This makes my brain hurt
New Scientist Quantum computer works best switched off - News: "Even for the crazy world of quantum mechanics, this one is twisted. A quantum computer program has produced an answer without actually running.
The idea behind the feat, first proposed in 1998, is to put a quantum computer into a “superposition”, a state in which it is both running and not running. It is as if you asked Schrödinger's cat to hit 'Run'.
With the right set-up, the theory suggested, the computer would sometimes get an answer out of the computer even though the program did not run. And now researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have improved on the original design and built a non-running quantum computer that really works."
Google Pages, new Geocities-style site-building software
Google has released a new program that gives users 100MB of web space to make simple HTML pages in.
Rich-Media Internet Application Patent Issued to Balthaser Online Inc.: "San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 21, 2006 -- Balthaser Online, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has awarded the company U.S. Patent No. 7,000,180 entitled, 'Methods, Systems and Processes for the Design and Creation of Rich-Media Applications via the Internet.' This is Balthaser's first patent in its growing portfolio relating to Rich-Media Internet Applications which are gaining in popularity.
'This new addition to our patent portfolio is a pioneering patent and provides significant licensing opportunities for both Balthaser and our licensees,' stated Neil Balthaser, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. 'The patent covers all rich media technology implementations including Flash, Flex, Java, Ajax and XAML and all device footprints which access Rich-Media Internet Applications including desktops, mobile devices, set-top boxes and video game consoles. Balthaser will be able to provide licenses for almost any Rich-Media Internet Application across a broad range of devices and networks.'
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Common Sense by Thomas Paine: "Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Published in 1776, Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain."
Soldiers' Angels: "The Soldiers' Angels was started by a self-described 'ordinary mother' of an ordinary young man turned hero, Sgt. Brandon Varn. Brandon was deployed in Iraq and has since honorably completed his mission and has returned back to his proud and loving family.
In the summer of 2003, he wrote home expressing his concern that some soldiers did not receive any mail or support from home. Being a caring and loving mother, she decided not to allow a situation like that to continue. She contacted a few friends and extended family to ask if they would write to a soldier or two."
