character-designs that each ooze personality. There is the metal-head Nidhogger with his flamethrower throat (how does he eat?), the spunky Gizmo and her large pink mechanical arm, and a damn robot snake piloting a corpse.Yeah, Kulev gives me the creeps, but I loved how wild his design was.

Each character on the roster had a distinct charm to them, and they were all meticulously animated and expertly voiced. Its the level of detail and care youd hope to see in a character-driven multiplayer game, especially after both League of Legends and Overwatch set the bar sky-high. The quality of the character design was evident in all aspects of the game, from the handful of emotes on offer, the quips and callouts made during matches, and the skillset associated with each brawler.

Zero Cools hovercraft/gaming chair came with an evasive double jump that allowed him to pop up and out of a fight while maintaining either his heals or attacks, whereas Cass had a combination of ranged and melee attacks, with gap-closer and disengage skills that allowed her to weave in and out of combat encounters. Gizmo had a jump pad she could use to either escape fights or join them, and Daemons stealth made me want to scream at my screen multiple times as the sneaky bastard appeared out of nowhere to ruin my day. No two characters felt similar, which is what youd hope to see in a game like this.

This confident design bleeds (heh) into every other aspect of the game. David Garcia has cranked out yet another exceptional soundtrack, after his stellar work in Hellblade, and it elevates the future-anarchist tone of the title. The menus have this street art/graffiti vibe to them that perfectly balances form and function, and the cosmetic upgrades for the hoverboard alone had a variety of wild options to unlock. Bleeding Edge absolutely nails it in the audio and visual departments, giving the game a clear identity that allowed me to more easily mesh with the title. This isnt some soulless attempt by Microsoft and Ninja Theory to emulate other similar character-driven multiplayer arenas, and the passion will no doubt help endear the game to the masses.

Gameplay also sets Bleeding Edge apart from the pack: its an objective-based, competitive, predominately melee brawler. Considering Ninja Theorys track-record, this shouldnt shock many. The question going into the beta, however, was how well their brand of gameplay would translate into a multiplayer environment. For the most part, it works out rather well.

Combos are simple, and the game largely uses auto-targeting (though, you can hard lock onto an enemy with the press of a button). Whats here worked, and felt punchy. Mostly. Ranged characters could sometimes struggle without lock-on due to the auto-targeting cycling between shots, but nothing that couldnt be overcome after some familiarization. That, and it was not difficult to find yourself stun-locked. Despite having all my evade charges Id often find myself unable to escape an enemy combo, despite the tutorial making it clear I should. Those moments felt cheap, but Id be lying if I said I didnt mind being on the delivery end of that relationship.

There were only two game-modes on offer: Capture and Power Collection. Capture works as you assume it does: capture the activated capture-point and defend them from the opposing team; first team to reach 600 points wins. Power Collection was rather straight-forward in design: collect power cells located around the map during one phase, then bank them at a set point during the next. Rinse, repeat, hopefully win. Theyre not exactly novel on paper, but the creative map design sets them apart from similar titles. For example, on one map the capture points rotated around the area on a stream that would occasionally pass through electrical gates, forcing constant movement around the map. Another map had a barrage of missiles that would launch every so often, usually targeting an active control point, giving the attacking team a chance to seize the objective once the fireworks had concluded.

Overall, I walked away from the beta feeling like all these pieces did an excellent job clicking together, making Bleeding Edge both familiar and unique. Its already a polished, well-realized title with a personality all its own. But, I felt this weird itch at the back of my brain, like something was missing. You know the sensation: when you walk into room you know well, but something minor is off. Is it the missing family portrait that once sat on the mantle? Is the cat not in their usual spot on the recliner napping? It was this nagging feeling I couldnt shake all weekend, despite enjoying my time with the Bleeding Edge beta.

Im not the only person who felt this way, and even now the subreddit is littered with posts offering up various suggestions. Something about Bleeding Edge feels off, like its missing the final bits of a 1000-piece puzzle. Was it the lack of music during matches? Perhaps the omission of an in-game announcer? Do characters need more skill-based combos? Did the matches drag on too long? Maybe its the maps feeling too large for eight players? Healing felt a bit too powerful, so it could be that. Its these little quibbles that added up slowly as I played, and kept the game from fully clicking with me. I loved what I played, but I never felt an underlying drive to continue playing; that one more match factor.

There is a key ingredient missing here, but its hard to put my finger on. Maybe its as simple as addressing those little nits I listed above, maybe its just shortening the matches and having a proper ranked mode? There is something about the Bleeding Edge beta that, despite all the obvious love and care put into it, is keeping it from truly exploding into the zeitgeist. There is another beta weekend in March, and Ill play the game again then to see if I can figure out whats not syncing with the title. Bleeding Edge is a fantastic game, but what it needs to catapult into the limelight isnt quite here yet.

- This article was updated on:February 17th, 2020

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Looking forward to being with my great friends in India: US President Donald Trump – Deccan Herald

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President Donald Trump has said that he was looking forward to being with his "great friends" in India as he retweeted a video in which his face was superimposed on the hit movie-character Bahubali, showing him as a great saviour.

Trump will arrive in India on Monday on a two-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including First Lady Melania Trump, daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and a galaxy of top American officials.

"Look so forward to being with my great friends in INDIA!" Trump tweeted on Saturday.

Along with the tweet, Trump shared an 81-second video by a Twitter account identified as "Sol" with the handle Solmemes1.

"To celebrate Trump's visit to India I wanted to make a video to show how in my warped mind it will go... USA and India united!" the handle Solmemes1 tweeted in the original post with the video.

Trump appears as a great saviour, in the short animated clip, riding on a chariot with First Lady Melania. A few stills later, Trump is seen riding a horse carrying on his soldiers his son Donald Junior and daughter Ivanka.

Later, he is welcomed by Prime Minister Modi in a village setting. Hundreds and thousands of people are seen welcoming Trump in the video.

"This week Trump will visit India and in celebration, I have created a new meme for the occasion... You few, who are my patrons, get to see it first!" Sol told viewers on subscription content service Patreon on Saturday.

A few hours later, Trump retweeted the video.

In the Twitter description, Sol describes herself as "award-winning master memetics, professor of memology at University of GFY, my views are my own and not associated with real life."

The video, which ends with "USA and India United", went viral after Trump retweeted it. In a few hours, it was seen by more than ten lakh people.

Sol in one of her previous posts, dated January 23, writes she was inspired by a video of Bahubali sent to her by a friend, which is the story of 'good defeating evil.'

This inspired Sol to create her first Bahubali-theme meme. The video is titled "Jiyo Re Baahu Trump", in which the First Lady is seen wearing a saree. "Jiyo Re Bahubali," is the theme song of the video.

Sol's posts show she is an admirer of the President and the First Lady.

Her January 23 video was released at the peak of Trump's impeachment proceedings. In the video, Trump is seen being greeted by an elephant, who bears the logo of the Republican Party.

Towards the end of the video, Trump is seen riding the elephant and putting on fire the effigy of "Raavan" marked as "D" in a big circle representing the opposition Democratic Party.

