You may have seen a recent story (tweeted about by our own James Dixon) about researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, China, who successfully established a quantum communication network. The network is composed of over 700 ground links, and two high-speed ground-to-satellite connections. It’s quite modest compared to the…

Back in 1961, physicist Eugene Wigner proposed a thought experiment in which measuring the polarization of a single photon can result in incompatible realities. The first observer, known as “Wigner’s friend,” would measure the polarization of the photon, discovering if it is horizontal or vertical. Wigner however, outside his friend’s laboratory, would have no way…

It’s no secret that in the last five or six decades, pop music has gotten…less complicated (I originally typed “crappier” but journalistic integrity prevailed). Gone are the intricacies of Swing, Jazz, and the Big Bands, replaced by thumping beats and simplified melodic hooks. And before you dismiss these observations as the rantings of old guys…