Month: December 2019

In a recent race with IBM to become the first to quantum computing, Google declared that its quantum computer, Sycamore, became the first to solve a theoretical problem that no classic computer has ever been able to solve. In just under four minutes, Sycamore solved a random circuit sampling problem that would have taken a tradition computer 10,000 years to solve. To date, it is the first computation that can be solved only on a quantum computer.

IBM, however, is disputing the claim, stating that a traditional computer could actually do the computation in about two and a half days rather than 10,000 years. Although quantum supremacy is not very significant for everyday purposes at this point in time, it is an important step forward for research purposes in the future. Making quantum computing useful for everyday life would be the next step for quantum computers. Quantum computing would become useful in industries such as weather forecasting, pharmaceuticals, and AI.

As a result of a 2017 ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on net neutrality, internet service providers such as Comcast and Verizon are now able to control the internet as they wish. Net neutrality was the idea that all internet traffic is and should be treated equally, regardless of where it comes from or what kind of data it contains. This idea, however, was ruled against by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which means that internet service providers can prioritize internet traffic as they please. This has resulted in customers being overcharged for their internet and has affected their internet access.

So far, governors in Hawaii, California, Vermont, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, Montana, New York, and Rhode Island have signed executive orders that prohibit internet service providers from limiting their customer’s internet access, thus forcing them into net neutrality. In cities and towns where this is not happening, they are taking matters into their own hands. The most notable effort comes from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they have built their own high-speed, fiber optic internet network. With more cities following in their footsteps, many American cities are getting rid of internet service providers and replacing it with their own, cheap, internet networks where no major internet service provider can put limits on their internet service.

As our world continues to become more and more digitized, central banks around the world are responding to consumer’s needs to become a cashless society. With the introduction of online banking, mobile payments, and digital money in the past couple of years, experts say that digital currencies will be an inevitable part of our daily lives in the near future. In a recent report from IBM, authors stated that digital currencies will result in a diminished dark economy, increased financial inclusion, and decreased financial crime.

Some countries have already begun testing the possibility of a digital currency in their country. In Sweden, the central bank has introduced the e-krona, which is an equivalent to the cash in the country. They are one of the first countries to introduce this type of currency in Europe and are calling for more countries in the European Union to consider using digital currency in their own countries. Central banks are offering digital currency through blockchain technology and the future of digital currency seems to be right around the corner for many countries in the world.