Hip-hop recording artist, TEDx speaker, founder of the Live Your Legacy Academy and creator of the Unauthorized Biography Series, is coming to the Milwaukee area on Thursday, Jan. 30.

He is Shaun Boothe. And the 30-something Toronto native will bring a chapter of the Unauthorized Biography Series to the stage in this series to present the history and biography of some of the worlds most iconic figures as told through rap songs. Repackaging History Through Hip-Hop features Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Bob Marley, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, Terry Fox and Malala Yousafzai, among others. Each chapter of the series focuses on one influential figure through the use of documentary-style music videos.

Boothe spent 10-plus years in the recording industry, sharing stages and opening for the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Lauryn Hill, Talib Kweli and Snoop Dogg. His desire to educate, motivate and entertain led him to create the Unauthorized Biography Series, which deals with themes of overcoming challenges, diversity, leadership, redefining masculinity and more. Earlier in the day, Boothe will hold a workshop for students at South Milwaukee High School (adjacent to the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, where he is appearing).

As Boothe highlights on his website, ShaunBoothe.com: The power of hip-hop is in the stories we choose to tell. Our stories can either build us up or tear us down. Boothe is all about the build-up. Come see for yourself.

How did you first come up with and then develop the ideas for theUnauthorized Biography Series?

The idea for the series was inspired by Nas, one of my biggesthip-hop influences as a kid. Back in the day, he released a song that celebrated one of his heroes, Rakim. It wasnt one of his most popular songs, but I loved it. When James Brown passed away, over a decade ago now, I wanted to create a similar song celebrating The Godfather of Soul.When I completed the song, I knew it wouldn't be a full representation of James Brown if I didnt also showcase all the dance moves and theatrics he brought to the stage. So, we created a video to go with the song. The response was so strong that it only made sense to continue with more bio songs and make a full series out of it.

How did you choose the people you use in the series?

At first, it was just an opportunity to celebrate my heroes. Putting the spotlight on others instead of myself, then release it to the public. As things evolved and I started to use the bios in schools, things got a bit more intentional. In choosing who I would do next, I really started to think about the life lessons and messages that could be drawn out from the lives of certain cultural icons. A criterion started to develop. It wasnt just about celebrating fame or monetary success. I started to get clear about why these people were my heroes and the principles, values and mindsets they had.

How do you identify with the figures you rap about in the series?

As beautifully unique we all are, in the same breath, we are all so similar. We all go through similar experiences. We all face challenges, insecurities, resistance. We all have adversity in our lives we have to overcome. The stories of the icons in my series are pretty universal to the human experience, as extreme as they may be. Especially when we dive deeper into the person and not just the persona. One of my goals is to humanize the icons in my series. Celebrate them, yes, but not put them on a pedestal to the point they arent relatable or accessible. Theyre just regular people who achieved extraordinary results in their livesand so can all of us. We all have that same level of greatness within us. There is something magical about storytelling where we naturally map everything back onto our own lives. Theres a little Pac, MLK, Bruce Lee, Malala, Muhammad Ali in all of us. Because we are all one. We love hearing the stories of great people because, on some unconscious level, it reminds us of our own greatness. Our own human potential.

Who are your influences in your work? Music?Motivational Speaking? Others that have played a role in your life?

So many. As I mentioned, rappers like Nas inspired and influenced me creatively. Tupac. Kendrick Lamar. Artists who carried a message in their music. I connected with that. I grew up valuing lyricism, wit, metaphors, cleverness, creativity... That was important to me. Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Kanye. So many hip-hop artists like that embodied those qualities and inspired me. As a motivational speaker, I never had someone who truly inspired how I speak. At first, I was more thinking about the value they gave me when it comes to my personal growth as a man. Tony Robbins was definitely the entry point for me when it came to personal development.When I decided to pursue speaking as a career, speakers like Eric Thomas definitely inspired me because that was someone I could point to that looked like me. Optics matter. At the beginning, I needed to see other successful black motivational speakers to help me believe I could do and be the same. I got online and searched for that.

Shaun Boothe appears at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 901 15th Ave., South Milwaukee, on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call 414-766-5049 or visit southmilwaukeepac.org.

Excerpt from:
Shaun Boothe on 'Repackaging History Through Hip-Hop' - Shepherd Express

Six BYU students currently serve as titleholders in the Miss America Organization. Clockwise from top left: Sasha Sloan, Miss Greater Salt Lake; Lindsey Gill, Miss Provo; Abbie Kondel, Miss Washington; Brittney Herman, Miss Zion; Glory Thomas, Miss Orem; and Sarah Nelson, Miss Murray. (Photos courtesy of each titleholder)

It was a bucket list item for some of them, a way to pay for school for others. Regardless of how they got here, these BYU students are now the proud owners of a crown, a sash and the opportunity to represent and impact their communities.

Six members of BYUs student body are current titleholders in the Miss America Organization. Local titleholders include Lindsey Gill (Miss Provo), Glory Thomas (Miss Orem), Brittney Herman (Miss Zion), Sarah Nelson (Miss Murray) and Sasha Sloan (Miss Greater Salt Lake).

Abbie Kondel, a BYU senior, currently holds the state title of Miss Washington. Kondel participated in the Miss America 2020 competition in December.

Between school, work and titleholder responsibilities, these ladies are some of the busiest on campus. They explained how they are balancing all of the demands on their time, what they are doing to prepare and what their crown means to them.

