tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post697629226368774002..comments2024-03-28T18:17:00.135-05:00Comments on Computational Complexity: Microsoft Faculty SummitLance Fortnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752030912874378610noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-21713325823831979202015-07-20T16:32:43.579-05:002015-07-20T16:32:43.579-05:00In regard to society's STEAM investments (at M...In regard to society's STEAM investments (at Microsoft Research and elsewhere)<br />— — — — —<br /><b>Lance Fortnow</b> tweeted "The Manhattan Project was 70 years ago and tech has had multiple revolutions since, I'm surprised it's still hard to build an atomic bomb."<br />— — — — —<br />Some of the literature relating to Lance's exceedingly tough issue — which morally constrains all levels of global STEAM enterprise — is surveyed in a <b><a href="http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2343#comment-685775" rel="nofollow">comment (#54), relating to shaped-charge technology</a>,</b> which is appended to Scott Aaronson's essay "Can Quantum Computing Reveal the True Meaning of Quantum Mechanics?", from which the following passage is excerpted:<br />— — — — —<br />"Systematic attempts to maximally substitute mathematical considerations of universality and naturality for considerations of physicality run head-on into <i>very</i> serious tensions between freedom of inquiry and freedom of pedagogy on the one-hand, and the interests of state-security and trade-secrecy on the other hand. […] Given these well-founded tensions, it’s unsurprising — perhaps it’s even a good thing? — that the most interesting and widely-applicable transport-related works of Dirac, von Neumann, Onsager, and even Feynman remain classified even in the present century."<br />— — — — —<br /><b>Uneasy conclusion</b> STEAM history provides no strong basis to believe that even the most abstract complexity-theoretic research is unentangled from urgent interests of state-security and trade-secrecy. <br />John Sidleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16286860374431298556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-67311972742865336102015-07-19T09:48:58.373-05:002015-07-19T09:48:58.373-05:00A Fermi question In regard to leaving MicroSoft t...<b>A Fermi question</b> In regard to leaving MicroSoft to teach at Harvard, what total endowment would be required to support one percent of the global population, in any given year, to attend an institute of higher education comparably endowed to Harvard? Pick one:<br /><br /><b>(i)</b> 1.25 trillion dollars, versus<br /><b>(ii)</b> 12.5 trillion dollars, versus<br /><b>(iii)</b> 125 trillion dollars.<br /><br /><b>Answer:</b> <b>(iii)</b> <br /><br />(sufficient to capitalize 330 Microsoft-sized companies)<br /><br /><b>A modest proposal</b> The world would be well-advised to print the 125 trillion dollars, endow the universities, and wait the return on investment.<br /><br /><b>Question</b> Upon what time scale, and with what level of assurance, <i>would</i> this investment in education be justified?John Sidleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16286860374431298556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-71008064188680216372015-07-17T22:58:36.774-05:002015-07-17T22:58:36.774-05:00So...what the quantum computers look like?So...what the quantum computers look like?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01840630817168068131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-45865751964100326102015-07-17T16:31:43.256-05:002015-07-17T16:31:43.256-05:00In all fairness, trips to faculty summits (be them...In all fairness, trips to faculty summits (be them Google, Microsoft or Facebook) are paid by the organizer. This is common knowledge among faculty members, just like it is common knowledge that plenary speakers are paid by the conference. I would've likely failed to mention either one in a blog posting myself, forgetting that not all readers are privy to this information.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-80752179605857417602015-07-16T20:33:30.518-05:002015-07-16T20:33:30.518-05:00Lance, frankly i am disappointed by ur post. If An...Lance, frankly i am disappointed by ur post. If Anonymous@227 had not pointed out that your trip was paid by MSR and that as a result this post is voiced with a few extra heart beats for the sponsor, I would have actually painted a much different picture. Now that the "disclaimer" is shown I grey scaled the color tone of what was an incredibly bright and colorful picture otherwise. Next time around, please make these things clearer for naive readers like myself. thanks in advance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-45759362326072455132015-07-16T15:14:02.340-05:002015-07-16T15:14:02.340-05:00I do believe that MSR, in particular Jeannette, is...I do believe that MSR, in particular Jeannette, is committed to keeping basic research in MSR. How long MSR will keep that commitment is less clear given the recent changes and I'm not surprised some people are taking advantage of other opportunities. <br /><br />And, if it wasn't clear, Microsoft does cover most of the expenses of the attendees. Lance Fortnowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06752030912874378610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-79464301174238318472015-07-16T14:27:16.380-05:002015-07-16T14:27:16.380-05:00Lance, do you still stand by your summary, which m...Lance, do you still stand by your summary, which mentions Microsoft and basic research in the same sentence? See today's post by Boaz Barak on Joining the new Harvard.<br /><br />And consider adding a disclaimer that your report is based on a sponsored trip, because it feels more like advertisement disguised as an objective blog. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-22366344749890845542015-07-16T12:35:30.871-05:002015-07-16T12:35:30.871-05:00I think both are used as shortcuts more often than...I think both are used as shortcuts more often than they should: "that's the way other people do it" and "we are different" are no replacement for rational arguments. Other fields have gotten certain things right, such as the every four-years International Congress of Mathematics, as well as many things wrong. For example, the journal system in other fields is in no better shape than our conferences. To give a specific example, we are making a bit mistake by trying to replicate the fashionable requirement of C/N/S in the JACM and SIAM J. of Computing refereeing process.<br /><br />There are many other examples on both sides. Each to be considered on its own merits.Alex Lopez-Ortizhttp://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-onoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-58406259662820211112015-07-16T10:50:38.327-05:002015-07-16T10:50:38.327-05:00> "Unlike other fields" is an express...> "Unlike other fields" is an expression we say far too often in computer science.<br /><br />On the contrary. We don't say it enough.JeffEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17633745186684887140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-25697417515754795412015-07-16T08:50:35.638-05:002015-07-16T08:50:35.638-05:00Unlike you, I am not convinced MSR is committed to...Unlike you, I am not convinced MSR is committed to basic research. In fact I believe MSR is pretty much over for TCS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com