Quantum in the North; Random in the South

A couple of interesting workshops happening this week both studying information, not the usual classical notions of information but quantum and random information.

At Banff in the Canadian Rockies we have the BIRS Workshop on Quantum Computation and Information Theory. This workshop will examine the properties of quantum information and tie it together with people working on quantum algorithms and complexity.

Meanwhile in Córdoba, Argentina on the edge of the Sierra Chica mountain is the Conference on Logic, Computability and Randomness 2004. Much of this conference focuses on random sets, not from a probability distribution but single sets that "look" random. Rater surprisingly, whether we define random sets by passing statistical tests, foiling betting strategies or using Kolmogorov complexity, these notions often lead to equivalent definitions of random.

While circumstances keep me in Chicago I say to the participants of both meetings: Enjoy the mountains and save some theorems for me.