What does someone like Miss Provo actually do? According to Gill, the job description is a lot longer than smile and wave.

Not only am I preparing for the (Miss Utah) competition itself, but Im also raising money for CMN (Childrens Miracle Network) hospitals, attending city events and promoting my social impact initiative, Gill said.

Titleholders each choose a social impact initiative an issue they are passionate about and promote awareness of in their community throughout the year.

For example, Herman started a non-profit organization called We Will that seeks to prevent sexual assault and mitigate its harmful effects. Sloan is the founder of Rise for Refugees, an organization focused on including, supporting and educating Utahs growing refugee population.

Thomas, a music education major whose platform involves spreading kindness, said the community service aspect of her title is the most fulfilling to her.

I am the citys designated helper. Whenever an organization or business needs volunteers, they turn to the Miss Orem organization to find the help they need, Thomas said. The work we do is valuable, its hard and its absolutely worth it.

Though they each enjoy serving, these women have an important competition that is quickly approaching. They will compete for scholarships and the title of Miss Utah from May 28-30 at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City. Scholarships and other awards are on the line, which can lead to stressful preparations.

Getting a stage-ready swimsuit body is no longer on their list of things to do, as Miss America made some big changes to its program in 2018, including the discontinuation of the swimsuit portion of the judging. But contestants still have plenty to prepare for.

Herman, a third-year student working toward her doctorate at the BYU Law School, explained what preparations go into an average day.

I practice my talent, the flute, for almost an hour every day. I practice hundreds of interview and on-stage questions both on my own and in mock interviews with my team, Herman said. I also practice walking like I would on stage. My classmates will sometimes catch me strutting my stuff in the hallways at school and tease me, but its critical practice.

Nelson, a senior in the Marriott School School of Business accounting program, is also diligently preparing to compete in the talent and interview portions of the competition.

In between classes youll find me in the HFAC practicing my classical piano solo for my talent, Nelson said. When Im driving in my car, Ill listen to current events podcasts and stay up to date with politics in preparation for the interview portion of the competition.

The Miss America Organization is the largest scholarship foundation for women in the world, according to its website.

The crowns arent just sparkly, theyve paid for my education, Sloan said. Ill be graduating debt-free from BYU in the spring because of the thousands of dollars Ive earned competing for Miss Utah.

Kondel entered her first Miss America local program as a senior in high school after being accepted into BYU. Though she did not win that first competition, she walked away with $2,500, nearly enough to pay for her first semester of school.

It was the perfect set up, Kondel said. I could continue to showcase my love for dance while gaining scholarship money to pay for BYU. I fell in love with the program and Ive been hooked ever since.

BYU students are no strangers to busy schedules, and these titleholders are no exception. They said one of the biggest takeaways from their experience with Miss America has been time management skills.

Ive learned firsthand that juggling multiple things is tough, especially because I also have two jobs on top of school and Miss Provo, Gillman said. If I want to be successful in each of those aspects, then effective planning is essential.

Nelson said she uses an extensive planner to keep track of all her commitments, while Herman said she has abandoned the idea of free time altogether.

I feel confident that I will look back at my time as a titleholder and recognize that I helped people, Herman said. To me, this knowledge is worth having less free time.

Kondel said that even though the job is demanding, she does not feel that it has had any negative effect on her education.

I have never felt like competing has taken over my ability to pursue my degree, Kondel said. If anything, it has only enhanced my ability to learn, connect with others and manage time.

Despite these students positive experiences with the Miss America program, they say facing stigma and stereotypes linked to traditional ideas about pageant queens is not easy.

Sloan experienced these stereotypes firsthand at a community service event last year. She said while she was helping some kids with a craft activity, one little girl turned to her mom to ask who Sloan was. Sloan remembers the mother responded, Oh, shes just someone who won a beauty contest.

My heart just sunk, Sloan said. I wanted to explain to this mother that there were so many reasons that I could be a role model for her daughter as a public figure and none of them have to do with the way that I look. We should never teach our daughters that thats the most important characteristic they have to offer.

Herman admits she used to be someone who believed these stereotypes.

I didnt begin participating in these competitions until I was older, and I admit that I had already formed some bias against the competitions and the types of girls who participated, Herman said. My beliefs and stigmas were the same ones I hear today, that women who participate are shallow, silly or even dumb. I have been so humbled to realize that I compete with intelligent, successful and talented women.

As the Miss America Organization continues to evolve, titleholders expressed the hope that peoples perceptions of the program would evolve as well.

There are no points for beauty, no parade of swimsuits, none of the traditional fixtures associated with a beauty queen, Sloan said. I wish that people understood that these women competing arent just pretty girls they are social entrepreneurs with an aptitude for civic engagement and a passion for personal development.

Nelson agrees that these stereotypes dont accurately reflect the work that titleholders do.

Its so much more than pageant gowns and a crown, Nelson said.

See the original post here:
Students with a sash: Cougars and Miss America - Universe.byu.edu

SUCCESS LIFE: Jonah Nyoni

WINSTON Churchill once said, A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. If you are to be successful, you need to be positively expectant. Belief systems are the building blocks for our life. This is the intrinsic wiring or our personal mental models. No one can change you besides you. The more you see life in a positive light the more you attract positive things. The reverse is equally true.

