Centro di Ricerca Matematica Ennio De Giorgi.
This workshop gathers researchers in the areas of Differential and Riemannian Geometry and
Geometric Analysis. The main focus is on the studies of special Riemannian metrics on smooth
manifolds (such as Einstein, Yamabe and Bach flat metrics), variational aspects of curvature
functionals (such as Yang-Mills and quadratic functionals) and canonical embeddings (such as
minimal and Willmore hypersurfaces). Apart from research talks, the workshop will have two
mini-courses by: Sun-Yung Alice Chang (Princeton University) and Claude LeBrun (Stony Brook
University).

Seconda giornata
Sun-Yung Alice Chang, Compactness of conformally compact Einstein manifolds
Pierpaolo Esposito, Log-determinants in conformal geometry
Dario Monticelli, Rigidity of critical metrics for some quadratic curvature functionals
Paul Yang, On the CR 3-sphere (online participation)
Yi Lai, O(2)-symmetry of 3D steady gradient Ricci solitons (online participation)
Jeffrey Viaclovsky, Gravitational instantons, rational surfaces, and K3 surfaces (online participation)

#snsSciences #mathematics #riemannianmetrics

Peter Selinger
Number-theoretic methods in quantum information theory
Lecture 1

Spring School in Quantum Structures in Physics and Computer Science, 19-22 May 2014, University of Oxford: http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/ss2014.

Abstract: In these lectures, I will discuss the new class of number-theoretic algorithms in quantum information theory that have come out in the last two years or so. These algorithms solve the well-known problem of decomposing a given unitary operator into gates of a specified gate set, either exactly (known as exact synthesis), or within some given accuracy (known as approximate synthesis). For almost 20 years, the standard solution to this problem had been the Solovay-Kitaev algorithm, which is based on geometric methods of approximation by repeated refinement. For example, in the case of approximate synthesis of single-qubit operators, the Solovay-Kitaev algorithm achieves gate counts of O(log^c(1/epilson)), where c is a constant greater than 3. By contrast, the new number-theoretic algorithms achieve gate counts of O(log(1/epsilon)), and in some cases these algorithms can even be shown to be optimal in an absolute sense. I will introduce the relevant concepts from algebraic number theory, review the current state of the art in both exact and approximate synthesis for the Clifford+T gate base, and comment on open problems in this still very young field.

Investment, funding, banking and other money matters offer opportunities and challenges for all social enterprises.

In this Finance Focus session, we are joined by Daniel Wilson-Dodd of Charity Bank, who were founded to support charities with loans that they couldn’t find elsewhere and to show people how their savings could be invested ethically.

Our weekly webinars are free to join and open to all. Take a look at our upcoming events and register your place: https://members.socialenterprise.scot/events

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Short video regarding the SMART CITY phenomenon rolling out across Scotland – in driverless buses – but coming to a city near you, or the city in which you currently reside, by 2030. Please take 5 minutes to listen and to share the information in any way that you can.

This video is dedicated, in the first instance, to the people of Scotland – but also as an attempt to throw what little weight of presence I have behind all the other, far more informed people, who have trying to sound this alarm around the world for some considerable time.

Every single city in Scotland is signed up to become a Smart City – we have seven cities, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Dundee, Inverness, Aberdeen and Stirling. This decision was taken in 2013 by the Scottish Cities Alliance Leadership Group, who agreed to develop a collaborative programme around Smart Cities as part of its Strategic Implementation Plan.

By reading through all the planning reports and articles that I can find, and, in particular ‘The Smart Cities Blue Print’ commissioned by the Scottish Cities Alliance by Urban Foresight, a UK based company, REP-1602-SCA-A-Smart-Cities-Blueprint_3.0-1.pdf, my big take away is thus:

The idea is to homogenise cities, not just cities in close proximity to one another, not just cities within one state or nation, but all cities. Every city. Everywhere. Across the globe. The explanation goes something like this – we, the WEF, who are promoting and sponsoring the phenomenon of Smart Cities through the World Economic Forum G20 Smart Cities Alliance, G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution | World Economic Forum, have determined the definition of ‘best practice’ for all things urban planning, so, if you all apply our guidance, not only will you have maximum Smart City-isation for minimum disruption – but every single city in the world will operate on an interchangeable data driven/biometric basis and well, won’t that be fun – and resilient.

So, what would that mean, for, let’s say, Glasgow. Well, actually, forget about Glasgow, all the cities will be the same. That’s the point. So, what would it mean for any city, anywhere?

David Orme, Senior Vice President for IDEX Biometrics, explains: ‘In a smart city every interaction and every touchpoint becomes a potential source of data. In fact, this includes hardware, household goods, cars, cameras and smartphones.’ He then goes on to explain that ‘touch-free fingerprint authentication is being increasingly seen as a very necessary measure to protect both companies and individuals from the spread of viruses and any potential cybersecurity threats…’. Biometric identity: the key to security for smart cities | ITProPortal

So, the idea of the Smart City is that your every need is predicted and catered for by storing and analysing all of your data, so that, for instance, not just when you walk into your own flat, do the lights and mood music come on, in anticipation of your innate need to do absolutely nothing for yourself, ever, at all – but that, when you walk into a corporate building, to use, a meeting room, for just one swipe of your soul, you there too, can avoid the hassle of the light switch.

In a Smart City you won’t need to press a button for the green man, you won’t have to plan your own route to work, or work out how to circumvent traffic or road works, you won’t have to open any doors – and doors won’t have to open for you.

I think that’s enough to leave you with for the moment. I will post the text and the links in the video description. If you think there is anything worthwhile about this video please share it with as many people, particularly in Scotland, as you can – but also, please do an internet search for Smart Cities in your country and educate yourself and others on what you find.