New Codes Could Make Quantum Computing 10 Times More Efficient | Quanta Magazine

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New Codes Could Make Quantum Computing 10 Times More Efficient | Quanta Magazine     The quantum bits — qubits — that power quantum computers are notoriously buggy and require clever error-correction strategies to stay on track.Last week, new simulations from two groups reported that a rising class of quantum error-correcting codes is more efficient by an order of magnitude than the current gold standard, known as the surface code. The codes all work by transforming a horde of error-prone qubits into a much smaller band of "protected" qubits that rarely make mistakes. But in the two simulations, low-density parity check — or LDPC — codes could make protected qubits out of 10 to 15 times fewer raw qubits than the surface code. Neither group has implemented these simulated leaps in actual hardware, but the experimental blueprints suggest that these codes, or codes like them, could hasten the arrival of more capable quantum devices. Continued here

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You've Had a Good Run, Liam Neeson     In Retribution, the septuagenarian plays a man stuck in a vehicle he can’t escape—an apt metaphor for his late-career pivot to action films.About 15 years ago, Liam Neeson picked up a cellphone and growled a haunting, threatening monologue that changed the course of his career. Playing the hardened ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills in the movie Taken, Neeson warned the men who’d kidnapped his teenage daughter about his “very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.” It was the beginning of a surprising renaissance for the esteemed actor. In his mid-50s, he became an action star, headlining a long run of cheaply made, typically European-set thrillers in which he played gun-toting men in leather jackets with, well, murderous skills. Continued here

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What Trump Brings Out in Americans     Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.If you could pose one earnest question to any of the Republican candidates, what would it be? (No insults disguised as questions allowed.) Continued here

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ChatGPT Can Get Good Grades. What Should Educators Do about It?     With its ability to pump out confident, humanlike prose almost instantaneously, ChatGPT is a valuable cheating tool for students who want to outsource their writing assignments. When fed a homework or test question from a college-level course, the generative artificial intelligence program is liable to be graded just as highly, if not better, than a college student, according to a new study published on Thursday in Scientific Reports. With no reliable tools for distinguishing AI content from human work, educators will have to rethink how they structure their courses and assess students—and what humans might lose if we never learn how to write for ourselves.In the new research, computer scientists and other academics compiled 233 student assessment questions from 32 professors who taught across eight different disciplines at New York University Abu Dhabi. Then they gathered three randomly selected student answers to those questions from each professor and also generated three different answers from ChatGPT. Trained subject graders, blind to the circumstances of the study, assessed all the answers. In nine of the 32 classes, ChatGPT’s text received equivalent or higher marks than the student work. “The current version of ChatGPT is comparable, or even superior, to students in nearly 30 percent of courses,” wrote study authors Yasir Zaki and Talal Rahwan, both computer scientists at N.Y.U. Abu Dhabi, in an e-mail to Scientific American. “We expect that this percentage will only increase with future versions.” Continued here

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Stuart Kauffman: The "adjacent possible" -- and how it explains human innovation     From the astonishing evolutionary advances of the Cambrian explosion to our present-day computing revolution, the trend of dramatic growth after periods of stability can be explained through the theory of the "adjacent possible," says theoretical biologist Stuart Kauffman. Tracing the arc of human history through the tools and technologies we've invented, he explains the impact human ingenuity has had on the planet -- and calls for a shift towards more protection for all life on Earth. Continued here

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The Elvie Breast Pump Is Wildly Overpriced     If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIREDI see Elvie pumps everywhere. My fellow moms rave about it on Instagram. I find it on store shelves frequently. It sounded like the newer, cooler version of the Willow pumps, which I've known about since launch. Continued here

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The Anticlimactic Death of the Streaming Wars     Maybe A League of Their Own was doomed to strike out. A passion project in all senses of the word, it was a reboot hell-bent on showing the queer lives in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that never made it into the 1992 movie. More succinctly, it was the kind of reimagining (long-form, prestige-y, tapping into an existing niche fanbase) that often only gets a shot thanks to a deep-pocketed streamer. It got to play one season. Last spring, Amazon Prime Video renewed it for a truncated second one. Last Friday, that plug got pulled; Amazon pointed the finger at the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes.Abbi Jacobson, the Broad City star who co-created the series, hit Instagram to say that blaming the cancelation on the strikes was “bullshit and cowardly,” but the fact remains: The show’s life on Prime Video is over. Amazon also canceled the second season of the William Gibson adaptation The Peripheral, despite having renewed it back in February. Hollywood is a ruthless business, no matter which network or streamer a show calls home. Continued here

