Quantum effects are not hard to understand, they're just counter-intuitive to everyday experience. This site has a good explanation of QM, and how it differs from normal experience.

The universe doesn't work in specifics until something is measured. It doesn't choose parameters for particles (spin, position, &c) at the outset and let things evolve like little billiard balls.

Instead, it uses probabilities which flow and interact with one another. These probabilities have both amplitude and phase, so that the interactions are wave-like as well as probability-like. For example, because of this wave-like interaction it's possible for two non-zero probability flows to completely cancel to zero.

The universe appears to calculate probabilities for all possible outcomes and only choose one when the measurement is made. When particles are entangled, you increase the number of possible outcomes. For each new particle that becomes entangled you increase the number of possible outcomes by a factor of two. Ten particles will have 2^10 = 1024 possible outcomes, and so on.

So to do math at the quantum level, you take a set of entangled particles and set up the measurement so that division with no remainder has probability one while division with any other remainder has probability zero. Then load your register with all the integers, let the probabilities interact, and take the measurement.

You have just performed division using all the integers at once.

If you can do this with a reasonably large register you can check all the factors of a composite number in linear time - the time it takes you to load sqrt(P) divisors into the register.

Easy peasy!

An interesting side-note is the idea of the universe keeping track of all possible outcomes until a measurement is made. If this works as predicted, the universe will have to keep track of 2^3000 possible outcomes, depending on the key length (3000 is the recommended RSA key length to be secure until 2030).

There are only ~10^80 = 2^240 atoms in the universe. If a quantum computer works as predicted, one wonders how and where the universe keeps track of all these states. At the very least, quantum computing is interesting because it will allow us to probe the limits of the universe in an entirely new domain.

Here's hoping we don't encounter a buffer overflow.

(Note: Some facts were harmed in the making of this explanation.)

E.D. Hirsch coined the term "cultural literacy" to describe aspects of culture which have meaning that goes beyond the basic words.

An example from his book is the phrase "there is a tide".

The phrase "A Scanner Darkly" was the title of a book (and movie) by Phillip K. Dick. It's part of the cultural literacy of science fiction, something that nerds might recognize. As in Hirsch's example, a few words convey a great deal of complex information.

The story title comes from the bible, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.", which artfully describes a system that identifies and footnotes faces seen through Google glass.

Cultural literacy references come into and go out of style, and Phillip K. Dick may be a bit dated for today's audience.

If you're interested, there are a few online "Cultural Literacy" tests, such as this one.

Apropos of nothing, do you like yourself?

I ask because your post appears to be a carefully-crafted insult to the readers of this board.

People who insult tend to base their self-worth on the opinions of others. They wage a constant battle for the little bits of esteem they can get by counting coup on others.

People like that usually have a difficult time saying "I like myself" while believing it at a deep level. There's always someone better to impress, always other people to push down while you make your way to the top. You're never satisfied with yourself until you're the pinnacle of esteem.

How's that working out for you?

If you've got a minute, please answer my original question. I'm honestly curious if you can claim, with deep agreement, that you like yourself.

Researchers further note that the best sound balance is usually to be heard from within large concrete bunkers some thirty-seven miles from the installation.

While the subject matter is not very interesting, this is a another fine example of a good Slashdot story.

Do people come to Slashdot for articles on politics when you can get those anywhere? Also common are "Oh! the humanity!" articles that stoke indignation while leaving the reader no way to help - every news outlet has them.

News such as this, an interesting effect scientifically explained, is Slashdot's distinguishing feature.

Can we have more like this?

I second this.

I'm adequately supplied with political stories, you can get those anywhere. Stories that raise the indignation level are also common - "oh! how unjust that is!".

When you have stuff that nerds find interesting that you don't see everywhere else, nerds will come here to see it.

In order to test the OP's conjecture, you have to actually look for effects he is talking about. None of the big-iron systems have been looking for this effect.

Do you have a paper or citation link? I'd be very interested in any study that looked for effects due to the non-homogenoius distribution of dark matter.

I designed and coded the software for cabin pressurization systems used in commercial aircraft. BlueStrat is correct in all details, and if you know a little engineering you can easily convince yourself.

The cabin pressurization valve is an inflatable balloon (of sorts) sitting in an 8" diameter hole, and there are two of them. The system will easily compensate for even a large number of bullet holes in the body - 1" holes are much smaller than the area the valve system has to work with.

The pressure differential between the inside and outside can be at most 15 pounds per square inch(*). That means that a 1" hole would only present 15 lbs of force pressure on an object pressing against it, which can be easily overcome by a person. Bullet holes are much smaller than 1" diameter. Further away and the effect is negligible.

A window being shot out would not suck out a passenger. From experience, when an 8" diameter hole (the pressurization valve) is suddenly uncovered, it doesn't pull very hard on people standing near it and the pull ends almost instantly. Force isn't present for any length of time, and since F=M*A and V = A*T, you end up with very little velocity.

Sorry folks, Goldfinger doesn't get sucked across the cabin and forced through the blown-out window, and Pussy Galore doesn't have to pull the plane out of a tailspin.

(*) To reduce stress on the airframe, the cabin is depressurized as the aircraft reaches cruising altitude.This reduces the maximum differential by about 1/3.