Tony Robbins, in his book Awaken The Giant Within said, Holding those limiting beliefs is equivalent to systematically ingesting minute doses of arsenic that, over time, build up to a fatal dose.

Psychological scholars will tell you that your brain cant differentiate between something you are actually experiencing and something you vividly imagine. A good example is that of Roger Bannister. Before 1954 no athlete had run a mile in less than four minutes, but on May 6, 1954 Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4 minutes. The four minute barrier was broken and after that the four minute time tag has been broken several times by different athletes. What does that mean?

The belief that a mile can be run in less than four minutes was now in the minds of athletes and it was not a problem to translate that to physical reality. Most people would argue that their outer world is a reflection of their inner world. Your outer world corresponds with your deep seated pattern of thinking or your paradigm.

Life is not necessarily about what you want, but your sub-conscious state. That is your belief system; your inner software that regulates how your whole mental system functions, perceives and sifts things and in most times without you being aware. Belief systems can be compared to an operating system in a computer. The computer performance is mainly determined by how effective and efficient its soft is.

Belief systems create boundaries or limitations in your mind. They determine your destiny. All people are always thinking. The major factor is what you are thinking about.

Some people are obsessed with obscene, dangerous, limiting, destructive and demeaning thoughts. Television, internet entertain and control some peoples mind and that should not be the case. Not every thought that flies over your head should be entertained.

Philosopher and psychologist William James once said: The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds. Take control of your belief systems! Winning in the market place takes more than meets the eye. Success in business and leadership is governed by laws. Breaking the law has results. In this case if you break a success law, you will not be arrested, but they are negative repercussions. For the past decade I have invested in myself more than I did in all other things. I have learnt that to win I have to learn more about myself and improve.

Most people fail on their own before they can even fail in the market place. I call this the mirror principle; it is all about you. The use of the mirror is to see yourself. If ever there is something not right, you spruce yourself up. The guy you have to blame or praise for who you are, is no one, but yourself! The guy you see in the mirror might have caused most of the problems you have encountered than anyone else has.

The mirror principle scrutinises you. Who has to examine you? Its you. You are a sum total of your thoughts. It is not what happens to you that is a problem, but what happens in you. So if you change the way you see yourself, it changes your results in life. Your mind pattern is one thing you must work on; your paradigm. Your mental programme that has control over your behaviour. Who you are determines the way you see other people, what you see, how you see others, how you see the future, how you treat the past, what you do and the behaviour you flaunt. You have to work on yourself and you must start now. Here are the things to do:

Self-discovery

There is a salient question that I am asked in almost every seminar I host. The question is: How do I discover what I am supposed to be doing with my life? Some put it this way: How do I know my career? Others phrase it like this: What do I do to become fulfilled? Those three question bounce back to self-discovery? Dont ever waste time doing what you were never created for. To discover the purpose of anything, you have to ask the manufacturer. He or she has the full knowledge of the functions.

Arthur Marara an author, speaker and attorney in his book Personal Development Toolkit (2013: 53) says: You start to live the moment you discover what you are supposed to be living for. A great number of people pass through earth without knowing who they are and what they are capable of doing.

Self-Concept

Do you know that most people negatively judge themselves before even other people grade them? The issue of self-concept describes how you view yourself. This determines your attitude, behaviour and ultimately your results in life. Inferiority complex makes you see yourself lesser in value than others. Whereas confidence exudes and aura of self-worth.

Self-awareness

This is the ability to see yourself different and uniquely, special in your own way. Most people, because of low self-worth want to be other people. They want to dress the way other people dress. They emulate other people. Others dress to extremes, so as to try to express themselves and be seen.

Self-image

Your image defines your brand and what you stand for. This emanates from what you believe about yourself and your value systems. The image is what others buy into. Let me give you an example. If you fry two pieces of chicken in a pan then take one piece and wrap it in an old newspaper and try to sell it. Then take the other one and wrap it in a proper way. Which one do you think people will go for? Its obvious. Both pieces are good, but the packaging is different. So it is with people, what they see first is the packaging not the interior. Work on your image.

Self-belief

Self-belief is about what you believe about your-self. Some people believe they are rich even way before they can attain material wealth. Whereas others have deemed themselves unable, incapable, weak and useless. Belief systems are created by a number of issues that include our past experiences, what we have learnt in life and our surroundings. Positive self-belief can be shaped by an individual or though influence.

Self-honesty

This in an issue of integrity. You have to be honest with yourself first. Honestly, if you would choose a life you want to live the rest of your life, what would you be doing now? If you are to drop negative attitudes, habits or traits, what will you drop? Be true to self and enjoy. Never try to please anyone because that is akin to living a lie.

Self-responsibility

Live your own life and make it work. Some people will spend their lives thinking that there is someone who is responsible for who they are. They blame the politics of the day. They think its the economy. They think its their parents et cetera. Be responsible for your own success. Take a personal and a conscious effort to make life worth living for. After all, if you dont do anything about your life, no one else will.

Self-improvement

The last issue is that self-development cant be replaced by anything. Improve your mind, associates and your life. If your stop growing you start to die slowly. You are paid to the level of your worth. The moment you add value to yourself, you choose what the market pays you, but if your value is still low the market chooses what you are paid. So to improve your worth, you have to improve yourself.

Jonah Nyoni is an author, success coach and certified leadership/business trainer. He is the author of Inspiration for Success and Success Within Reach.