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28 Best REI Labor Day Deals on Tents, Sleeping Bags, and Outdoor Gear     Summer is winding down, which means great deals on outdoor gear. The REI Labor Day Sale runs from August 25 through September 4, and other retailers like Backcountry are joining in on the discount bonanza. It's the perfect time to get some new gear, like tents, sleeping bags and pads, or some merino wool for those increasingly cool nights in the outdoors. We've rounded up the best Labor Day outdoor deals right here, and we'll continue adding more over the next week. Be sure to check our other Labor Day deals coverage for more, including the Best Early Labor Day Deals, the Best Labor Day Mattress Deals, as well as the Best Back-to-School Deals.   Continued here

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In a World of Fakes, Trump's Real Mug Shot Matters     For months, Etsy has become littered with a new genre of T-shirt: the Donald Trump mug shot. And they’re available in two main styles: Guity AF and Not Guilty. The shirts are adorned with photos of the former US president appearing as if he’d just been booked, but until very recently, they’ve been fakes—most of them unconvincing ones. Etsy sellers have been uploading them to the platform since at least March, as Trump has been indicted for numerous alleged crimes. Even Trump’s own campaign released a fake mug shot T-shirt to raise money.But yesterday, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate was finally subjected to the criminal tradition of a mug shot in Georgia, where he has been indicted on charges relating to attempts to overturn 2020 election results in the state. It’s the fourth indictment against Trump, who now faces 91 felony charges in four jurisdictions. Trump maintains that he committed “no crime.” Continued here

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The Best Back-to-School Deals on Laptops, Backpacks, and Earbuds     Summer is Fading away, and school is almost back in session (for some, it's already started!). We scoured the internet for the best discounts on gadgets and gear for teachers, students, parents, and anyone else in the market for back-to-school fare. Be sure to check out our Best Dorm Gear guide for additional recommendations and gift ideas, plus the Best Student Discounts and Best Teacher Discounts. For more deals, read our guides to the Best Early Labor Day Sales, Best Labor Day Mattress Deals, and Best REI Labor Day Deals.  Continued here

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Ask Ethan: Why will the Milky Way and Andromeda collide?     Of all the galaxies in the Universe that lie beyond the Milky Way, none looms larger than our “big sister” in the Local Group: Andromeda. Andromeda has more stars, more mass, and a larger physical extent than the Milky Way in all three dimensions. It spans a larger angular extent in our sky than six full Moons all lined up next to one another, and despite its location some 2.5 million light-years away from us, it’s actually moving in our direction, setting up a collision that should happen 4 billion years in our cosmic future. Another 3 billion years later, the greatest galactic merger in our Local Group’s history will be complete, leaving just one behemoth of a galaxy at its core: Milkdromeda.But why is this happening? After all, not only is the Universe expanding, but the expansion of the Universe is accelerating, too! How could these two seemingly paradoxical points both be true: the expanding Universe is accelerating, but Andromeda is heading toward us and is destined for a collision-and-merger with us? That’s what Robert Asselta wants to know, writing in to inquire: Continued here

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The First GOP Debate Makes It Obvious Where the Republican Party Is Headed     On Wednesday night, the 2024 campaign season officially began, and it was the weirdest season opener in recent memory. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, did not show up. And even though the contenders on the stage likely have no chance of winning the nomination, the debate was important, in that a lot was revealed about the future of the party.Nikki Haley came across as the reasonable, truth-telling candidate. She got nowhere. Newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, meanwhile, offered an updated and shinier version of Trumpism. On this week’s Radio Atlantic, we talk with Atlantic staff writers McKay Coppins, reporting from the debate, and Elaine Godfrey about why Ramaswamy popped, why Ron DeSantis didn’t, and what all of that means for the future of the party and the culture of politics. Continued here

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How AI Will Transform Project Management     Only 35% of projects today are completed successfully. One reason for this disappointing rate is the low level of maturity of technologies available for project management. This is about to change. Researchers, startups, and innovating organizations, are beginning to apply AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies to project management, and by 2030 the field will undergo major shifts. Technology will soon improve project selection and prioritization, monitor progress, speed up reporting, and facilitate testing. Project managers, aided by virtual project assistants, will find their roles more focused on coaching and stakeholder management than on administration and manual tasks. The author show how organizations that want to reap the benefits of project management technologies should begin today by gathering and cleaning project data, preparing their people, and dedicating the resources necessary to drive this transformation. Continued here

