Quantum techniques working with traditional computers

Quantum techniques working with traditional computers

Comments 0 Comment

It turns out that classical computers may be able to solve some problems that we thought could only be solved using quantum computers. There has been a few recent cases of researchers finding ways to use quantum approaches with classical computers – and solving real problems.

Last year, researchers modeled a quantum spin glass system using the D-Wave Advantage2 quantum computer. An impressive feat that they claimed could only be solved by a quantum system.

Now, a team from the Flatiron Institute in the US has achieved similar results from a classic computer setup, with the key innovation being new compression algorithms that process the necessary mountain of math in a more efficient way.

The CCQ team achieved their breakthrough by developing and implementing new tools based on tensor networks, which Tindall likens to “a zip file for the wave function where you’ve taken all this information, and you’ve compressed it into this mathematical data structure full of these small tables of numbers that are interconnected to each other.”

The tensor networks made the problem feasible for classical computers. Tindall performed many of the initial calculations on a laptop computer using code from a high-performance tensor network software library developed at the CCQ called ITensor. The recently published simulations exemplify how the ITensor team is discovering new ways to repurpose tensor methods for novel applications. Those simulations capture the three-dimensional dynamics using a 3D tensor network.

So, even if quantum computers are still a few years away, the research is yielding fruits today.

Actual great medical advice

Actual great medical advice

Comments 0 Comment

Dr Seth Capehart has an amazing channel full of really good, no-nonsense health recommendations that are backed by an actual doctor talking about the cases he sees day in and day out.

He’s not selling anything. No diet systems, testosterone supplements, or anything else. He talks about how most of those things are pointless if you’re not addressing root causes anyway. Instead, he gives the very clear facts about modern living that are killing most of us and the very easy fixes each of us can make to change our bodies and dramatically extend our lives. You don’t have to watch too many of his videos to hear the common thread again and again. Almost all the problems we are facing (diabetes, being overweight, hormonal imbalances, etc) are because of these few factors:

  • Sleep Deprivation: Poor sleep cycles caused by artificial light, under-diagnosed apnea, and overstimulation prevent vital physical and cognitive recovery, lowering stress tolerance, and metabolic function.
  • Sedentary Lifestyle: Humans evolved for constant low-intensity movement, yet most people now sit for 10-12 hours a day, which leads to muscle atrophy, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation.
  • Chronic Stress: We are stuck in a perpetual state of ‘fight or flight’ due to modern pressures, leading to hormonal imbalances, weakened immunity, and long-term burnout.
  • Processed Foods: Modern diets consist largely of lab-created, addictive foods that disrupt satiety signals, destroy gut health, and fuel systemic inflammation.
  • Social Isolation: Despite being digitally connected, modern humans are lonelier than ever, which is physiologically damaging and linked to increased inflammation and mortality.

His solutions are clear, easy, and fact based:

  • Move Like a Human: Aim for 8,000–10,000 steps daily and lift heavy things 2-3 times a week. Incorporate short bursts of high-intensity movement
  • Eat Real Food: Focus on meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, tubers, and fruits. Avoid anything that didn’t exist 100 years ago.
  • Manage Stress: Utilize breathwork, nature exposure, and intentional periods of silence to shift into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.
  • Prioritize Sleep: Ensure 7–9 hours of quality sleep by keeping a strict routine and eliminating screens/caffeine/alcohol before bed. Get a sleep apnea test if you snore or wake up with dry mouth or sudden starts in the night.
  • Foster Real Connections: Move interactions offline and prioritize face-to-face time with family and community.

Byzantine Generals Problem

Byzantine Generals Problem

Comments 0 Comment

Fun CS problem: Byzantine General’s Problem also called the interactive consistency problem.

The Byzantine general’s problem considers a number of generals who are attacking a fortress. The generals must decide as a group whether to attack or retreat; some may prefer to attack, while others prefer to retreat. The important thing is that all generals agree on a common decision, for a half-hearted attack by a few generals would become a rout, and would be worse than either a coordinated attack or a coordinated retreat. The problem is complicated further by the generals being physically separated and having to send their votes via messengers who may fail to deliver votes or may forge false votes.

Qwen3.8-27b quantized accuracy chart

Qwen3.8-27b quantized accuracy chart

Comments 1 comment

How bad do the results of using less than full BF16 quantization get? Kaitchup just posted results of his benchmarks for Qwen3.8 27B for quants from different tests – from Q4 to Q1.

Below 95% accuracy recovery, I consider the degradation too large. At that point, you are probably better off using a smaller model at a healthier quantization level rather than forcing a heavily quantized 27B model to fit on your GPU.

Additional discussion here.

Good resources for monitoring wildfires

Good resources for monitoring wildfires

Comments 1 comment

Wildfires are a thing. They will be increasing as some areas of the country dry out – and due to over-protective conservation efforts that have led to unhealthy, overforested public lands.

Watch Duty gives live updated maps based on satellite hotspot monitoring. It can sometimes see hotspots that aren’t there due to smoke covering, but nothing is faster and more updated than live satellite data.

Zoom.earth gives you live satellite imagery if you want to see how smoke is blowing and up-to-date images.

Warfare is going drone: cheap to produce, fast to make in quantity, and disposable

Warfare is going drone: cheap to produce, fast to make in quantity, and disposable

Comments 0 Comment

Northrop Grumman’s answer was to build something that spends most of its working life parked on the ocean floor with nearly everything switched off. It is called Manta Ray. It can be transported anywhere in the world in five shipping containers, gets bolted together on a dock in two days, swims out by pumping seawater through itself instead of turning a propeller, then anchors to the ocean floor and sleeps there until someone wakes it.

The big problem with drones almost always comes down to the battery – especially underwater where it is nearly freezing. Instead of spinning a propeller, this drone acts like an underwater glider. It pumps seawater in to get heavy and sinks. It then pumps water back out to get light and rise. To move forward, it uses it’s wings convert all that vertical rising and falling into forward motion.

Additionally, to extend mission time, they have also been experimenting with ways to attach to the sea floor and passively collect energy to recharge batteries and extend total mission time.

It’s uncertain how well all the trials went, there’s been no further information since May 2024. The drone the Navy actually keeps ordering in volume is a 10-foot tube called Lionfish.

Link