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Source, recipient and a return to class

Link:
Personal optimism and success - NewsDay

Two boys sit in a corner of the classroom discussing equal pay. One believes that men and women must always be paid the same; the other thinks that sometimes jobs can be advertised at different salaries in order to encourage people to apply for positions in fields where they are under-represented.

This is not a secondary school citizenship class but two Year 5s at the Inspire Partnership multi-academy trust in south-east London. According to Nav Sanghara, an executive headteacher for the trust, these kinds of conversations are increasingly common now that it has reorganised its curriculum to have a more global focus.

The Inspire Partnership is not the first to realise the benefits of global learning. A 2015 report by the British Council revealed a number of positive side effects, from increased pupil engagement to more confident teachers. However, it can be difficult for hard-pressed schools to include activities on global issues.

This is where CPD with a global focus can help. Partnerships with overseas schools and initiatives such as the Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme, funded by the British Council and UK aid, give teachers ideas on how to incorporate global learning into their daily classroom practice, rather than simply having it as an extra activity.

Connecting Classrooms, for example, uses a mix of online and face-to-face training on a range of topics. All courses focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goalsand help teachers to design schemes of work that will allow students to create solutions to real-world problems such as water shortages in Kenya. There is also a focus on making the most of overseas connections that teachers have already built themselves.

Sanghara agrees that CPD has been a key part of the trusts shift to a more global outlook. About 55 teachers from across the trust took part in Connecting Classrooms training earlier this year led by Lyfta, an educational platform that helps teachers to discuss complex global issues by using immersive storytelling.

The idea is that teachers use Lyftas interactive videos to introduce a particular topic or theme different cultural norms, for example, or gender stereotyping. These are then backed up by ready-made curriculum-based lesson and assembly plans covering 11 of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. Lyfta also offers free CPD for schools in England as part of the Connecting Classrooms initiative.

For Sanghara, the real beauty of the CPD lies in how it helps teachers to think of innovative ways to integrate these resources. We were really keen that they werent just dropped in as little activities, she says. We wanted it to be mapped out as part of the childrens learning journey.

Katie Hanson, a secondary science teacher at Culloden Academy in Scotland, has been using the British Councils Connecting Classrooms CPD to enhance her classroom practice since 2016. Learning for Sustainability (LfS) is a requirement for all teachers in Scotland, so the Connecting Classrooms training caught her eye.

We talk about how the UN Sustainable Development Goals are relevant to our situation and our classes, Hanson says. Theres a mix of primary and secondary teachers from different backgrounds, and its really good to get ideas from other places. Some of the things that come from primary colleagues are amazing, and you think, How can I develop that into my secondary science teaching?

As a result of the CPD, Hanson has felt inspired and supported to incorporate LfS into many schemes of work. She taught a class on vaccines and linked it to migration, for example, and took part in a Wind Turbine Challenge in collaboration with a school in Nepal, with each school building a turbine and sharing the results.

Its showing the pupils that what theyre learning has got a context to it, she says. Its not just bits of information you have to remember to pass a test; this is what people are working on in the real world.

Having a partnership with a school overseas can also offer a valuable opportunity for personal development, as learning support assistant Jackie Pritchard has discovered. As part of her work for Cwmcarn Primary School in Wales, she has developed a relationship with Bukaya Primary School in Uganda. The schools take on projects together currently both are planning Eco Gardens and share the results via email and WhatsApp.

Music is very important to both cultures and we often send each other recordings of concerts, says Pritchard. The schools also hope jointly to develop a library, so that pupils can research each others countries. They will build on what they have already learned by swapping questions via the teachers, ranging from what the other countrys pupils eat and how far they walk to schoolto what celebrations they have (prompting Cwmcarn to send a presentation on St Davids Day) and whether Wales has wild animals.

Its making the children think more outside of Wales, says Pritchard. Theyre thinking of the bigger picture, the world, and theyre taking those things on board as well, more than just their own neighbourhood and their own little village.

Pritchard has also taken part in a Connecting Classrooms twilight training course on how to communicate the reality of life in other countries more effectively, and the effect on local populations of climate change. Now, she has even bigger plans: Its made me realise theres a lot more I could probably do in the future. Theres a lot I could bring into the school to make the children more aware of the issues.

Overall, she says, working with an overseas partner has helped her to practice in unexpected ways, giving the children more opportunities to learn and explore through their own investigations and allowing her in a dynamic way to involve them all in their ability ranges. She adds: It helps to foster imagination in both past, present and future events, and has allowed us all to look at ourselves and grab the opportunities that are offered.

In an increasingly globalised world, working with peers from around the world is no longer an optional extra for pupils or teachers. The right training, however, can turn it from bureaucratic burden to global adventure, and the rewards are obvious. As Hanson concludes: I find that behaviour and engagement have improved. By the end of a year of working with these students, I have a very different class than I had before.

Abigail Sanderson is a freelance writer

Read the original:
How the right CPD can take you on a global adventure (sponsored) - TES News

The Dudley branch of the National Education Union (NEU) has defended staff saying they issued vague guidelines by Ofsted on how to teach moral beliefs.

The unions claim comes after a report on Queen Victoria Primary said pupils do not learn enough about aspects of personal development including an understanding of fundamental British values.

Neither the school, its teachers or its pupils are accused of racism but Ofsted inspectors said: Pupils do not learn enough about some aspects of personal development such as healthy eating and their understanding of fundamental British values.

