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Comment Re:What I never understood about the uncertainty p (Score 4, Informative) 112

The HUP is more fundamental than that. It doesn't just say that we can't know where a particle is because measurement disturbs it; rather it's telling you that the particle actually doesn't have a definite trajectory. In fact, it's so fundamental that it has its own mathematical formalism (commutativity of operators), upon which most of quantum mechanics is constructed.

It's important to realize that in quantum mechanics, the position of a particle is indefinite, and is specified by a diffuse/spread-out "cloud" probability, and only in special cases does this cloud collapse to a single point (which corresponds to the particle being in a definite place).

Note that it is possible (theoretically) to know the position or momentum of a particle, just not at the same time, since measuring one causes the other to become indeterminate.

Comment Re:I've lost track of my passwords... (Score 1) 207

Use a password database like KeePass and have a long, unique, completely unmemorable password for each site you use (except perhaps a few of the more common ones you're likely to access regularly). If you have a smart phone this is even better because you can carry your password database around with you and have it sync automatically with your computer. Remember that having the same password for many sites not only means that if it's bruteforced for one site it's compromised on one site it can be used on others, bu also that if a site itself might be malicious enough to store your log in details and test them on other sites. See xkcd.

Comment Cooling (Score 1) 93

The on-site data centres at CERN are actually terrible when it comes to cooling (at least they were when I went there). I was expecting the server rooms to be low-ceilinged rooms with AC units good enough to keep the rooms at least chilly, but they were actually swelteringly hot, and one of them seemed to be in an old warehouse with very high ceilings.

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Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother. - Kahlil Gibran

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