Charles Levin - Not So Dead - Thriller Author
Author - Technologist
The short answer is ‘Yes.’ Hackers can take down our power grid right now. How they can do it and why they haven’t done it yet should be a concern for all of us, not just the government or utility companies. As we’ve seen in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, loss of power can lead to fires, explosions and untold human suffering. It’s not the 1800s anymore. We are not set up as a society to function without power for our homes, businesses and national infrastructure.
An armed robbery takes place. Men in masks with shotguns pull up in a white van to the 1st National. Three get out, enter the bank and shots are fired. 90 Seconds later they exit the bank and speed off. It’s 2 minutes before the police arrive and the robbers are long gone. What’s to be done?
Now, what if the police department had every step of this crime recorded? And even further, they could rewind, like your DVR, and see where the men set out from and their faces before they donned the masks. Then they could fast forward and see where they dumped the white van, changed vehicles and where they are right now. “It’s almost like the police have a time machine!” Sounds like surveillance science fiction? It’s happening now.
I was inspired to write this post while reading the blog of Carl Pabo, the accomplished MIT biophysicist. I have been thinking about his Zone IV challenges for a long time, but I did not have his label for it. You can read more about the zones at Carl’s Blog, but to put it simply, Zone IV Challenges are big super-complex problems, that potentially endanger our civilization and may be too big for our little brains to solve in time.
In our last blog post, we talked about the quantum leap of Quantum Computers. They can potentially do extremely complex problem-solving hundreds of times faster than today’s fastest supercomputers. The only problem is that you have to house them in giant refrigerators and freeze them to -272 degrees Fahrenheit. The environmental constraints are so demanding and the process so fragile that accuracy can become a problem.
D-Wave 2000
First, Quantum Computers are here now and can solve problems and anticipate outcomes up to a thousand times faster than traditional computers. Here’s the techy definition, but keep reading:
What was the best selling Amazon item on Black Friday? It wasn’t holiday bells, Nintendo, UGGs or Fitbits. It was the Echo Dot AI Assistant for $40. They sold so many that they were back ordered into January. So, what’s going on here? After all, we have Siri or ‘OK, Google’ on our phones. What’s the big deal?
Echo Dot
Why does anyone write a book? I think many people believe that writers are hoping for fame and fortune. That may be true, does not apply here. If Not So Dead sold a million copies, that would be great, but it’s not why I wrote it. In my case, I had something to say, I love Thrillers and I like to tell stories. As Aaron Sorkin said, “The most powerful delivery system ever invented for an idea, is a story.” I’d add that we are most receptive to stories and ideas when we are entertained by them. When it’s fun, our internal barriers come down, we relax and take it all in.