An arrow is given by warrior Modi to the First Lady, who then passes it on to Trump before he lights the effigy.

Trump's visit to India provides an opportunity for the two countries to improve their bilateral relationship and strengthen strategic interests, say senior officials.

After Barack Obama, Trump is the only other US President to visit India in his first term.

Issues expected to be discussed during the visit include an open Indo-Pacific, reduced trade barriers, boost to counter-terror cooperation and mitigating Indian concerns over H-1B visas.

"President Trump has been the best friend of India amongst all US Presidents. He loves Indians and Indian-Americans. Indian Americans nationwide love him as much," Al Mason, advisor to Global Real Estate Investments, Education Institutions and Hospitals, told PTI.

"How else do you explain 60,000 Indian-Americans attending his 'Howdy, Modi!' rally with Prime Minister Modi in Houston, not to overlook the fact that billion-plus Indians in India love President Trump too," he said, referring to Trump and Modi sharing the stage in September in Houston at a massive rally of Indian-Americans called "Howdy, Modi!".

Modi and Trump are set to share the stage on Monday for "Namaste Trump," event which roughly translates as Hello Trump" in Ahmedabad.

The president, who arrived at the White House following four days of hectic political campaigning in the western parts of the country, had no public engagements on Saturday.

Trump did not go for a round of golf, which is normally the case for him on a bright sunny weekend day in Washington.

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Italy under the coronavirus attack: the return of the Plague Spreaders – Resilience

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This post is about how Italy is reacting to the diffusion of the COVID-19 epidemics that arrived during the past few days in the Northern regions of the country. Among other effects, it generated a wave of hate on social media comparable to what had happened in Italy at the time of the bubonic plague, in Milano during the 16th century. That epidemics was widely attributed to evil plague-spreaders (untori), so much that a column of infamy shown above was erected to commemorate the execution of two of them.

Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873) was one of the greatest Italian writers in history, known also outside Italy for his novel The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi). Manzoni lived well before the existence of social media and, in his times, even newspapers were something new. But he was a fine observer of society and I would go as far as to say that he could be seen as one of the early creators of the science we call today memetics, the science of the diffusion of ideas (memes).

In The Bethroted and the later historical essay A History of the Column of Infamy, Manzoni told the story of the bubonic plague that struck Milano in 1629-1631. Hitting a society already weakened by a previous famine and by the disaster of the 30 years war, the plague took a toll of nearly 50% of the population. Those who experienced it fell prey to a delusion that led them to think that the plague was caused by the actions of evil people termed the untori, a well-known word in Italian but hard to translate into English. Literally, it means greasers and it refers to people who would spread poisonous substances over people and things in order to spread the infection the term could also be translated as plague-spreaders. The greasers were supposed to perform their evil deeds because they were possessed by the devil, maybe for political or economic gains, or simply because they were evil.

The novel and the essay by Manzoni provide an amazing account of how the untori meme spread among the citizens of Milano to the point that several innocent people were lynched in the street. Others were accused, tortured, and forced to confess their pretended crimes. Then they underwent trials that were nothing more than witch-hunts (in this case, greaser-hunts). Several were executed and, in one case, a column (The Column of Infamy) was erected to commemorate the execution of two of them.

In this story, we can immediately recognize our world: the existence of the evil greasers is a classic example of fake news. The aggressive reaction of the public is something we see every day on our social media where, fortunately, people are not lynched for real (so far). An especially interesting touch by Manzoni is the fictional character of Don Ferrante, a mediocre Milanese intellectual who finds a moment of popularity when he starts declaring that the plague doesnt exist or that, in any case, it is not contagious rather, it is the result of a weird astral conjunction. We recognize in this character some of our modern climate-deniers who maintain more or less the same thing about climate change. Eventually, Don Ferrante catches the plague, too, but up to the last moment he keeps denying that it exists. He dies cursing the stars!

Certain things are timeless and dont depend on the existence of the Internet or even of the printed media. But, today, for sure the Web can spread hate and fake news at an unbelievably fast speed. In Italy, the COVID-19 epidemics arrived just a couple of days ago and the social media are already exploding in a wave of hate against the current untori, in this case supposed to be the Greens, the Government, the Communists, Immigrants, Africans, and in general the do-gooders (in Italian, buonisti), supposed to have done nothing to avoid the spreading of the pandemics when it was still possible to stop it.

Overall, the coronavirus is a threat that cant be even remotely compared to the bubonic plague, but the reaction of many people is about the same: they want blood. They are stating that clearly in their comments (just one example I read yesterday: I am a mother, if my children catch the coronavirus, you Communists will die first!). Curiously, these are often the same people who accuse climate scientists of being alarmists.

At the beginning, the Italian Right seemed to be willing to ride the issue and use it as a tool to make the current left-center government fall. But it seems that the leaders are now backtracking and trying to control their overexcited followers. So, cool heads may still prevail and we wont see people lynched in the street accused of being untori (but we did see physical attacks on people looking Chinese fortunately without victims, so far). The situation is rapidly evolving and well see what happens in the coming days.

One thing thats already clear, anyway, is that the current political system, polarized as it is, makes it impossible to face emergencies without exaggerating the threat or, conversely, denying it. In every case, one of the two sides is tempted to ride the issue to gain traction in the political game. Thats a disaster that leads nowhere. We are seeing it well for climate change and not just in Italy: with this decisional system, we cant control anything. We can only hope for the best (a concept expressed in Italian as trusting lo stellone the great star of Italy).

Image: Colonna Infame (Column of Infamy) via Ugo Bardi

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Italy under the coronavirus attack: the return of the Plague Spreaders - Resilience

Can A Creditor Violate The Automatic Stay In Bankruptcy By Doing Nothing? – Mondaq News Alerts

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24 February 2020

Ward and Smith, P.A.

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If a creditor wants to continue a lawsuit against a debtoroutside of bankruptcy, repossess collateral, terminate a lease, setoff debts, or pursue other collection efforts, it first must obtainstay relief from the bankruptcy court. The "automaticstay" is a command to halt action, and creditors violate it attheir own peril.

But what about inaction? If a creditor began collectionactivity before the bankruptcy, must it unwind its actions whennotified of the filing? Can a creditor violate the automaticstay by doing nothing? A recent decision by a bankruptcycourt in Virginia says "yes," but other courts have said"no." The United States Supreme Court is likely toresolve the uncertainty this summer. Meanwhile, creditors maywant to err on the side of caution.

Attorney Griffin represented Randi Nimitz in her divorce beforeshe filed for bankruptcy. Griffin did not pay all her legalfees, and Griffin obtained a judgment against her for$10,000. Virginia allows wage garnishment, so Griffinobtained a garnishment order against Nimitz. The statecourt was holding $1,000 in wage deductions, and a hearing onturning over the funds to Griffin was scheduled when Nimitz filedChapter 7. Her bankruptcy petition listed Griffin'sjudgment as debt and claimed an exemption in the $1,000.Nimitz's counsel notified Griffin and demanded he terminatesthe garnishment. Griffin refused. He claimed that hecould do nothing because he had no legal obligation to takeaffirmative action to terminate the garnishment.

