"If your math is rusty...

... [the Second Edition of Dancing with Qubits by Dr. Bob Sutor] strengthens it."

Jan 29, 2026

Kiran Kaur Raina posted that “if your math is rusty → [the Second Edition of Dancing with Qubits by Dr. Bob Sutor] strengthens it.” The Quantum Dragon read only the first part of that before flying to nearby universities with cans of WD-40. Fortunately, I caught up with him, showed him my copy, and he agreed that it works much better.

This week’s premium content:

In this edition:

The Global South is no longer just a spectator.
A Keysight for Sore Eyes
I play Heartopia.
We need more beer.
Bubble sort!
It looks AI-generated… but it isn’t? Or is it?
IBM lobotomized Qiskit.
Welcome to the Quantum Miracle Zone.
I see a cat on a bicycle holding a floppy disk.
Classiq Quantum AI is self-correcting.
The Quantum Dragon sucks!
Quantum Noise Detector

The Global South is no longer just a spectator.

So sayeth Raul Palacios, as he writes about building a Quantum Hub in Latin America and building a neutral atom quantum computer in Chile. The post includes a 12-second rapid-fire slideshow, which seems to indicate that they’ll be aiming for digital instead of analog. This link may require a LinkedIn account.

A Keysight for Sore Eyes

The Quantum Dragon has a new friend.

I play Heartopia.

If you play Heartopia and you find “Quantum Beast” at the bookstore, you’ve found me. Due to in-game limitations, it is a highly abridged version of the real “Quantum Beast,” stripped of its story and only including the multi-PhD-approved quantum mechanics. So, Heartopia officially has a book about quantum mechanics in it.

We need more beer.

This is a beer analogy for the stock market, in general, so it also applies to quantum stocks. The problem with some quantum stocks is there’s almost no beer and the foam is overflowing the glass, spreading across the table, and spilling onto the floor. An even bigger problem is that the “beer” is sometimes near-beer, so there’s no beer at all.

Bubble sort!

I’m waxing nostalgic with this one, ladies and gentlemen. The University of Osaka is developing a novel architecture using trapped ions with photonic integrated circuits, but what got my attention is that the researchers use bubble sort as one of two approaches to forming patterns. Bubble sort! It’s like Programming 101. Great stuff.

It looks AI-generated… but it isn’t? Or is it?

Ron Bewtra shared an IQM-related illustration that sure looks AI-generated at a quick glance. But upon closer inspection, I started to think that it might be human-generated in an AI style. But upon even closer inspection, maybe it’s AI-generated after all? This link may require a LinkedIn account.

It is good to have an alternative after what IBM has done lobotimizing Qiskit.

IBM lobotomized Qiskit.

It took only the second sentence from this edition of Quantum Pirates for Sergio Gago, The Quantum Dragon’s uncle, to earn real estate in this newsletter.

Welcome to the Quantum Miracle Zone.

You can always count on Dr. Bob Sutor, The Quantum Dragon’s godfather, to make the cut. I’m awarding 100 admittedly worthless bonus points for the phrase “AI-generated slop,” which seems to have become a recurring catchphrase of his. This link may require a LinkedIn account.

I see a cat on a bicycle holding a floppy disk.

Laurent Prost of Alice & Bob is trying to prove that I lack imagination with my illustrations. To him, I say, “Well played, sir.” Fun fact: I had a 5.25-inch drive back in the day, and I wanted one of the new fancy schmancy 3.5-inch drives so badly. It had clicking things and sliding things, people! This link may require a LinkedIn account.

Classiq Quantum AI is self-correcting.

Classiq Quantum AI can purportedly translate papers to code. That needs to be tested, don’t you think?

Similarly, metaphors — long assumed to be essential for explaining quantum — did not measurably improve comprehension or engagement in her studies.

The Quantum Dragon sucks!

Matt Swayne wrote in the Quantum Insider that Leiden University PhD candidate Aletta Meinsma has concluded that my metaphors have no measurable effect on your engagement or comprehension. Therefore, IQT News Exclusives shall henceforth contain multiple pages of rigorous mathematical proofs.

Quantum Noise Detector

Alan Ho and Prof. Michael Biercuk inspired the Resuscitated Quantum Bullshit Detector, but the original(?) has resurfaced on Bluesky. It’s back to reposting a simple “bullshit” or “not bullshit,” so The Quantum Dragon will continue to monitor for challenges, controversies, and debates under this new name from Dr. Bob Sutor.

I don’t have one singular link, but IonQ’s purchase of SkyWater Technology is the first I’ve seen that has been controversial. There was one where IonQ laid off a bunch of acquired employees, but I didn’t see that get any attention on social media. The controversies this time are coming from the SkyWater Technology side: shareholders not wanting IonQ stock, customers not wanting to lose priority to IonQ, and so forth.

Filed under: Quantum Computing • Quantum Hardware • Industry News