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View Full Version : A classic example...



Sirc
10-05-2006, 03:52 AM
...of reporting a scientific breakthrough that the reporter has no hope whatsoever in understanding. I don't understand it either, frankly.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/10/04/teleportation.reut/index.html

Here's my take on this story:


Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a split second.

A split second? WTH does that mean? I can throw my pen across the room in a split second, and it contains lots of atoms.


It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

So then, they have information stored in matter, covert it to a form that can be carried by light, and then have the identical information stored in matter in another location half a meter away. Someone needs to explain fiber optics to them before they get too excited.

Macroscopic means that the object can be seen by the naked eye. Atomic means the scale is on the order of that of an atom and therefore too small to be seen with the naked eye. WTF is a macroscopic atomic object? And BTW, thousands of billions = trillions. Wouldn't that have been easier to say?


Quantum entanglement involves entwining two or more particles without physical contact.

Pfft. Sounds like my marraige. My life is entwined with my wife's, but there is no physical contact.


Creating entanglement is a very important step but there are two more steps at least to perform teleportation. We have succeeded in making all three steps -- that is entanglement, quantum measurement and quantum feedback

They'd probably have a lot more success if they could do it without getting their quantums tangled in the process.


What this all comes down to is that these people are doing things that I don't understand, and it scares me. That probably makes them witches. These scientists need to be seized immediately and have their weight measured against that of a duck.

Xeno
10-05-2006, 09:45 AM
lol :D

Goober
10-05-2006, 10:40 AM
Nice find Massa Sirc. According to this article it will help in the development of faster computers and communication.
BBC NEWS (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2049048.stm)

These comments came from a link found in that link.


"Will we ever be able to move solid objects around?

Highly unlikely. It seems we can move photons of light around and photons do not weigh anything. Perhaps in a few years, we could teleport a single atom. Some researchers believe that we may be able to teleport a virus but they will not say when. "
Great, now the doc can just send me the virus, instead of me just waiting around to get it.


I've seen stuff like this on Star Trek? How would a Star Trek transporter work in real life?

The idea is that a human body is broken down into information and transmitted in some way to another place where that information is used to rebuild the human. Personally, I would take the train.

I'm in agreement with this one......planes, trains and automobiles ftw!

NastyDawg
10-05-2006, 01:05 PM
Beam me up Scottieeeeeeeeeeee,

Nitro
10-15-2006, 09:23 PM
This is old tech.

*yawn*