The underlying point TFA is trying to make (though not necessarily making it well) is that there is one class of problems for which quantum computers are already better than classical computers: simulating the behavior of small quantum systems.

You are right that current QCs are still too small (and have too high an error rate) to implement any of the "quantum supremacy" algorithms that people dream about (like breaking cryptography). It will be a long time still before those are ready for realistic use. However, many scientists are actively studying quantum mechanics, and simulating such systems on conventional computers is extremely computationally expensive, owing to the complex non-classical correlations that underlie quantum effects (superposition, entanglement, etc.). There are rigorous theories/proofs showing how the effects go beyond the classical.

So the idea is to use a quantum computer to simulate a quantum system. You get all these "quantum correlations" for free. Of course you may consider this "cheating". It starts to sound less like quantum computing and more like doing a physical experiment that is highly analogous (rigorously analogous) to the experiment you are trying to understand. And you are limited to rather small systems. But, at least, this points to some interesting near-term goals for quantum computing folks to work on: how to make these systems better and better at simulating larger-and-larger quantum systems.

When we start to see entire cities destroyed by climate issues, or major farming regions converted to desert right before our eyes, that's when we'll take action.

Yes, and that action will likely consist of violent mobs killing any member of the reality-based community.

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This opinion is reasonable on the face of it. Why indeed should innumerable low-wage employees subsidize basic science?

However when one digs into the details, one soon realizes that technological advancement, economic activity, high standard of living, and social progress do not appear in a vacuum. They occur when the local context supports them. In particular, putting funding into basic research is a way to generate a local ecosystem where one has access to highly-skilled people, where new ideas and technologies appear, where citizens are politically engaged, etc. It's more than just "workforce development" and "technology incubation" (though it does achieve those aims); it's about creating environments where progress thrives, which ultimately benefits all citizens. One can look at the diversity of countries that have attempted different approaches to confirm that the most desirable places to live are the countries with the most technological/economic progress, which are the ones that invested in themselves in these seemingly unnecessary ways (such as basic science).

Of course, finding the right amount of common funding to divert into things like education and basic science is not easy. And of course it depends on how strongly one values the kinds of progress that flow out from these investments. But there is a very good reason why it is in the interests of all taxpayers to subsidize a certain amount of basic science.

July-September quarter = 92 days.
950 incidents divided by 92 days divided by 78 stations = LESS THAN ONCE PER WEEK at each station.

Building a specialized tool for this is stupid.

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This company uses machine learning and voice recordings to keep frustrated telemarketers on as long as possible after you merge calls with them: jollyrogertelephone.com

I don't think there was any suggestion that the MIMO antennas would do any triangulation. The MIMO would be used to determine direction-only. I believe ping-and-response round trip time would be used to calculate distance.

Interesting note: You could spoof a greater distance by tweaking your own unit to delay responses, and you might be able to spoof a shorter distance if you could sufficiently predict the incoming signal.

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Actually...I don't know why they suddenly started banning people in 2016. Why? (No, no sarcasm, just a lack of being informed).

Youtube has been taking down Nazi videos, threats, assorted other racist and abusive content, as well as accounts involved in harassment or other criminal behavior.

One theory says Youtube is part of a vast evil conspiracy to persecute conservatives!!!!!!

The other theory is that the vast 2016 Russian propaganda attacks were successful in stirring up rightwingnut racism and hate and conspiracy nutters, and Donald Trump played a big part in fueling the rightwingnut racism and hate and conspiracy nuttery.

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In case you hadn't noticed, you're not King and you do not get to personally define community standards for objectionable content.

The Law provides Youtube immunity for "Good Samaritan" blocking and screening of offensive material. Youtube has in place standard mechanisms and policies and procedures for community-standards flagging and handling of objectionable materials. The law gives deliberately broad protection for any half-ass-credible system put in place for that purpose. It deliberately leaves the details of that system to the service provider, and it deliberately leaves review of that system to consumers.

As I understand it, YouTube did not target Prager. A large number of people independently flagged the content as objectionable. I haven't watched Prager's videos, but as I understand it there is good reason for people to consider the content inappropriate or objectionable. Heck, it makes me think I should start flagging pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and other propaganda and disinformation videos. If we're going to have community-standards content flagging, then I say we drop the asinine concerns with seeing human bodies and instead object to lies and misinformation and irrational nonsense that are actually harmful.

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If you don't curate your content, then soon your service will be full of conspiracy theories, nazis both rhetorical and actual, porn and vast amount of copyright infringement.

Oh man. I despise conspiracy nutters and nazis..... but porn and vast amounts of copyright infringement makes for a very tempting bargain there.

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What was the evil nasty foreign government supposedly doing?

Seriously?

They successfully (and criminally) hacked both Republican and Democratic computer networks.

Russian intelligence retained the information hacked from Republican systems as kompromat. (Note that Russian Intelligence don't need to make overt blackmail threats, all that is necessary is for Trump to know that the Russians have kompromat.)

The information hacked from Clinton and Democratic computer systems was released both for smear value and to (criminally) aid the Trump campaign with all of the confidential campaign data.

They also (criminally) used the hacked information to meddle in many legislative elections across the country.

They (criminally) funneled financial contributions into the Trump campaign.

They (criminally) successfully hacked into at least one manufacturer of Voting Machines.

They (criminally) attacked the computer election systems in all 50 states, with successful intrusions in many of them. While we don't have confirmation of the Russians directly changing vote totals or indirectly changing totals by altering voter registration records or other means, we really don't know the full extent of what they did after they successfully intruded into all of those state election systems. All we do know is that they successfully compromised the election systems for about half the country.

They ran a massive campaign of lies and fabricated stories to slander Clinton, slander Democrats, and slander Republicans that criticized Trump. Slander is illegal, and it almost surely violated some part of the criminal campaign laws.

That list of course doesn't include any Russian activities that are still held as classified. It of course doesn't include any Russian activities that weren't caught. And I didn't bother with hostile actions that that might not directly violate the law.

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They shoot stuff on shoestring budgets and don't plan for extra filming days

Success!

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This case, and the size of the fine, should stand as a warning to all companies that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and WILL NOT BE PROFITABLE unless you anticipate at least a 10% chance that you will get away with it.

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The world's largest robot is your mamma's vibrator.

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Yeah, like Republicans are going to vote in favor of business regulations.

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Note to FlightSimLabs management: Just because you broke the law does not make it legal for your prison cellmate to assrape you.

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