Queen Victorias headteacher, Catherine Rindl, declined to answer specific questions about the teaching of values saying the school had accepted Ofsteds findings.

The NEU has complained schools were not being given clear guidance on the subject, and the view that only British people had moral beliefs was racist.

A union representative said: When it comes to teaching values in the classroom, all schools have had the same problem in identifying what exactly the government means by British values.

Saying different countries and cultures shared many common moral views, she added: And it comes over as quite racist in its perspective, because it is implying this is a value only British people hold and those from other nationalities dont hold them.

No school in the country knows exactly what they need to do. The guidance is not the best, (schools) find out and do what they think is wanted until Ofsted comes in and tells them what Ofsted wants to see.

In its report on Queen Victoria Primary, Ofsted does not spell out what it meant by British values but in guidance it published in 2014, it says: Pupils must be encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance.

It is expected that pupils should understand that while different people may hold different views about what is right and wrong, all people living in England are subject to its law.

Overall, Ofsted rated the school as requiring improvement.

In response, Mrs Rindl said: While we fully accept the findings of the report, we are pleased inspectors recognised the strength of the schools leadership and the warm and welcoming environment we provide for children, where they feel safe and enjoy being at school.

The inspectors recognised many of the things we are doing well but we recognise we need to do more.

The inspection has confirmed to us that were on a journey of improvement and we are confident with the support of our governors and the local community that we are close to becoming a good school.

A spokesman for Ofsted said: "We judged that this school required improvement for the reasons that are clearly set out in the inspection report. Our inspectors found that pupils did not learn enough about some aspects of personal development such as healthy eating and their understanding of fundamental British values.

"This NEU accusation is wrong. Our inspection handbook is very clear that schools must develop and deepen pupils' understanding of the fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and mutual respect and tolerance.

"These values are not unique to Britain, and we have never said that only British people have moral values. Preparing pupils for life in modern Britain is a crucial part of what schools do, and most schools have no difficulty in teaching these values."

Read more:
Ofsted attacked in racism row over how British values are taught at school - expressandstar.com

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We are at an inflection point

Ever since Professor Alan Turing proposed the principle of the modern computer in 1936, computing has come a long way. While advancements to date have been promising, the future is even brighter, all thanks to quantum computing, which performs calculations based on the behaviour of particles at the sub-atomic level, writes Kalyan Kumar, CVP and CTO IT Services,HCL Technologies.

Quantum computing promises to unleash unimaginable computing power thats not only capable of addressing current computational limits, but unearthing new solutions to unsolved scientific and social mysteries. Whats more, thanks to increasing advancement since the 1980s, quantum computing can now drive some incredible social and business transformations.

Quantum computing holds immense promise in defining a positive, inclusive and human centric future, which is what theWEF Future Council on Quantum Computingenvisages. The most anticipated uses of quantum computing are driven by its potential to simulate quantum structures and behaviours across chemicals and materials. This promise is being seen guardedly by current scientists who claim quantum computing is still far from making a meaningful impact.

This said, quantum computing is expected to open amazing and much-needed possibilities in medical research. Drug development time, which usually takes more than 10 to 12 years with billions of dollars of investment, is expected to reduce considerably, alongside the potential to explore unique chemical compositions that may just be beyond the limits of current classical computing. Quantum computing can also help with more accurate weather forecasting, and provide accurate information that can help save tremendous amounts of agriculture production from damage.

Quantum computing promises a better and improved future, and while humans are poised to benefit greatly from this revolution, businesses too can expect unapparelled value.

When it comes to quantum computing, it can be said that much of the world is at the they dont know what they dont know stage. Proof points are appearing, and it is seemingly becoming clear that quantum computing solves problems that cannot be addressed by todays computers. Within transportation, for example, quantum computing is being used to develop battery and self-driving technologies, while Volkswagen has also been using quantum computing to match patterns and predict traffic conditions in advance, ensuring a smoother movement of traffic. In supply chains, logistics and trading are receiving a significant boost from the greater computing power and high-resolution modelling quantum computing provides, adding a huge amount of intelligence using new approaches to machine learning.

The possibilities for businesses are immense and go way beyond these examples mentioned above, in domains such as healthcare, financial services and IT. Yet a new approach is required. The companies that succeed in quantum computing will be those that create value chains to exploit the new insights, and form a management system to match the high-resolution view of the business that will emerge.

While there are some initial stage quantum devices already available, these are still far from what the world has been envisaging. Top multinational technology companies have been investing considerably in this field, but they still have some way to go. There has recently been talk of prototype quantum computers performing computations that would have previously taken 10,000 years in just 200 seconds. Though of course impressive, this is just one of the many steps needed to achieve the highest success in quantum computing.

It is vital to understand how and when we are going to adopt quantum computing, so we know the right time to act. The aforementioned prototype should be a wakeup call to early adopters who are seeking to find ways to create a durable competitive advantage. We even recently saw a business announcing its plans to make a prototype quantum computer available on its cloud, something we will all be able to buy or access some time from now. If organisations truly understand the value and applications of quantum computing, they will be able to create new products and services that nobody else has. However, productising and embedding quantum computing into products may take a little more time.

