Learn about qubits and quantum entanglement with some help from Chris Bernhardt, author of the new book “Quantum Computing for Everyone.” Plus, learn about how you can make yourself luckier. Get your copy of “Quantum Computing for Everyone” on Amazon: https://amazon.com In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about how luck is predictable — which means you can make yourself luckier: https://curiosity.im/2UtLF34 If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Learn about qubits and quantum entanglement with some help from Chris Bernhardt, author of the new book “Quantum Computing for Everyone.” Plus, learn about how you can make yourself luckier.
Get your copy of “Quantum Computing for Everyone” on Amazon: https://amazon.com
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about how luck is predictable — which means you can make yourself luckier: https://curiosity.im/2UtLF34
If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom
Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/whats-next-for-quantum-computers-w-chris-bernhardt-and-how-to-make-yourself-luckier
CODY: Hi! We’re here from curiosity-dot-com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about why luck is predictable, and how you can make yourself luckier. But first, you’ll learn about what’s next for quantum computers, with some help from Chris Bernhardt, author of the new book “Quantum Computing for Everyone.”
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Segment 2 — What’s next for Quantum Computers
CODY: It’s time for the second half of our 2-part “Quantum Wednesdays” mini-series. Last week we talked about qubits and entanglement, which are two core concepts to help you understand quantum computers. Once you understand those two ideas, then you can start playing around with quantum computers. And that’s pretty exciting. Chris Bernhardt is a professor of mathematics at Fairfield University and the author of the new book Quantum Computing for Everyone, and here’s what he says we hope to actually DO with quantum computers now that we have them.
[CLIP :35]
CODY: The IBM computer is called the IBM Q Experience, and as of May 2018, there are three processors: two of them are 5-qubit processors, and the third is a 16-qubit processor.
[CLIP 3:44]
CODY: Again, that was Chris Bernhardt, professor of mathematics at Fairfield University and the author of the new book Quantum Computing for Everyone. You can hear our entire uncut interview with Chris for free on our Patreon page at patreon-dot-com-slash-curiosity-dot-com, all spelled out. And we’ll put a link to his book in today’s show notes.
[NHTSA]
ASHLEY: Today’s episode is paid for by NIT-suh. It can be a little frustrating, especially if you’re in a hurry or running late, to find yourself at a railway crossing, waiting for a train. And if the signals are going and the train’s not even there yet, you can feel a bit tempted to try and sneak across the tracks.
CODY: Well, don’t. Ever. Trains are often going a lot faster than you expect them to be. And they can’t stop. Even if the engineer hits the brakes right away, it can take a train over a mile to stop. By that time, what used to be your car is just a crushed hunk of metal and what used to be you… well, better not to think about that.
ASHLEY: The point is, you can’t know how quickly the train will arrive. The train can’t stop even if it sees you. The result is disaster. If the signals are on, the train is on its way. And you... just need to remember one thing… Stop. Trains can’t.
Luck Is Predictable, Which Means You Can Make Yourself Luckier — https://curiosity.im/2UtLF34 (Ashley)
Here’s some good news: Luck isn’t random. In fact, it's not the universe or random chance that makes you lucky or unlucky — it’s your own thoughts and behaviors. Which means you can make yourself luckier. This idea comes from a 10-year study by an English psychologist and author named Richard Wiseman. He placed ads in the newspaper looking for people who considered themselves very lucky or very unlucky, and he ended up including 400 participants in the study, from all walks of life. In his experiments, he looked at HOW people saw their own luckiness. For example, in one experiment, he presented both lucky and unlucky people with a scenario. You can play along at home: Imagine you're at a bank when an armed robber comes in. He fires a single bullet, and it hits you in the arm. Would you consider this event lucky or unlucky? Wiseman found that unlucky people were more likely to say it was unlucky, because it was their bad luck not only to be in the bank when a robber showed up, but then to also be the only person who got shot. But on the flip side, lucky people thought it was a lucky scenario. After all, you could have been shot in the head. Wiseman summed it up in an article he wrote about the experiment: quote, “Lucky people tend to imagine spontaneously how the bad luck they encounter could have been worse and, in doing so, they feel much better about themselves and their lives. This, in turn, helps keep their expectations about the future high, and, increases the likelihood of them continuing to live a lucky life,” unquote. Wiseman used his research to come up with four principles to help people improve their luck, and you can use them, too. First, Maximize chance opportunities. Stay open to new experiences and try to have a relaxed attitude. Second: Listen to lucky hunches. Pay attention to your intuition, and work to clear your mind of cluttering thoughts. Third: Expect good fortune. Lucky people assume that everything will turn out alright. That helps them keep going even in the face of failure. And finally, Turn bad luck into good. Imagine how things could have been worse. Don't dwell on the bad. Take control rather than giving up. Good luck!
CODY: Read about today’s stories and more on curiosity-dot-com!
ASHLEY: Join us again tomorrow for the award-winning Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I’m [NAME] and I’m [NAME]. Stay curious!