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I'm Scott Aaronson, quantum computing/computational complexity researcher. AMA

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: I'm Scott Aaronson, quantum computing/computational complexity researcher. AMA

#41

Post by drostie »

Hi Scott, I first stumbled across your blog while I was across the pond doing my Master's in Delft; it looks like you've been relatively successful since then.

I was wondering how you feel that success/celebrity has affected you. Does it actively drive you to something other than research -- say, are you viewing it as a building block to maybe publishing a book or so? Or does it feel like a distraction from research in that "oh why do I have these arguments online" way that we can often fall into?

Re: I'm Scott Aaronson, quantum computing/computational complexity researcher. AMA

#42

Post by dsr_ »

Ono-Sendai wrote: post #38

Hi Scott, What's your current position on the likelihood of quantum computing working/being possible? P.s. I enjoyed your book 'Quantum Computing Since Democritus'.

That's a very wide question. How about something like:

What's the likelihood of quantum computing being a practical method to solve some class of problem in the next ten years?

Re: I'm Scott Aaronson, quantum computing/computational complexity researcher. AMA

#43

Post by ScottAaronson »

elizabeth8890 wrote: post #27

Are you collaborating with the National Labs at all, i.e., http://quantum.lanl.gov/q_computing.shtml

I had close colleagues at LANL, but many of them (Leonid Gurvits, Howard Barnum, Manny Knill) have since left. I'll probably visit Argonne and Sandia sometime in the next few years to give talks, and to learn about what they're doing in quantum computing. I don't think I've written papers yet with anyone from those labs, but, uhh ... "there are no strangers, just coauthors you haven't coauthored with yet!" :)

Re: I'm Scott Aaronson, quantum computing/computational complexity researcher. AMA

#46

Post by mygo »

you’ve written about P vs NP in the past. What are your current thoughts on P vs NP as of today? Do you have any speculation as to whether it’s one or the other, and why? Do you think there have been any major recent breakthroughs (say, in the past 5 years) to move us closer to a solution?

Re: I'm Scott Aaronson, quantum computing/computational complexity researcher. AMA

#47

Post by ScottAaronson »

godzillabrennus wrote: post #18

Do you have any thoughts on the IEEE Quantum Computing Nomenclature Working Group? http://standards.ieee.org/develop/wg/QCN-WG.html

No, I hadn't heard of it before your comment! Please no one tell the physicist David Mermin about this, or he'll picket the group with his long-running campaign to change the spelling of qubit to "Qbit." :-)

Re: I'm Scott Aaronson, quantum computing/computational complexity researcher. AMA

#49

Post by ScottAaronson »

nqureshi wrote: post #13

What advice would you give for productivity/getting things done?

I'm like the worst person on earth to be giving anyone else advice about that!! Do you have any idea how much time I waste obsessively reading the news, or worrying about people saying mean things about me on social media, rather than doing research or anything else useful for the world? I suppose my advice would be: don't do what I do. As my former PhD adviser, Umesh Vazirani, likes to tell people, "concentrate on the high-order bits."
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