One important question arises from all this: are we witnessing the beginning of the end for classical computing? When looking at the facts, it seems not. With the advent of complete and practical quantum computers, were seeing a hybrid computing model emerging where digital binary computers will co-process and co-exist with quantum Qbit computers. The processing and resource sharing needs are expected to be optimised using real time analysis, where quantum takes over exponential computational tasks. To say the least, quantum computing is not about replacing digital computing, but about coexistence enabling composed computing that handles different tasks at the same time similar to humans having left and right brains for analytical and artistic dominance.

If one things for sure, its that we are at an inflection point, witnessing what could arguably be one of the most disruptive changes in human existence. Having a systematic and planned approach to adoption of quantum computing will not only take some of its mystery away, but reveal its true strategic value, helping us to know when and how to become part of this once in a lifetime revolution.

The rest is here:

What Is Quantum Computing, And How Can It Unlock Value For Businesses? - Computer Business Review

by Tom Koulopoulos

The next era of computing will stretch our minds into a spooky new world that were just starting to understand.

In 1946 the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or the ENIAC, was introduced. The worlds first commercial computer was intended to be used by the military to project the trajectory of missiles, doing in a few seconds what it would otherwise take a human mathematician about three days. Its 20,000 vacuum tubes (the glowing glass light bulb-like predecessors to the transistor) connected by 500,000 hand soldered wires were a marvel of human ingenuity and technology.

Imagine if it were possible to go back to the developers and users of that early marvel and make the case that in 70 years there would be ten billion computers worldwide and half of the worlds population would be walking around with computers 100,000,000 times as powerful as the ENIAC in their pants pockets.

Youd have been considered a lunatic!

I want you to keep that in mind as you resist the temptation to do the same to me because of what Im about to share.

Quantum Supremacy

Digital computers will soon reach the limits of demanding technologies such as AI. Consider just the impact of these two projection: by 2025 driverless cars alone may produce as much data as exists in the entire world today; fully digitizing every cell in the human body would exceed ten times all of the data stored globally today. In these and many more cases we need to find ways to deal with unprecedented amounts of data and complexity. Enter quantum computing.

Youve likely heard of quantum computing. Amazingly, its a concept as old as digital computers. However, you may have discounted it as a far off future thats about as relevant to your life as flying cars. Well, it may be time to reconsider. Quantum computing is progressing at a rate that is surprising even those who are building it.

Understanding what quantum computers are and how they work challenges much of what we know of not just computing, but the basics of how the physical world appears to operate. Quantum mechanics, the basis for quantum computing, describes the odd and non-intuitive way the universe operates at a sub-atomic level. Its part science, part theory, and part philosophy.

Classical digital computers use what are called bits, something most all of us are familiar with. A bit can be a one or a zero. Quantum computers use what are called qubits (quantum bits). A quibit can also be a one or a zero but it can also be an infinite number of possibilities in between the two. The thing about qubits is that while a digital bit is always either on (1) or off (0), a qubit is always in whats called a superposition state, neither on nor off.

Although its a rough analogy, think of a qubit as a spinning coin thats just been flipped in the dark. While its spinning is it heads or tails? Its at the same time both and neither until it stops spinning and we then shine a light on it. However, a binary bit is like a coin that has a switch to make it glow in the dark. If I asked you Is it glowing? there would only be two answers, yes or no, and those would not change as it spins.

Thats what a qubit is like when compared to a classical digital bit. A quibit does not have a state until you effectively shine a light on it, while a binary bit maintains its state until that state is manually or mechanically changed.

Dont get too hung up on that analogy because as you get deeper into the quantum world trying to use what we know of the physical world is always a very rough and ultimately flawed way to describe the way things operate at the quantum level of matter.

However, the difficulty in understanding how quantum computers works hasnt stopped their progress. Google engineers recently talked about how the quantum computers they are building are progressing so fast that that they may achieve the elusive goal of whats called quantum supremacy (the point at which quantum computers can exceed the ability of classical binary computer) within months. While that may be a bit of stretch, even conservative projections put us on a 5-year timeline for quantum supremacy.

Quantum vs Classical Computing

Quantum computers, which are built using these qubits, will not replace all classical digital computers, but they will become an indispensable part of how we use computers to model the world and to integrate artificial intelligence into our lives.

Quantum computing will be one of the most radical shifts in the history of science, likely outpacing any advances weve seen to date with prior technological revolutions, such as the advent of semiconductors. They will enable us to take on problems that would take even the most powerful classical supercomputers millions or even billions of years to solve. Thats not just because quantum computers are faster but because they can approach problem solving with massive parallelism using the qualities of how quantum particles behave.

The irony is that the same thing that makes quantum computers so difficult to understand, their harnessing of natures smallest particles, also gives them the ability to precisely simulate the biological world at its most detailed. This means that we can model everything from chemical reactions, to biology, to pharmaceuticals, to the inner workings of the universe, to the spread of pandemics, in ways that were simply impossible with classical computers.

A Higher Power

The reason for the all of the hype behind the rate at which quantum computers are evolving has to do with whats called doubly exponential growth.

The exponential growth that most of us are familiar with, and which is being talked about lately, refers to the classical doubling phenomenon. For example, Moores law, which projects the doubling in the density of transistors on a silicon chip every 18 months. Its hard to wrap our linear brains around exponential growth, but its nearly impossible to wrap them around doubly exponential growth.

Doubly exponential growth simply has no analog in the physical world. Doubly exponential growth means that you are raising a number to a power and then raising that to another power. It looks like this 510^10.