Nimitz moved for Griffin to be held in contempt for a willfulviolation of the automatic stay. The bankruptcy courtagreed. To prove a stay violation, a party must establishthat (1) a violation occurred, the violation was committedwillfully, and (3) the violation caused actual damages. Theautomatic stay prohibits any act to obtain possession of propertyof the estate or to exercise control over estate property.The bankruptcy court reasoned that property seized pre-petition,but not yet liquidated, remains property of the bankruptcyestate. The debtor's bankruptcy estate includes apossessory interest in property not held at the time of filing.

The bankruptcy court concluded that Griffin's refusal toterminate the garnishment amounted to the improper exercise ofcontrol over the debtor's property. Griffin did notassert an ownership interest or lien in the garnished funds, whichdid not help his argument. The bankruptcy court awardedNimitz attorneys' fees of $2,400 to prosecute the contemptmotion.

The United States Supreme Court should rule definitively on thisissue sometime this summer. It is possible they will rulethat mere inaction does not violate the automatic stay. Butunless that happens, creditors who fail to unwind collectionefforts when demanded to do so by a debtor in bankruptcy risk beingheld in contempt and liable for damages.

The content of this article is intended to provide a generalguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be soughtabout your specific circumstances.

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Can A Creditor Violate The Automatic Stay In Bankruptcy By Doing Nothing? - Mondaq News Alerts

BOB CONFER: The Boy Scouts will survive bankruptcy – Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

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Last week, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy. This was not unexpected. Speculation about bankruptcy had been running rampant for over a year now.

It was done in direct response to New Yorks Child Victims Act and similar laws in other states which allow for a temporary lookback for victims of abuse whose claims previously would have been denied by the statute of limitations. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against churches, schools, clubs and the BSA for transgressions alleged to have been done by leaders and mentors decades ago.

The CVA and its companions are good, as they allow anyone who was abused as a youth in any organization or by any individual to find closure or, in legalese, be made whole after surviving evil and holding dark secrets that are nearly impossible to overcome and/or share as a youth and an adult. Most times, it takes decades to open up about it and these lookbacks recognize that.

The path of bankruptcy isnt the BSA abandoning its responsibility to anyone who was hurt. Instead, it allows the BSA to reach settlements with these parties in an equitable fashion, otherwise potentially large awards in the first rounds of lawsuits would have decimated BSA finances and prevented monetary awards for those who brought lawsuits later in the cycle. The management of finances and settlements ensures that all who deserve something get something and the BSA can continue its mission.

Since early 2019 and especially now following the actual filing, Ive been asked about what bankruptcy and financial reorganization of the BSA means for Scouting; after all, I have long been a champion of Scouting in this column and in the community, having been a scout for eight years and a volunteer in the organization for the past 26.

First and foremost, take comfort in knowing local Scouting is financially sound and protected.

The Iroquois Trail Council (which serves eastern Niagara and the GLOW counties) is, like all councils, a corporation separate from the BSA and it maintains its own 501(c)3 status. Business decisions made on bankruptcy by the BSA will not impact the assets of the Iroquois Trail Council including our camps and donations made to local programs by families, donors and community partners like the United Way. The Council is not on the hook for assisting with the BSAs reorganization.

It is important to note that the Iroquois Trail Council is governed by local volunteers who provide strong oversight on budget development, fundraising, spending and investment. During the past decade, the council has routinely balanced its budget, been creative with its staffing model, made substantial capital improvements to Camp Dittmer and Camp Sam Wood, acquired a new centrally-located headquarters in Oakfield and ensured the future of local scouting through growth in its endowment fund. The Council is also debt-free and has no pending litigation.

Secondly, know that scouting is safe.

At first glance, driven by headlines on smartphones and hot takes on social media, some would wonder why theyd ever want to put their children in scouting for fear that they might be abused, thinking that the spate of lawsuits are recent in nature. They arent; 90% of those filed against the BSA date back 30 years plus. We cant let a few bad apples spoil the barrel, nor can we believe that protections arent afforded. A system is in place to keep out troubled souls and identify and eliminate adults and youths who may put others at risk. As long as Ive been in scouting, there has been detailed and effective youth protection training for all participants, double supervisory control and background checks.

Lastly, know that scouting is just as meaningful now as it was when the BSA was founded 110 years ago.

My Eagle Scout certificate is beside me in my office every day, a reminder of who I am and who I will be because of scouting. The organization and its principled lessons and experiences gave me a deeper understanding of service, leadership, teamwork and humanity and it has helped me greatly at home, work, and in the community. I and my fellow volunteers want to make sure more boys and girls are given such positive experiences in their lives in hopes of making them the very best citizens, spouses and parents they can be. God knows we need that in todays world.

Please know that all of us in scouting cannot and will not let financial restructuring by the national organization distract us from our goals. Scouting will continue to be a guiding light for many children for many decades more even amidst the occasional storm that might shake its very foundation.

Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. Email him at bobconfer@juno.com.

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BOB CONFER: The Boy Scouts will survive bankruptcy - Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

After Bankruptcy, Will Boy Scouts of America Live On? – Dallas Observer

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Days after the Irving-based Boy Scouts of America announced its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, children with the organization set up their tents at Camp Wisdom, one of Texas oldest campsites, for a weekend-long camporee.

On the second day of the camporee at Camp Wisdom, scouts yelled as they yanked and pulled on either end of a rope in a match of tug-of-war. David Shuford, Crosstimbers District chairman, stood on the sidelines. Shuford has been involved in scouting off and on his whole life.

Anybody that comes forward with any concern that their scout, or they as a scout, was abused in scouting, we want to take care of that, Shuford said.

The bankruptcy follows a slew of sexual abuse lawsuits and allegations that have trailed behind one of the largest youth organizations in the country for decades, creating a financial force to be reckoned with for the BSA.

According to the BSA, the bankruptcy process is being used to create a compensation fund for victims of the alleged abuses.

We filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to ensure that victims of past abuse in Scouting are equitably compensated, the organization said in a statement on its website.

I am outraged that individuals took advantage of our programs to commit these heinous acts. I am also outraged that there were times when volunteers and employees ignored our procedures or forgave transgressions that are unforgivable, Jim Turley, BSA national chairman, said in an online statement. In some cases, this led to tragic acts of abuse. While those instances were limited, they mean we didnt do enough to protect the children in our careto protect you.

In the statement, the BSA said local councils, such as the Longhorn Council, which organized the camporee at Wisdom, are not included in the bankruptcy. According to the statement, these councils are legally separate, distinct and financially independent from the national organization.

When Shuford was a youth in the scouts, he, too, camped out at Camp Wisdom. He remembers hiking across what would turn into Interstate 20, which cut through the now-90-year-old site. Shuford left the scouts in 1971. A job and the birth of his three daughters took him away from BSA for a while until he had a grandson who wanted to get involved.