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'Rare' Clouded Leopard Kitten Born at the Oklahoma City Zoo     Keepers hope the young male will have his own “little cloudies” one day, helping maintain the vulnerable species’ captive populationA clouded leopard kitten born last month at the Oklahoma City Zoo is “eating, sleeping and growing,” the zoo announced on Facebook. Once the young male grows up, he’ll become an ambassador for his vulnerable species and for wildlife conservation more broadly. Continued here

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The Lionesses had a terrific World Cup, but women's football in England is on shaky economic ground - new research     Dr Beth Clarkson is a leadership and workforce development consultant to the Premier League and holds academic positions at both the University of Portsmouth and University of Liverpool.Despite the disappointment of losing to Spain in the final, England’s women’s football team had a very good World Cup, on and off the pitch. Viewing figures were huge, media coverage was unprecedented and excitement about potential future achievements seems high. Continued here

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From Dumb Money to Saw X: 10 of the best films to watch in September     Denzel Washington's son, John David Washington, can be seen this month in The Creator, but Washington Sr hasn't given up on action movies himself. In The Equaliser 3, the 68-year-old returns as Robert McCall, the retired government agent who was played by Edward Woodward in the 1980s TV series, and by Queen Latifah in the recent CBS reboot. Washington's ultra-violent version of the character is now living quietly on Italy's idyllic Amalfi Coast, but his sojourn ends when the Mafia target some of his new friends. Dakota Fanning co-stars as a CIA agent, having appeared in another of Washington's action movies, Man on Fire, in 2004. "It was so beautiful to watch them together on the set, just talking, laughing," the film's director Antoine Fuqua, told James White in Empire. "She's like a daughter to him, he loves her. It was very easy with those two."A wildly acclaimed biopic from an Oscar-winning documentary maker, Roger Ross Williams, Cassandro stars Gael García Bernal as Saúl Armendáriz, a gay Mexican wrestler who is paid to lose all of his matches in humiliating style. But at the end of the 1980s, his trainer (Roberta Colindrez) encourages him to develop an empowered new persona, Cassandro, a character who is feminine, flamboyant, and willing to defeat his opponents. He changes both his own life and lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) in the process. Carlos Aguilar of IndieWire says García Bernal is "irresistible" in a "fabulous" film: "Glowing with García Bernal's magnetism, Cassandro balances the triumphant exaltation of Armendáriz's singular evolution as a trailblazer with the obvious, still not entirely eliminated bigotry that made his trajectory so significant and groundbreaking in the first place." Continued here

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The New Old Age     What a new life stage can teach the rest of us about how to find meaning and purpose—before it’s too lateThis article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic, Monday through Friday. Sign up for it here. Continued here

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Global COVID monitoring is crashing as BA.2.86 variant raises alarm     With global attention and anxiety locked onto the latest coronavirus omicron subvariant BA.2.86, health officials and experts are still mostly in the dark about how the highly mutated virus will play out. Continued here

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The 2024 U.S. Presidential Race: A Cheat Sheet     No one alive has seen a race like the 2024 presidential election. For months, if not years, many people have expected a reprise of the 2020 election, a matchup between the sitting president and a former president.But that hasn’t prevented a crowded primary. On the GOP side, more than a dozen candidates are ostensibly vying for the nomination. Donald Trump’s lead appears prohibitive, but then again, no candidate has ever won his party’s nomination while facing four (so far) separate felony indictments. (Then again, no one has ever lost his party’s nomination while facing four separate felony indictments either.) Ron DeSantis has not budged from his position as the leading challenger to Trump, but his support has weakened, encouraging a large field of Republicans who are hoping for a lucky break, a Trump collapse, a VP nomination, or maybe just some fun travel and a cable-news contract down the road. Continued here

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See How Photographers Reimagine Old Master Paintings     “Art About Art” bills itself as a thoughtful, whimsical exploration of the connections between past and presentAs the Princeton University Art Museum undergoes renovations, its old master paintings remain behind closed doors. Still, even in storage, such works are the inspiration behind a new show, which opened on August 19: “Art About Art: Contemporary Photographers Look at Old Master Paintings.” Continued here

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Why Conflicting Ideas Can Make Your Strategy Stronger     In a volatile, uncertain world, successful strategies are those conceived as portfolios of options rather than as roadmaps. But to successfully create and communicate such strategies, managers must embrace incompatible and misaligned ideas, communicate multiple and conflicting narratives, and share ideas as they think of them as opposed to the traditional sequence of thinking then sharing. To enable this, leaders need to foster a culture in which people can disagree without being punished for it. Continued here