What this means is that while a binary computer can store 256 states with 8 bits (28), a quantum computer with eight qubits (recall that a qubit is the conceptual equivalent of a digital bit in a classical computer) can store 1077 bits of data! Thats a number with 77 zeros, or, to put it into perspective, scientists estimate that there are 1078 atoms in the entire visible universe.

Even Einstein had difficulty with entanglement calling it, spooky action at a distance.

By the way, just to further illustrate the point, if you add one more qubit the number of bits (or more precisely, states) that can be stored just jumped to 10154 (one more bit in a classical computer would only raise the capacity to 1078).

Heres whats really mind blowing about quantum computing (as if what we just described isnt already mind-blowing enough.) A single caffeine molecule is made up of 24 atoms and it can have 1048 quantum states (there are only 1050 atoms that make up the Earth). Modeling caffeine precisely is simply not possible with classical computers. Using the worlds fastest super computer it would take 100,000,000,000,000 times the age of the universe to process the 1048 calculations that represent all of the possible states of a caffeine molecule!

So, the obvious question is, How could any computer, quantum or otherwise, take on something of that magnitude? Well, how does nature do it? That cup of coffee youre drinking has trillions of caffeine molecules and nature is doing just fine handling all of the quantum states they are in. Since nature is a quantum machine what better way to model it than a quantum computer?

Spooky Action

The other aspect of quantum computing that challenges our understanding of how the quantum world works is whats called entanglement. Entanglement describes a phenomenon in which two quantum particles are connected in such a way that no matter how great the distance between them they will both have the same state when they are measured.

At first blush that doesnt seem to be all that novel. After all, if I were to paint two balls red and then separate them by the distance of the universe, both would still be red. However, the state of a quantum object is always in whats called a superposition, meaning that it has no inherent state. Think of our coin flip example from earlier where the coin is in a superposition state until it stops spinning.

If instead of a color its two states were up or down it would always be in both states while also in neither state, that is until an observation or measurement forces it to pick a state. Again, think back to the spinning coin.

Now imagine two coins entangled and flipped simultaneously at different ends of the universe. Once you stop the spin of one coin and reveal that its heads the other coin would instantly stop spinning and also be heads.

If this makes your head hurt, youre in good company. Even Einstein had difficulty with entanglement calling it, spooky action at a distance. His concern was that the two objects couldnt communicate at a speed faster than the speed of light. Whats especially spooky about this phenomenon is that the two objects arent communicating at all in any classical sense of the term communication.

Entanglement creates the potential for all sorts of advances in computing, from how we create 100 percent secure communications against cyberthreats, to the ultimate possibility of teleportation.

Room For Possibility

So, should you run out a buy a quantum computer? Well, its not that easy. Qubits need to be super cooled and are exceptionally finicky particles that require an enormous room-sized apparatus and overhead. Not unlike the ENIAC once did.

You can however use a quantum computer for free or lease its use for more sophisticated applications For example, IBMs Q, is available both as an open source learning environment for anyone as well as a powerful tool for fintech users. However, Ill warn you that even if youre accustomed to programming computers, it will still feel as though youre teaching yourself to think in an entirely foreign language.

The truth is that we might as well be surrounded by 20,000 glowing vacuum tubes and 500,000 hand soldered wires. We can barely imagine what the impact of quantum computing will be in ten to twenty years. No more so than the early users of the ENIAC could have predicted the mind-boggling ways in which we use digital computers today.

Listen in to my two podcasts with scientists from IBM, MIT, and Harvard to find out more about quantum computing. Quantum Computing Part I, Quantum Computing Part II

This article was originally published on Inc.

Image credit: Pixabay

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Tom Koulopoulos is the author of 10 books and founder of the Delphi Group, a 25-year-old Boston-based think tank and a past Inc. 500 company that focuses on innovation and the future of business. He tweets from @tkspeaks.

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The End Of The Digital Revolution Is Coming: Here's What's Next - Innovation Excellence

Jan 23, 2020

Delta Air Lines is embarking on a multi-year collaborative effort with IBM including joining theIBM Q Networkto explore the potential capabilities of quantum computing to transform experiences for customers and employees.

"Partnering with innovative companies like IBM is one way Delta stays on the leading edge of tech to better serve our customers and our people, while drawing the blueprints for application across our industry," saidRahul Samant, Delta's CIO. "We've done this most recently with biometrics in our international terminals and we're excited to explore how quantum computing can be applied to address challenges across the day of travel."

TheIBM Q Network is a global community of Fortune 500 companies, startups, academic institutions and research labs working to advance quantum computing and explore practical applications.

Additionally, through theIBM Q Hub at NC State University, Delta will have access to the IBM Q Network's fleet of universal hardware quantum computersfor commercial use cases and fundamental research, including the recently-announced 53-qubit quantum computer, which, the company says, has the most qubits of a universal quantum computer available for external access in the industry, to date.

"We are very excited by the addition of Delta to our list of collaborators working with us on building practical quantum computing applications," said director of IBM ResearchDario Gil. "IBM's focus, since we put the very first quantum computer on the cloud in 2016, has been to move quantum computing beyond isolated lab experiments conducted by a handful of organizations, into the hands of tens of thousands of users. We believe a clear advantage will be awarded to early adopters in the era of quantum computing and with partners like Delta, we're already making significant progress on that mission."