When the grandson decided he wanted to be a Cub Scout, I said, Well, Im joining with you, Shuford recalled.

After so much time with the organization, Shuford said he was disappointed when the allegations of child abuse began to come out.

I guess disappointment is one of the words you can use, he said. I know that scouting is such a great organization. Its the greatest youth organization in the country.

During the years Shuford was away from the Boy Scouts, the organization created its Youth Protection program to combat the issue of sexual abuse. He says the program has made the BSA one of the safest youth organizations in the world.

The child abuse thing, it hit the Catholic church not too long ago. Now its the Boy Scouts, he said. Were not making light of that at all. The Boy Scouts certainly arent. Theyre openly saying, Look, if you were abused by a scout leader, we want to know about that. We want to take care of you. We want to provide whatever help you need. They want to get all these cases out in the open and make the rest of the world know that scouting is one of the safest youth organizations in the entire world because of our Youth Protection program, which has been in place since the 1980s.

Shuford says the organization had been in talks about the bankruptcy for about a year before it was finally announced. He says the filing is not only a way to compensate the victims of the alleged abuse. It is also a legal maneuver to help protect BSAs national assets, which amount to some $1 billion, according to The New York Times.

The bankruptcy is making sure that the people that feel like they were affected by some kind of mistreatment, in some cases decades ago, are taken care of, while the assets of the Boy Scouts program are taken care of so that we can continue, he said.

Fallen leaves crunched underneath the scouts feet as they ran around Wisdom, gathering materials to help ignite that evening's campfire. Theyd sit around the fire that night and be awarded for their accomplishments during the camporee.

Scoutings been going on for 110 years this month, Shuford says. Theres been a lot of talk about [if] scouting still has value. It does. It teaches kids a lot of life skills that they might not learn otherwise.

Scouting will live on, Shuford says. The bankruptcy is just a way to help ensure that it does live on.

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After Bankruptcy, Will Boy Scouts of America Live On? - Dallas Observer

Pier 1 files for bankruptcy protection, to close 7 Indiana stores – The Republic

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INDIANAPOLIS Home goods retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based company has been struggling with increased competition from budget-friendly online retailers such as Wayfair.

The retailer has two stores in Indianapolis (6810 S. Emerson Ave. and 2902 W. 86th St.) and three in the suburbs (Plainfield, Carmel and Noblesville).

The Indianapolis stores are not among the locations expected to close, but bankruptcy papers indicate seven stores will be eliminated in Indiana: in Bloomington, Kokomo, Fort Wayne, Merrillville, Valparaiso, Goshen and Warsaw.

Pier 1 said it will pursue a sale, with a March 23 deadline to submit bids. The case is being heard in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

In the meantime, Pier 1 said lenders have committed approximately $256 million in debtor-in-possession financing so it can continue its operations during the Chapter 11 proceedings.

The bankruptcy filing is intended to provide Pier 1 with additional time and financial flexibility as we now work to unlock additional value for our stakeholders through a sale of the company, Pier 1 CEO and Chief Financial Officer Robert Riesbeck said in a statement.

Riesbeck, who was CEO of former Indianapolis-based appliances HHGregg when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017, took over the top spot at Pier 1 after joining the company as chief financial officer in July.

Pier 1s sales fell 13%, to $358 million, in its most recent quarter, which ended Nov. 30. It reported a net loss of $59 million for the quarter as it struggled to draw customers to its stores. Pier 1 has been trying to declutter its stores, improve online sales and draw in younger customers.

Last month, Pier 1 announced it would close 450 stores, including all of its stores in Canada. The company is also closing two distribution centers.

Pier 1s shares have fallen 45% since the start of the year. They closed at $3.58 per share on Friday.

After leading HHGregg through bankruptcy, Riesbeck joined FullBeauty Brands as CFO in 2018 and helped guide the company through what The Wall Street Journal reported was the fastest Chapter 11 case ever. It filed for bankruptcy on Feb. 3 and emerged on Feb. 7.

Riesbeck previously spent eight years as an executive with private equity firm Sun Capital Partners Inc., including four years as CFO at defunct Indianapolis-based grocery chain Marsh Supermarkets after Sun acquired Marsh in 2006.

Ted Gavin, a retail bankruptcy expert and managing partner of the consulting firm Gavin/Solmonese, said he hasnt shopped at Pier 1 in more than a decade.

People have been talking about Pier 1 heading for bankruptcy for a few years now. Theyve closed stores, theyve struggled to find a steady customer base, theyve struggled with falling sales, Gavin said.

Pier 1 was founded in 1962 in California, where it made its name selling incense, beanbag chairs and love beads. The company moved to Texas in 1966 and went public in 1970.

But in recent years, it struggled to draw customers to its often cramped and cluttered stores. The company has been trying to streamline its merchandise, improve online sales and draw in younger customers, but it was an uphill climb. For example, a recent check of online offerings showed Pier 1 was selling a tufted velvet armchair for a sale price of $399 on its web site. Target was offering a similar one for $214.

In its most recent fiscal year, which ended in February 2019, Pier 1 reported sales of $1.55 billion. That was down 18% from 2015. Pier 1s sales tumbled 13% to $358 million in its most recent quarter, which ended Nov. 30.

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Pier 1 files for bankruptcy protection, to close 7 Indiana stores - The Republic

The simple maths error that can lead to bankruptcy – BBC News

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Whatever the reason for these false intuitions, subsequent research has revealed that gamblers fallacy can have serious consequences far beyond the casino. The bias appears to be present in stock market trading, for instance. Many short-term changes in stock price are essentially random fluctuations, and Matthias Pelster at Paderborn University in Germany has shown that investors will base their decisions on the belief that the prices will soon even out. So, like Italys lottery players, they trade against a streak. Investors should, on average, trade equally in line with the streak and against it, he says. Yet that is not what we can see in the data.

The gamblers fallacy is a particular problem in the very professions that specifically require an even, unbiased judgement.

One team of researchers recently analysed US judges decisions on whether or not to grant asylum to refugees. Logically speaking, the ordering of the cases should not matter. But in line with the gamblers fallacy, the team found that the judges were up to 5.5% less likely to grant a case if they had granted the two previous cases a serious decline from the average acceptance rate of 29%. Consciously or not, they seemed to think that the chances of having the same judgement three times in a row was just too small, and so they were more inclined to break the streak.

The researchers next analysed bank staff considering loan applications. Once again, the order of the applications made a difference: the loan officers were up to 8% more likely to reject an application after they had already accepted two or more in a row and vice versa.

As a final test, the team analysed umpires decisions in Major League Baseball games. In this case, the umpires were about 1.5% less likely to call a pitch a strike if the previous pitch was also called a strike a small but significant bias that could make all the difference in a game. Kelly Shue, one the co-authors of the study, says that she was initially surprised at the results. Because these are professionals and they're making decisions as part of their primary occupation, she says. But they were still vulnerable to the bias.

