User:Yan: Difference between revisions

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I'm Yan and [http://web.mit.edu/zyan/www/zyan.txt lazy].
I'm Yan and [http://web.mit.edu/zyan/www/zyan.txt lazy].
==Incomplete and infrequently-updated lists of interests:==
*Physics
**Cosmology: I help build telescopes for measuring [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keck_Array CMB polarization] at the South Pole.
**Dark matter: For some years I [http://cdms.berkeley.edu/ looked] for it.
**Quantum computation: I've written some simple simulation code for Adiabatic Quantum Computation. But mostly this stuff is just fun. Did you know you can search an unsorted list in sublinear time using quantum systems?
**General relativity / gravitational waves: "Spacetime tells matter how to move, matter tells spacetime how to bend." Hellz yeah.
**Quantum theory: Sadly I haven't gotten around to learning [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_field_theory QFT] yet.
*Computer stuff
**Complexity theory and computability: [http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/ Scott Aaronson] taught me most of what I know about this.
**Cryptography: The first thing I ever did in a real programming language was implement RSA in Scheme. I felt really tall. I dunno a whole lot about crypto, but [https://www.coursera.org/course/crypto Coursera] is helpful.
**Network engineering: Would like to learn more about this, am [https://www.coursera.org/course/comnetworks trying] but keep falling asleep.
**Machine learning: All the cool kids are doing it.
**LISP-like programming languages: I'm a badge-carrying member of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_Lambda_Calculus Knights of the Lambda Calculus].
**Javascript: It does things nowadays apparently.
*Social/political
**Open science  / open journal access: I run [http://web.mit.edu/open this open science group].
**Free Bradley Manning: This meeds to be fixed ASAP. [http://www.bradleymanning.org/ Ugghhh.]
**Anarchist theory and feminist theory: Really, I just want people to be excellent to each other and not be all oppressive and stuff.
**Free information / open data: Primarily in extracting stories from data and telling them to people.
**Hackathons for good causes: I ran the 2012 [https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Aaron_Swartz_Memorial_Hackathon Aaron Swartz Memorial Hackathon] at Noisebridge and coordinated a bunch of similar ones [https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Worldwide_Aaron_Swartz_Memorial_Hackathons around the world]. I want to make these happen all the time in all the places.
**Educating people about computer security
*Uncategorized
**Veganism: I'm vegan unless it's going to go to waste. Mainly for sustainability.
**Rock climbing: Top-rope/bouldering, mostly indoors.
**Running long distances: I did like 50 miles per week for years; lately my body keeps breaking.
**Hiking: Big Sur, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Utah Canyonlands, White Mountains, the South Florida swamps, etc.
**Crowdsourcing: Particularly interested in exploring this as a self-sustaining way to empower/educate large numbers of people.
**Hot sauce: Is tasty
**Burning Man: I run a camp.
**Writing: I write non-fiction poetry.
**Jazz composition: I used to write chamber music and then moved onto jazz composition/arranging. Am really into polyrhythms and asymmetric time signatures.
==Some Publications==
*[http://web.mit.edu/zyan/Public/constants.pdf Are Physical Constants Constant?]
*[http://web.mit.edu/zyan/Public/fermi.pdf Estimating the mass of unread email in my inbox]
*[http://web.mit.edu/zyan/www/21cm.pdf Using 21cm astronomy to take a picture of the Milky Way]
*[http://web.mit.edu/zyan/www/johnson.pdf Measuring fundamental physical values with Johnson Shot Noise]
*[http://web.mit.edu/zyan/www/tf.pdf A cool way to model white dwarfs]
*[http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/adminstuff/webpubs/2010_grl_L10102.pdf A paper on magnetic reconnection.]
*[http://sadoway.mit.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/136.pdf High-temperature batteries that don't explode]

Revision as of 08:22, 28 January 2013

I'm Yan and lazy.

Incomplete and infrequently-updated lists of interests:

  • Physics
    • Cosmology: I help build telescopes for measuring CMB polarization at the South Pole.
    • Dark matter: For some years I looked for it.
    • Quantum computation: I've written some simple simulation code for Adiabatic Quantum Computation. But mostly this stuff is just fun. Did you know you can search an unsorted list in sublinear time using quantum systems?
    • General relativity / gravitational waves: "Spacetime tells matter how to move, matter tells spacetime how to bend." Hellz yeah.
    • Quantum theory: Sadly I haven't gotten around to learning QFT yet.
  • Computer stuff
    • Complexity theory and computability: Scott Aaronson taught me most of what I know about this.
    • Cryptography: The first thing I ever did in a real programming language was implement RSA in Scheme. I felt really tall. I dunno a whole lot about crypto, but Coursera is helpful.
    • Network engineering: Would like to learn more about this, am trying but keep falling asleep.
    • Machine learning: All the cool kids are doing it.
    • LISP-like programming languages: I'm a badge-carrying member of the Knights of the Lambda Calculus.
    • Javascript: It does things nowadays apparently.
  • Social/political
    • Open science / open journal access: I run this open science group.
    • Free Bradley Manning: This meeds to be fixed ASAP. Ugghhh.
    • Anarchist theory and feminist theory: Really, I just want people to be excellent to each other and not be all oppressive and stuff.
    • Free information / open data: Primarily in extracting stories from data and telling them to people.
    • Hackathons for good causes: I ran the 2012 Aaron Swartz Memorial Hackathon at Noisebridge and coordinated a bunch of similar ones around the world. I want to make these happen all the time in all the places.
    • Educating people about computer security
  • Uncategorized
    • Veganism: I'm vegan unless it's going to go to waste. Mainly for sustainability.
    • Rock climbing: Top-rope/bouldering, mostly indoors.
    • Running long distances: I did like 50 miles per week for years; lately my body keeps breaking.
    • Hiking: Big Sur, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Utah Canyonlands, White Mountains, the South Florida swamps, etc.
    • Crowdsourcing: Particularly interested in exploring this as a self-sustaining way to empower/educate large numbers of people.
    • Hot sauce: Is tasty
    • Burning Man: I run a camp.
    • Writing: I write non-fiction poetry.
    • Jazz composition: I used to write chamber music and then moved onto jazz composition/arranging. Am really into polyrhythms and asymmetric time signatures.

Some Publications