For more information about the IBM Q Network, go to http://www.ibm.com/quantum-computing/network/overview

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Delta Partners with IBM to Explore Quantum Computing - Database Trends and Applications

Several companies are working to advance the technology, according to a new report.

The market for quantum networking is projected to reach $5.5 billion by 2025, according to a new report from Inside Quantum Technology (IQT).

While all computing systems rely on the ability to store and manipulate information in individual bits, quantum computers "leverage quantum mechanical phenomena to manipulate information" and to do so requires the use of quantum bits, or qubits, according to IBM.

SEE:Quantum computing: An insider's guide (TechRepublic)

Quantum computing is seen as the panacea for solving the problems computers are not equipped to handle now.

"For problems above a certain size and complexity, we don't have enough computational power on earth to tackle them,'' IBM said. This requires a new kind of computing, and this is where quantum comes in.

IQT says that quantum networking revenue comes primarily from quantum key distribution (QK), quantum cloud computing, and quantum sensor networks. Eventually, these strands will merge into a Quantum Internet, the report said.

Cloud access to quantum computers is core to the business models of many leading quantum computer companiessuch as IBM, Microsoft and Rigettias well as several leading academic institutions, according to the report.

Microsoft, for instance, designed a special programming language for quantum computers, called Q#, and released a Quantum Development Kit to help programmers create new applications, according to CBInsights.

One of Google's quantum computing projects involves working with NASA to apply the tech's optimization abilities to space travel.

The Quantum Internet network will have the same "geographical breadth of coverage as today's internet," the IQT report stated.

It will provide a powerful platform for communications among quantum computers and other quantum devices, the report said.

And will enable a quantum version of the Internet of Things. "Finally, quantum networks can be the most secure networks ever built completely invulnerable if constructed properly," the report said.

The report, "Quantum Networks: A Ten-Year Forecast and Opportunity Analysis," forecasts demand for quantum network equipment, software and services in both volume and value terms.

"The time has come when the rapidly developing quantum technology industry needs to quantify the opportunities coming out of quantum networking," said Lawrence Gasman, president of Inside Quantum Technology, in a statement.

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) adds unbreakable coding of key distribution to public key encryption, making it virtually invulnerable, according to the report.

QKD is the first significant revenue source to come from the emerging Quantum Internet and will create almost $150 million in revenue in 2020, the report said.

QKD's early success is due to potential usersbig financial and government organizationshave an immediate need for 100% secure encryption, the IQT report stated.

By 2025, IQT projects that revenue from "quantum clouds" are expected to exceed $2 billion.

Although some large research and government organizations are buying quantum computers for on-premise use, the high cost of the machines coupled with the immaturity of the technology means that the majority of quantum users are accessing quantum through clouds, the report explained.

Quantum sensor networks promise enhanced navigation and positioning and more sensitive medical imaging modalities, among other use cases, the report said.

"This is a very diverse area in terms of both the range of applications and the maturity of the technology."

However, by 2025 revenue from quantum sensors is expected to reach about $1.2 billion.

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Quantum networking projected to be $5.5 billion market in 2025 - TechRepublic

A new research centre with the potential to revolutionise computing, communication, sensing and imaging technologies is set to be launched by the University of Sheffield this week (22 January 2020).

The Sheffield Quantum Centre, which will be officially opened by Lord Jim ONeill, Chair of Chatham House and University of Sheffield alumnus, is bringing together more than 70 of the Universitys leading scientists and engineers to develop new quantum technologies.

Quantum technologies are a broad range of new materials, devices and information technology protocols in physics and engineering. They promise unprecedented capabilities and performance by exploiting phenomena that cannot be explained by classical physics.

Quantum technologies could lead to the development of more secure communications technologies and computers that can solve problems far beyond the capabilities of existing computers.

Research into quantum technologies is a high priority for the UK and many countries around the world. The UK government has invested heavily in quantum research as part of a national programme and has committed 1 billion in funding over 10 years.

Led by the Universitys Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Department of Computer Science, the Sheffield Quantum Centre will join a group of northern universities that are playing a significant role in the development of quantum technologies.

The University of Sheffield has a strong presence in quantum research with world leading capabilities in crystal growth, nanometre scale device fabrication and device physics research. A spin-out company has already been formed to help commercialise research, with another in preparation.

Professor Maurice Skolnick, Director of the Sheffield Quantum Centre, said: The University of Sheffield already has very considerable strengths in the highly topical area of quantum science and technology. I have strong expectation that the newly formed centre will bring together these diverse strengths to maximise their impact, both internally and more widely across UK universities and funding bodies.

During the opening ceremony, the Sheffield Quantum Centre will also launch its new 2.1 million Quantum Technology Capital equipment.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the equipment is a molecular beam epitaxy cluster tool designed to grow very high quality wafers of semiconductor materials types of materials that have numerous everyday applications such as in mobile phones and lasers that drive the internet.

The semiconductor materials also have many new quantum applications which researchers are focusing on developing.

Professor Jon Heffernan from the Universitys Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, added: The University of Sheffield has a 40-year history of pioneering developments in semiconductor science and technology and is host to the National Epitaxy Facility. With the addition of this new quantum technologies equipment I am confident our new research centre will lead to many new and exciting technological opportunities that can exploit the strange but powerful concepts from quantum science.

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University of Sheffield launches Quantum centre to develop the technologies of tomorrow - Quantaneo, the Quantum Computing Source