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The simple maths error that can lead to bankruptcy - BBC News

What Led To Bankruptcy: Thomas Cook Airlines – Simple Flying

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2019 saw a number of high-profile airline bankruptcies. While Jet Airways was the biggest in terms of fleet size, Thomas Cook was the biggest in terms of immediate impact after collapse. In fact, 600,000 people were stranded abroad as a result. But how did this well-established brand reach the point of failure?

The Thomas Cook Group traced its roots all the way back to 1841, when the company was founded by its namesake, as Thomas Cook & Son. The company went through many changes throughout the years, and only entered the airline industry in 2001. Despite not being that old, Thomas Cooks Airline division operated 34 aircraft in total, with a further 71 aircraft being operated by its various subsidiaries.

Thomas Cooks demise may have come as a surprise to many, but the company had been on the decline for a while. Since Thomas Cooks collapse, many analysts and individuals familiar with the company have described its business practices as old-fashioned. Discussing Thomas Cooks downfall with the BBC, ex-Monarch managing director, Tim Jeans said that Thomas Cook had an analogue business model in a digital world.

This old school way of thinking was a major negative for Thomas Cook when it came to reacting to the moves of rival airlines. The rise of highly competitive low-cost airlines across Europe was a big thorn in the side of Thomas Cook, which it never managed to fully adapt to. Additionally, apps like Airbnb poached a considerable amount of business from Thomas Cook as customers began to book holiday accommodation on their own, rather than using the help of a travel agent. As customers moved away from booking Thomas Cook package holidays, the companys airline arm also witnessed a decline in passenger numbers and profits.

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The gradual decline in bookings made through travel agents is something that has hit businesses industry-wide. But, unfortunately for Thomas Cook, it didnt own many large, valuable assets that it could sell off. Youd think that aircraft would be just the sort of assets that could be sold to raise large sums of money. But Thomas Cook leased all its aircraft and didnt own hotels. This meant that when the time came to scale down business operations, the companys options for raising capital were severely limited.

By 2019 Thomas Cook Group had started racking up huge losses. In the first half of 2019, Thomas Cook revealed that it had lost 1.5 billion. Despite these losses, Thomas Cook Group was still confident it could secure enough money from investors to keep the company afloat.

Management went through many rounds of negotiations with various different parties in hopes of finding a buyer for the company. The most promising option was Chinese conglomerate, Fosun International, which was already the companys primary shareholder. At one point it looked like Fosun was about to seal Thomas Cooks rescue deal. But a last-minute change of tack from creditor banks spelled the end for Thomas Cook.

Alas, the company was unable to find the additional 200 million the banks said it needed to secure the takeover deal, which led to the company abruptly suspending its operations. The U.K. government was left to pick up the pieces, arranging Operation Matterhorn to repatriate stranded customers.

Were you affected by Thomas Cooks demise? Share your experience with us by leaving a comment.

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What Led To Bankruptcy: Thomas Cook Airlines - Simple Flying

How Bankruptcies Work | The Ascent – Motley Fool

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When you're drowning in debt with no end in sight, you may start wondering if you should file for bankruptcy. There are both benefits and drawbacks to taking this drastic step, so it's important to know what you're signing up for. Here, we'll discuss how bankruptcies work and help you decide if it's the right route for you to take.

Bankruptcy is a legal process that lets people or entities who can't pay their debts obtain some type of relief by having those debts either reorganized or eliminated. You can file for bankruptcy as an individual, a corporation, or a municipality.

When you file for bankruptcy, your debts are either reorganized so they're easier to pay off, or wiped out so you don't need to pay some or all of them. The exact process depends on the chapter of bankruptcy you file for.

You might consider filing for bankruptcy when your debts are such that you see no reasonable way to keep up with your payments. The purpose of bankruptcy is to give people (or companies or municipalities) a chance either to wipe out some of their financial obligations and start over with a clean slate, or to repay those obligations in a more affordable fashion.

However, to be clear, bankruptcy is not an option to consider if your debt is fairly new, or if you're going through a temporary financial crisis that's likely to improve (such as being out of a job). There are consequences associated with filing for bankruptcy, and it's most certainly not a "get out of jail free" card. So you should really consider bankruptcy only as a last resort if you've tried paying off your debts but keep digging yourself deeper into a hole.

Bankruptcy isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. There are different chapters of bankruptcy that apply in different circumstances. If you're filing for a personal bankruptcy, your choices are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13.

Chapter 7 is a personal liquidation bankruptcy. Your non-exempt assets are sold off by a court-appointed trustee to pay your debts to the greatest extent possible, and from there, your remaining unsecured debts are eliminated. (The amount of assets you can exempt varies from state to state.) Unsecured debts are those without collateral behind them -- debts like credit card balances and medical bills.

Qualifying for Chapter 7 is harder than qualifying for Chapter 13 because you'll be subject to what's known as the means test. If your income is lower than the median income in your state for a household your size (meaning, based on the number of dependents you have), you'll pass the means test and be eligible for Chapter 7. If you don't pass the means test based on income alone, you can deduct certain expenses, such as taxes, mortgage payments, and child care, from your income to see if it comes in under the necessary threshold.

If you don't pass the means test, you can either try again in six months and see if you qualify for Chapter 7, or otherwise pursue a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Chapter 13 is a personal reorganization of debt. If your earnings are too high to qualify for Chapter 7, you can file for Chapter 13. From there, your debts will be reorganized and possibly negotiated downward so that you're able to pay them off in a time frame of three to five years. You'll also be assigned a trustee to oversee that process.

One benefit of filing for Chapter 13 instead of Chapter 7 is that you'll get to retain your assets throughout the bankruptcy filing. Say you have electronic equipment or artwork you want to keep. Under Chapter 7, a trustee may be eligible to sell those items to repay your creditors, but under Chapter 13, you get to keep them.

Chapter 13 is also a good option if you own a home and want to keep it. You'll be given an opportunity under Chapter 13 to catch up on any mortgage payments you may have missed to stay in your home. Keep in mind that it's possible to keep your home under Chapter 7, too, but only if you manage to get current on your mortgage payments. Chapter 7 filings don't include provisions to help you catch up on missed payments, and if you have enough equity in your property, your trustee might choose to have it sold to pay off your creditors.

Another thing: Often, Chapter 13 filers have enough income to keep up with their mortgages, whereas Chapter 7 filers don't, which is also why you shouldn't lose your home under Chapter 13.

Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 are your two choices when filing for personal bankruptcy. But there are a few other types of bankruptcy you might hear about in passing as you explore your options.

Chapter 9 applies to municipalities -- cities, states, and other public entities like school districts are eligible for it when they can no longer keep up with their financial obligations. Chapter 9 debtors reorganize their debts in an attempt to pay creditors to the greatest extent possible, and the extent to which creditors are made whole depends on the level of assets and revenue the filer in question has.

Chapter 11 is a corporate bankruptcy that allows companies to reorganize their debts, similar to a Chapter 13. Under Chapter 11, a company puts together a plan of reorganization that dictates how its existing debts will be paid. The purpose of Chapter 11 is to allow the company in question to keep operating. By contrast, Chapter 7 liquidations are available to corporations, too, only in that case, the filing company doesn't attempt to stay in operation, but rather, winds down its business and pays creditors off to the greatest extent possible.

