After kicking around the idea of blogging for a while, and after a bit of prodding from a friend or two, I've decided to give it a try. I have some ideas about where this blog may head and I'm sure that I will find my voice and rhythm after a few posts, but as it stands I am at a loss for how to start. So how about a little background?
I am a graduate student pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering in Los Angeles, California. My research interests are in Quantum Information Science (QIS), more specifically quantum error correction and fault-tolerant quantum computing. It is a fascinating field at the confluence of modern physics, mathematics and computer science, with an end goal of building a quantum computer--some crazy stuff that makes me feel as though I play a small part in making science fiction a reality.
My hometown is Portland, Oregon, and like any true Oregonian, I have a deep affinity for beer. At some point during college I started homebrewing on a whim. Over the past 5 years I've brewed a lot of beers and made a lot of progress as a brewer. While you don't have to twist my arm very hard to get me to try any style of beer, I prefer American ales (APA, AAA and IPA) for both drinking and brewing.
So where does that leave this here blog? The obvious subjects are beer and QIS, though those have two pretty disparate audiences. Oh well. I think the best course of action is to just push ahead and write what I feel needs writing. I could post on Tuesday about why I think English Bitter is possibly the best beer style on the planet, on Thursday about a slick proof in simplectic geometry I came across in my research, and on Sunday about some cool new beer bar I find somewhere in the belly of Los Angeles. Whatever happens, I imagine this blog will come into its own before too long, though if I had to put my money down I'd bet on things being pretty beery around here.
So read, drink, do math, and be merry. Aren't those some words to live by?
