Google Demonstrates Quantum Computer Image Search 106
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by
Soulskill
from the superposition-of-evil-and-not-evil dept.
from the superposition-of-evil-and-not-evil dept.
An anonymous reader sends along this quote from New Scientist:
"Google's web services may be considered cutting edge, but they run in warehouses filled with conventional computers. Now the search giant has revealed it is investigating the use of quantum computers to run its next generation of faster applications. Writing on Google's research blog this week, Hartmut Neven, head of its image recognition team, reveals that the Californian firm has for three years been quietly developing a quantum computer that can identify particular objects in a database of stills or video (PDF). Google has been doing this, Neven says, with D-Wave, a Canadian firm that has developed an on-chip array of quantum bits — or qubits — encoded in magnetically coupled superconducting loops."
Noooooo (Score:5, Funny)
... for three years been quietly developing a quantum computer that can identify particular objects in a database of stills or video
I call foul - they're changing the results by observing it!
Next on Google (Score:4, Funny)
Google SSL: Search for SSL keys, kindly recovered by Google using quantum computers.
Re:Detail Search (Score:3, Funny)
She's gone man, cherish the memory of that chick at the pool. No quantum computer will bring her back so you can "facebook" her :P
Re:Danger! Qubits will generate a black hole ... (Score:2, Funny)
The black part is just your mind cencoring the memory. ;)
Re:Already Skynet protects itself (Score:5, Funny)
Google has made it difficult both to find out where they keep their data centers and how many they have.
Well, you can get to know either, but just not both at the same time.
That's quantum for ya.
Schrödinger's lolcat (Score:5, Funny)
Google Scientist: Actually, before you look at the image the lolcat is in a state of superposition. Before your look at the photo it can be both funny AND not funny. By the act of you observing the photo it settles into one of those two states.
Test user: So there's a 50/50 chance of the exact same photo being funny or not funny?
Google Scientist: Essentially yes. Well, unless you go by the "many worlds" model, which states that if you look at the picture, you become entangled with the lolcat, so that the observation of the humor of the lolcat, and the actual humor of the lolcat are joined together. There will exist a universe where you find the image funny, and a universe where you find the image not funny, but these two universes cannot inform each other of these two different states.
Test User: I think I understand.
Google Scientist: Go ahead, click on one of the images from the search.
Test User: Now, you're sure nothing bad will happen? No black holes will open up or anything?
Google Scientist (amused): Yes, I'm absolutely sure.
Test User: OK, I'll try this one. [cheezburger.com]
(The user clicks the image.)
Test User: OH NOES! (faints.)
Re:Noooooo (Score:2, Funny)
Yes and no.