Chapter 12 is an option specifically for farmers and fishermen to reorganize their debts. It works much like a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, only to be eligible, you must be engaged in a commercial farming or fishing operation.

Chapter 15 is a relatively new chapter of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Its purpose is to promote cooperation between U.S. courts and outside courts when a foreign entity files for bankruptcy.

Your first step in filing for bankruptcy should be to consult with an attorney who can advise you on whether that's the right choice, and also, to let you know which chapter of bankruptcy is most suitable for you. From there, you'll need to gather certain documentation to help your attorney make that determination, such as:

Before you're even allowed to file for bankruptcy, you'll be required to take a credit counseling course. Part of the purpose of that course is to help you determine whether bankruptcy is your best course of action.

Once you've completed that course, you'll need to file the bankruptcy forms associated with the chapter you're pursuing with your local court. An attorney can help you complete this step of the process. From there, a bankruptcy trustee will be assigned to oversee your case to perform the required tasks such as selling off your assets under Chapter 7, or ensuring that you're sticking to your personal plan of debt reorganization under Chapter 13.

The costs of filing for bankruptcy can be great. How much youll pay a bankruptcy attorney depends on where you live, the chapter you're filing, and how complex your case is. You can expect to pay between $1,000 and $1,500 for a Chapter 7, and between $2,500 and $3,500 for a Chapter 13, but these are just ballpark estimates.

You'll also need to cover the court fees associated with filing for bankruptcy, which are $335 for Chapter 7 and $310 for Chapter 13. You'll also pay a modest fee of $20 to $50 for your credit counseling course, but if your income is low enough, you may be eligible to have that fee waived.

Filing for bankruptcy might seem like a great solution to your debt-related woes. But there are repercussions you'll need to be aware of. For one thing, under Chapter 7, there's a good chance you'll lose your home, if you own one. You'll also risk losing other valuable assets, such as family heirlooms, jewelry, and other items worth money.

Additionally, bankruptcy proceedings are a matter of public record, which means the people you know could, in theory, find out detailed information about what your assets look like and how much money you owe. In other words, say goodbye to your privacy.

Filing for bankruptcy is a sign that you're unable to manage your bills and debts responsibly. Therefore, your credit score will go down to reflect that. Oddly enough, the higher your credit score prior to filing for bankruptcy, the more of a hit it will take. By contrast, you'll feel less of an impact if your credit score isn't great to begin with. If your credit score is 700 or above, it could drop by a good 200 points with a bankruptcy filing. But if your score is lower, it might drop less than 150 points.

A Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing will stay on your credit record for seven years. On the other hand, a Chapter 7 filing will stay there for 10 years. During that time, you may have difficulty borrowing money, or borrowing affordably. You may also have difficulty getting approved to rent a home.

Although bankruptcy is a good way to deal with unsecured debts, there are certain debts it won't wipe out. These include:

Also, filing for bankruptcy won't prevent you from losing your home if you're unable to get current on your mortgage payments and keep up with your future payments.

Clearly, there are some pretty extreme consequences you'll face when you file for bankruptcy, so it could pay to explore alternate options that make your debt more manageable. Here are a couple to consider.

Debt consolidation is the process of rolling multiple debts into a single loan. Doing so serves a couple of purposes. First, if your new loan comes with a lower interest rate than what's currently attached to your debt, you'll have an easier time paying it off, and it will cost you less money to do so. Secondly, having a single loan to keep up with means not having to risk missing different payments, or not having to keep track of multiple debt payment due dates.

You can consolidate your debt via:

You'll need good credit to qualify for a balance transfer or personal loan. With a home equity loan, the requirement of having good credit isn't as stringent because your home is used as collateral for that loan. But if you fail to keep up with your payments, you risk losing your home.

Debt settlement is the process of negotiating with your various lenders and creditors to reduce your existing debt to a smaller amount. Why would your creditors do that? It's simple -- they want to be paid, and if negotiating means they get something rather than nothing, it's a step they may be willing to take. For example, a creditor of yours might agree to accept 50% of your outstanding debt, knowing full well that if you were to go through the bankruptcy process, it could end up with a mere 10% of what it's owed.

You can attempt to settle your debt yourself, use a debt settlement company, or hire a debt settlement attorney. If you have a lot of debt to negotiate, the latter two options are worth pursuing.

While debt settlement can be a good solution for dealing with large sums of debt, one thing you should know is that your credit score will drop if you go that route, and any debts charged off by lenders could stay on your credit report for seven years, similar to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. You'll also pay fees to settle your debts, which could eat into your savings. And forgiven debt is generally considered taxable, so you could get hit with an IRS bill if you go through with a settlement.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Code exists for a reason -- to protect individuals (and other filers) who get in over their heads on the debt front and need relief. Filing for bankruptcy could be the best solution for dealing with your outstanding debt, or it could end up being a mistake you regret. If youre even considering filing for bankruptcy, consulting with a bankruptcy attorney is a good idea because a lawyer can walk you through your options and help you weigh the pros and cons involved.

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The $600 quantum computer that could spell the end for conventional encryption – BetaNews

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Concerns that quantum computing could place current encryption techniques at risk have been around for some time.

But now cybersecurity startup Active Cypher has built a password-hacking quantum computer to demonstrate that the dangers are very real.

Using easily available parts costing just $600, Active Cyphers founder and CTO, Dan Gleason, created a portable quantum computer dubbed QUBY (named after qubits, the basic unit of quantum information). QUBY runs recently open-sourced quantum algorithms capable of executing within a quantum emulator that can perform cryptographic cracking algorithms. Calculations that would have otherwise taken years on conventional computers are now performed in seconds on QUBY.

Gleason explains, "After years of foreseeing this danger and trying to warn the cybersecurity community that current cybersecurity protocols were not up to par, I decided to take a week and move my theory to prototype. I hope that QUBY can increase awareness of how the cyberthreats of quantum computing are not reserved to billion-dollar state-sponsored projects, but can be seen on much a smaller, localized scale."

The concern is that quantum computing will lead to the sunset of AES-256 (the current encryption standard), meaning all encrypted files could one day be decrypted. "The disruption that will come about from that will be on an unprecedented, global scale. It's going to be massive," says Gleason. Modelled after the SADM, a man-portable nuclear weapon deployed in the 1960s, QUBY was downsized so that it fits in a backpack and is therefore untraceable. Low-level 'neighborhood hackers' have already been using portable devices that can surreptitiously swipe credit card information from an unsuspecting passerby. Quantum compute emulating devices will open the door for significantly more cyberthreats.

In response to the threat, Active Cypher has developed advanced dynamic cyphering encryption that is built to be quantum resilient. Gleason explains that, "Our encryption is not based on solving a mathematical problem. It's based on a very large, random key which is used in creating the obfuscated cyphertext, without any key information within the cyphertext, and is thus impossible to be derived through prime factorization -- traditional brute force attempts which use the cyphertext to extract key information from patterns derived from the key material."