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The Man Behind Nintendo's Mario Is Retiring After Nearly Three Decades     In 2019, Charles Martinet became the holder of a Guinness World Record: most video game voiceover performances as the same character. Since the 1990s, he has been the voice actor behind Nintendo’s Mario, appearing in more than 100 games.This week, Nintendo announced that Martinet’s decades-long reign as the Italian plumber known for saying “It’s a-me, Mario,” among other catchphrases, is coming to an end. Continued here

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Existential crisis: how long COVID patients helped us understand what it's like to lose your sense of identity and purpose in life     Lucy* used to be known fondly as the “iron lady” by colleagues at work. In her mid-50s and still the main breadwinner for her family, she had always thought of herself as strong, energetic, and indestructible – but not any more. Since contracting COVID in March 2020, Lucy told us she had been struggling with relentless fatigue, joint pain, breathlessness, brain fog and sensory dysfunction. But worse than any single symptom is how this leaves her feeling about her own identity. She said she found herself unrecognisable, a shadow of the person she used to be: Continued here

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The Raunchy Teen Comedy Gets a Queer Twist     The bawdy new film Bottoms marries the boisterousness and misanthropy of its predecessors, with mixed results.In the puberty-addled cinematic universe of the teen sex comedy, no carnal-minded pursuit is too implausible. High schoolers steal alcohol from other people’s houses, lose their parents’ prized possessions, drive across the country, lie about their ages, fall for undercover vampires, and get wildly intimate with baked goods. Continued here

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The Women Writers Who Destroyed Their Own Work     How the French writers Marguerite Duras and Barbara Molinard first met is unclear, but their friendship was one of such mutual admiration that it now seems a fated union. Different though their lives were, the two women shared an important characteristic: In their fiction, they both offered intimate depictions of the misogyny they suffered. This was unusual, even shocking, for women writers at the time.By the mid-1960s, Duras was a prolific writer and an acclaimed filmmaker within the French intellectual class. No one knew Molinard. In her 40s, she began to write short fiction and did so with an unusual fervor, sometimes working for weeks without pause. To this day, little is known about Molinard precisely because she did not wish to be known. She went to great pains to ensure this, destroying nearly every page she wrote. Continued here

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Inside the blind iris | Psyche Films     Warning: this film features rapidly flashing images that can be distressing to photosensitive viewers.Experimentation meets skilled artistry, stylish filmmaking and what seems to be a robust production budget in Inside the Blind Iris. Commissioned by Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, the piece follows the acclaimed UK dancer and choreographer Botis Seva as he moves from a mundane outside world into a black-and-white factory of peculiar funhouse spectacles, including a door opening to reveal a wall of eyes and a massive hand reaching into view from the beyond. These images are paired with the jerky, street-inspired dance moves of an accompanying ensemble, representing troubled memories in the surreal terrain of his mind. They move amidst another dramatic dance – one of light and shadows that summons the masters of German expressionist cinema. Continued here

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How to Strengthen Your Relationship with a Career Sponsor     In the best sponsorship relationships, sponsees adopt a proactive stance, making clear who they are and what they need. But many can’t do that, especially if they come from underrepresented groups, because of barriers, some personal and some structural, that they confront in the workplace. In this article the author, an expert on sponsorship programs, describes three strategies that sponsees can use to overcome those barriers.Behind the most productive sponsorships often stand savvy sponsees — industrious junior talent who spot opportunities for sponsors to unleash tactical support and advocacy. Continued here

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Trump's Mug Shot Gives His Haters Nothing     Donald Trump dropped in for a photo op in Georgia last night—not the usual kibbitz on the hustings for a former president, but a killer visual to end the week with: a mug shot.And just like that, Trump was restored to his accustomed place in the Republican dogpile: everywhere. It was hard to look away, even if you wanted to. Former presidents do not go and get fingerprinted and mug-shotted and perp-walked every day, even the one former president who takes his arraignments in gift packs of four. Continued here

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Hands-on with Cherry MX2A switches: A lot less wobble, a little more confusion     For 20 years, Cherry's patent on mechanical switches made it the only player around. That patent's expiration around 2014, though, released the floodgates and allowed countless copycats and switches with varying levels of modification to the cross-stem design to pour in. Typically, consumer choice is a good thing, and there are companies making switches that offer much different (sometimes better) experiences than the switches Cherry makes. Continued here

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For minorities, biased AI algorithms can damage almost every part of life     Bad data does not only produce bad outcomes. It can also help to suppress sections of society, for instance vulnerable women and minorities. This is the argument of my new book on the relationship between various forms of racism and sexism and artificial intelligence (AI). The problem is acute. Algorithms generally need to be exposed to data – often taken from the internet – in order to improve at whatever they do, such as screening job applications, or underwriting mortgages. Continued here