Looks like another mini-blizzard is on its way this weekend. At least in CT it may be more rain than snow. In the edX course Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computing, we are entering the second week and we are learning about “entanglement“. I am really fascinated by this stuff. The first assignment that was due last Monday required some inner product calculations for projecting vectors. And I had to resort to pen and paper! My wife could not believe what I was doing and wanted to take a picture of me! I am really enjoying this class. It is pretty hard math and but I am going to stick with it to the end. We shall see.

Talking about entanglement, one of the books that I read a while ago is one of my favorites – The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics was Reborn by Louisa Gilder. It is so well written, with just enough scientific concepts, but more of a story about the debate about quantum mechanics and gives you a glimpse into the lives of some of the great scientists. I read it a second time recently.

When we announced extended hours for the library, there were several concerned community members who wrote to us to ask what we are doing about the safety of our Library Collections. It was really heartening to hear from so many people with genuine concerns. We have thought about this a lot and have tried to convey many of the measures we have taken, but I thought it is worth discussing some of them here. I want to caution that LTS staff are preparing a detailed plan and will communicate a response to these questions in short order. These are simply my ramblings on the subject.

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