Quantum Computer–or Not

A major leap in computer technology may be on the horizon, or not.

Time Magazine says, “It promises to solves some of humanity’s most complex problems” and that “it operates at 459° below zero. And nobody knows how it actually works.”

Welcome to the world of quantum computing.

Wired.com writes: “Quantum computers harness the weird quirks of the subatomic world to run algorithms at extremely quick speeds and solve problems that stymie our current electronic devices. That’s because classical computers rely on transistors that hold memory in the form of zeros and ones. A quantum computer, by contrast, uses subatomic particles (called qubits) that can be a one, a zero, or a simultaneous superposition of these two states.”

Thus it can theoretically calculate infinite possibilities at once.

If this thing works out beyond present experimental stages, it could radically change many aspects of the world as we know it.

I’ve previously said it of other things, and this could be another that takes humanity closer to doing what only God can do. And it likewise both fascinates and scares me.

If it works, and if it enters commercial use in finance, government, military, medicine, and technology, what kind of a world will it become? How far will it go? How will it best be used? How will it be abused?

Many will surely see humanity (at least those who have access to such machines) as rising to an almost god-like status. Others, like me, may look up and be shaken further into the conviction of how much we really need to keep our eyes on God, lest we overdrive ourselves into oblivion.

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photo credit:  wired.com, courtesy of D-Wave Systems