Active Cypher's completely random cyphertext cannot be deciphered using even large quantum computers since the only solution to cracking the key is to try every possible combination of the key, which will produce every known possible output of the text, without knowledge of which version might be the correct one. "In other words, you'll find a greater chance of finding a specific grain of sand in a desert than cracking this open," says Gleason.

Active Cypher showcased QUBY in early February at Ready -- an internal Microsoft conference held in Seattle. The prototype will also be presented at RSA in San Francisco later this month.

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The $600 quantum computer that could spell the end for conventional encryption - BetaNews

This Breakthrough Just Got Us One Step Closer to a Quantum Internet – Singularity Hub

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While quantum computing tends to garner all the headlines, quantum technology also has huge promise for the communication networks of the future. Thats why on top of the roughly $450 million the Trump administration just earmarked for quantum research in their proposed budget, theres $25 million dedicated to building a nationwide quantum internet.

At what point a quantum network becomes the quantum internet is up for debate, but its likely to develop in phases of increasing sophistication, with the ultimate goal being a global network of quantum-connected quantum computers.

The US is well behind China on this front, though. A team led by quantum supremo Jian-Wei Pan have already demonstrated a host of breakthroughs in transmitting quantum signals to satellites, most recently developing a mobile quantum satellite station.

The reason both countries are rushing to develop the technology is that it could provide an ultra-secure communication channel in an era where cyberwarfare is becoming increasingly common.

Its essentially impossible to eavesdrop on a quantum conversation. The strange rules of quantum mechanics mean that measuring a quantum state immediately changes it, so any message encoded in quantum states will be corrupted if someone tries to intercept it.

But quantum states are also intrinsically fragile, which has made it difficult to establish quantum connections over large distances. But a team led by Pan has reported smashing the record for connecting two quantum memories in a paper in Nature.

Making a quantum connection relies on a phenomenon known as entanglement. If the states of two quantum objects are entangled, manipulating or measuring the state of one will be mirrored in the other. In theory this allows you to transmit quantum information instantaneously over very large distances.

So far most research has been done on entangled photonsincluding Pans work on quantum satellitesbut single particles can only carry limited information. Quantum memories, which are made up of clouds of millions of rubidium atoms, can store more, but the biggest distance theyd previously been entangled over was 1.3 kilometers.

Pans team came up with a clever workaround, as John Timmer explains in Ars Technica. Each quantum memory is set by shooting a photon at it, which causes the memory to emit another photon that is entangled with the state of the memory. This photon is then converted to an infrared wavelength so it can be transmitted over fiber optic cable.

The photons from each memory meet at a halfway point where they are measured in such a way that they become entangled. Because each was already entangled with their respective memories, these both become entangled as well, setting up the quantum connection.

The researchers carried out two experiments, one where they transmitted photons over 22 kilometers of cable buried underground between two separate facilities and one where they sent the particles around a 50-kilometer spool of optical cable in their lab.

The authors say those kinds of distances make it feasible to connect cities on a quantum internet and could be used to create quantum repeaters, a series of nodes that help boost the signal over longer distances.

But theres still some way to go. The process of converting the photons into a form that can travel along the fiber optic loses about 30 percent of the photons. The complex process involved in entangling the two photons also leads to further inefficiencies, which means theyre only able to successfully entangle photons roughly twice a second.

Thats a problem, because the memories only hold their state for 70 microseconds. The researchers admit they likely need to both boost the lifetime of the memories and the rate of entanglement for this approach to work in practice.

Its early, but the research is a significant step towards a quantum internet. If the US wants to play any part in its development, its going to have to play catch-up.

Image Credit: Garik Barseghyan from Pixabay

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Quantum Internet: The Technology That Could Change Everything? – The National Interest Online

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Google reported a remarkable breakthrough towards the end of 2019. The company claimed to have achieved something called quantum supremacy, using a new type of quantum computer to perform a benchmark test in 200 seconds. This was in stark contrast to the 10,000 years that would supposedly have been needed by a state-of-the-art conventional supercomputer to complete the same test.

Despite IBMs claim that its supercomputer, with a little optimisation, could solve the task in a matter of days, Googles announcement made it clear that we are entering a new era of incredible computational power.

Yet with much less fanfare, there has also been rapid progress in the development of quantum communication networks, and a master network to unite them all called the quantum internet. Just as the internet as we know it followed the development of computers, we can expect the quantum computer to be accompanied by the safer, better synchronised quantum internet.

Like quantum computing, quantum communication records information in what are known as qubits, similar to the way digital systems use bits and bytes. Whereas a bit can only take the value of zero or one, a qubit can also use the principles of quantum physics to take the value of zero and one at the same time. This is what allows quantum computers to perform certain computations very quickly. Instead of solving several variants of a problem one by one, the quantum computer can handle them all at the same time.

These qubits are central to the quantum internet because of a property called entanglement. If two entangled qubits are geographically separated (for instance, one qubit in Dublin and the other in New York), measurements of both would yield the same result. This would enable the ultimate in secret communications, a shared knowledge between two parties that cannot be discovered by a third. The resulting ability to code and decode messages would be one of the most powerful features of the quantum internet.

Commercial applications

There will be no shortage of commercial applications for these advanced cryptographic mechanisms. The world of finance, in particular, looks set to benefit as the quantum internet will lead to enhanced privacy for online transactions and stronger proof of the funds used in the transaction.

Recently, at the CONNECT Centre in Trinity College Dublin, we successfully implemented an algorithm that could achieve this level of security. That this took place during a hackathon a sort of competition for computer programmers shows that even enthusiasts without detailed knowledge of quantum physics can create some of the building blocks that will be needed for the quantum internet. This technology wont be confined to specialist university departments, just as the original internet soon outgrew its origins as a way to connect academics around the world.

But how could this quantum internet be built anytime soon when we currently can only build very limited quantum computers? Well, the devices in the quantum internet dont have to be completely quantum in nature, and the network wont require massive quantum machines to handle the communication protocols.

One qubit here and there is all a quantum communication network needs to function. Instead of replacing the current infrastructure of optical fibres, data centres and base stations, the quantum internet will build on top of and make maximum use of the existing, classical internet.

With such rapid progress being made, quantum internet technology is set to shape the business plans of telecom companies in the near future. Financial institutions are already using quantum communication networks to make inter-bank transactions safer. And quantum communication satellites are up and running as the first step to extending these networks to a global scale.

The pipes of the quantum internet are effectively being laid as you read this. When a big quantum computer is finally built, it can be plugged into this network and accessed on the cloud, with all the privacy guarantees of quantum cryptography.

What will the ordinary user notice when the enhanced cryptography of the quantum internet becomes available? Very little, in all likelihood. Cryptography is like waste management: if everything works well, the customer doesnt even notice.

In the constant race of the codemakers and codebreakers, the quantum internet wont just prevent the codebreakers taking the lead. It will move the race track into another world altogether, with a significant head start for the codemakers. With data becoming the currency of our times, the quantum internet will provide stronger security for a new valuable commodity.

