After repeating several times the mantra of "in parallel universes, in constant time" during Damian Conway's lecture on Quantum::Superpositions, you end up believing it. That must have happened to an australian mathematician called Tien Kieu, who has managed to prove that non-computable problems might be solved using quantum mechanics properties. Literally, the news release says:
Kieu believes he has solved both problems. With quantum mechanics, he says he can use a "quantum algorithm" to search through an infinite number of potential solutions to Hilbert's proposed equation and perform the search in a finite period of time. In other words, he can look at every possible solution and be done before dinner!
In parallel universes, in constant time! Who can ask for more?
Once again, Perl is a harbinger of worlds to come!
Constant time is old news
jdavidb on 2002-10-09T17:32:11
Didn't any of you guys go to YAPC? Constant time was last year's mantra. No time is the rallying cry today.
Speaking of which, did Damian ever release that code?
