In this talk we will explore the basic model of quantum computation using a lucid, graphical representation, with the goal of answering: just how is quantum computing different, and why is it special?  We will briefly describe how such a computer might be built and comment on the challenges and possibilities ahead.

Presenter: Jim Garrison works as a theoretical physics researcher at UC Santa Barbara, where he is a PhD candidate in physics.  In addition to time spent as an independent software contractor, he has worked for the Software Freedom Law Center and the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute.

Mini potluck & meet-and-greet starts at 6:00 PM – please bring snacks and drinks to share!

The presentation will start PROMPTLY at 7:00 PM. The presentation will last about an hour and then more networking.

Future Salons are monthly educational, activist, and social events, focused on existing or emerging scientific, technological, entrepreneurial, or social change topics and projects worthy of your help and attention. We also cover critical-thinking, management, and personal change topics, and occasionally longer-term scientific and philosophical topics. Our goal is to make our rapidly changing world more fascinating, manageable, profitable, and positive-sum for all of us. We strive to be both doing-action-project oriented, and thinking-idea-prioritizing oriented.

About the Future Salon Network initiated by John Smart: http://www.accelerating.org/futuresalon.html