Harun iljak, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Complex Systems Science for Telecommunications, Trinity College Dublin

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Image: Reuters

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Quantum Internet: The Technology That Could Change Everything? - The National Interest Online

MY TAKE: PKI, digital certificates now ready to take on the task of securing digital transformation – Security Boulevard

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Just five years ago, the Public Key Infrastructure, or PKI, was seriously fraying at the edges and appeared to be tilting toward obsolescence. Things have since taken a turn for the better.

Related: Why PKI is well-suited to secure the Internet of Things

PKI is the authentication and encryption framework on which the Internet is built. The buckling of PKI a few years back was a very serious matter, especially since there was nothing waiting in the wings to replace PKI. Lacking a reliable way to authenticate identities during the data transfer process, and also keep data encrypted as it moves between endpoints, the Internet would surely atrophy and digital transformation would grind to a halt.

The retooling of PKI may not be sexy to anyone, outside of tech geeks. Nonetheless, it is a pivotal chapter in the evolution of digital commerce. One of several notable contributors was DigiCert, the worlds leading provider of digital certificates and certificate management solutions.

I had a chance to interview Brian Trzupek, DigiCerts senior vice president of emerging markets products, at the companys Security Summit 2020 in San Diego recently. For a full drill down on our discussion, please give the accompanying podcast a listen. Here are a few key takeaways:

PKIs expanding role

PKI revolves around the creation, distribution and management of digital certificates issued by companies known as certificate authorities, or CAs. In the classic case of a human user clicking to a website, CAs, like DigiCert, verify the authenticity of the website and encrypt the data at both ends.

Today, a much larger and rapidly expanding role for PKI and digital certificates is to authenticate devices and encrypt all sensitive data transfers inside highly dynamic company networks. Were not just talking about website clicks; PKI comes into play with respect to each of the millions of computing instances and devices continually connecting to each other the stuff of DevOps and IoT. It can be as granular as a microservice in a software container connecting to a mobile app, for instance. Each one of these digital hookups requires PKI and a digital certificate to ensure authentication.

Much like the Internet, PKI evolved somewhat haphazardly in the first two decades of this century to enable website activity and it has come a long, long way since. PKIs core components derive from open source, corporate and entrepreneurial beginnings. By 2015 or so, the early pioneer PKI services companies had made their profits and had gotten themselves swallowed up by tech conglomerates in a wave of consolidation.

In late 2017, DigiCert announced it would acquire Symantecs PKI division for $1 billion. At the time, Symantec very much wanted out of having anything to do with PKI; Google had just announced plans to distrust all Symantec-issued certificates, after a long tussle with the security vendor for failing to meet industry standards. DigiCert took the best of what Symantec had and combined it with tech that DigiCert did well, and worked feverishly to modernize PKI.

Trzupek

Symantec just didnt spend a whole lot of time actually integrating those businesses, Trzupek told me. They had acquired all of these PKI systems, order-entry systems, e-commerce systems, validation systems. . . it was like a million tiny freestanding companies and we had to try to figure out how to consolidate all of that.

Platform challenges

A lot has transpired over the past two years. The CA/Browser Forum, an industry standards body founded in 2005, accelerated initiatives to drive better practices and guidelines. Outside of the CAB Forum, many industries, from healthcare to automotive to manufacturing, have created standards and implemented digital certificate protections through global PKI practices that strengthen device security

Taken together these efforts have brought a semblance of order to the topsy-turvy world of enterprise PKIs. Companies had come to rely on a hodge podge of systems to authenticate remote workers and contractors, while at the same time delving deeper into DevOps, and also pressing forward with wider use of IoT systems.

What we saw across all of that was a platform problem, Trzupek says. People were trying to use PKI and certificates in many different kinds of ways and all of this was being jammed through very old legacy tools.

For its part, DigiCert responded by sending Trzupek on the road to visit 70 PKI customers in 12 nations and listen closely to what was on their minds. DigiCert used that feedback as the basis to design leading-edge PKI deployment and management tools and services, built on a flexible, scalable platform for speed and efficiency.

The first step is to take a very manual inventory of what the parent company is doing with PKI, and what all of the sub-entities and subdivisions are doing with PKI, just figuring out who manages those projects and what PKI is being used for, Trzupek says. Then theres an organizational component where you can consolidate management of PKIs and do things like standardizing tools.

Future use cases

Innovations to help companies more efficiently manage sprawling PKI deployments continue to advance, and none too soon. Large and mid-sized enterprises are stepping up their use of DevOps and embracing philosophies like fail fast, the notion of quickly deploying minimumally viable software to learn where it works or fails, and then iterating and remediating the shortcomings.

This is how dynamic services are getting spun up; such services are capable of scaling up to serve high volume demand, cheaply and very quickly, and then wind down just as quickly. DigiCert is focusing on putting PKI at the nerve center of these types of scenarios, where short-lived certificates, with low latency and high availability, come into play.

A lot of places need dynamic scale related to consumption, and they need that environment to be trusted, and thats where PKI comes in, Trzupek says. As we look to the future, its all about getting more dynamic so we can interoperate with that world and produce certificates as they need them.

Its encouraging that PKI is once again on solid footing, were certainly going to need it, going forward. Data is the new oil, futurist and theoretical physicist, Dr. Michio Kaku, told attendees of DigiCert Security Summit 2020. Following the mainstreaming of steam power, then electricity and then the Internet, were today on the brink of the fourth wave giant technical leaps forward, observes Kaku, author of The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind.

Kaku argues that silicon chip-based computing has maxed out and will very soon be replaced by quantum computers which manipulate atoms to make massive calculations. Quantum computers can rather easily break the strongest encryption we have today. The good news is that the tech community has factored this into long term planning for the care and feeding and future viabilityof PKI.

A major public-private effort is underway to revamp classical cryptography, and ultimately replace it with something called post-quantum-cryptography, or PQC. DigiCert happens to be in the thick of this effort and has already begun offering strategies for companies to future proof sensitive systems for the coming of quantum computing.

Devices being put into service today, like cars and airplanes and IoT systems that have embedded sensors have long term life cycles, says Avesta Hojjati, DigiCerts head of research and development. Were striving to protect those devices, right now, against threats that are coming in the next five to 10 years.

In an environment where fail fast is the philosophy ushering us into the quantum computing era, there is a huge role for robust, reliable and continually improving PKI. We appear to be on that path. Ill keep watch.

Acohido

Pulitzer Prize-winning business journalist Byron V. Acohido is dedicated to fostering public awareness about how to make the Internet as private and secure as it ought to be.

(LW provides consulting services to the vendors we cover.)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from The Last Watchdog authored by bacohido. Read the original post at: https://www.lastwatchdog.com/my-take-pki-digital-certificates-now-ready-to-take-on-the-task-of-securing-digital-transformation/

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MY TAKE: PKI, digital certificates now ready to take on the task of securing digital transformation - Security Boulevard