S11E11 – Quantum Computing, Batteries and Secure Boot

Episode Summary

Mike and co-host Howard opened with the latest SpaceX Starship launch, the planned SpaceX stock offering, and the growing number of satellites in orbit. From there the show spent a long stretch on quantum computing: a new way of finding three-way entangled qubits, theoretically unbreakable quantum encryption, and an IBM materials simulation that ran far faster on a small quantum machine.

The middle of the show covered new sodium-ion phone batteries and a gripe from Mike about how hard Apple makes it to get a developer signing certificate. The last segment was a practical warning about Windows updates and Secure Boot: Mike said machines that missed certain updates may not boot once a June update enforces the policy. No listeners called in.

Topics Covered

Starship and the satellite crowd

Mike described the latest Starship flight, in which the booster did not return as planned. He said he would wait before buying SpaceX stock in what sounds like the largest IPO in history. He and Howard also discussed how crowded orbit is getting, with Starlink, a Bezos network and a lot of debris, and Mike said Starlink was a few hundred satellites from having launched more than all of human history combined.

Quantum computing

Mike called quantum computing the scariest technology because it is a difference in kind, not just speed. He explained W-state detection as a three-way entanglement of qubits that could help with error correction and potentially fast communication over distance, and said scientists recently demonstrated quantum encryption that is effectively unbreakable. He added that IBM and a partner ran a materials simulation on a 120-qubit machine about 3,000 times faster, and expects medicine and battery chemistry to benefit first. He noted that many servers now warn that they are not post-quantum secure.

Sodium-ion batteries

Mike said the first sodium-ion batteries are reaching the market in 2026, claiming they are less likely to catch fire, charge zero to 50 percent in about two minutes, last 3,000 to 6,000 cycles and cost about 30 percent less to make. He was skeptical of a company’s solid-state battery claims because the test units’ charge curves looked like a different chemistry. His caution was that any stored energy can fail dangerously, however safe the design.

Apple’s closed ecosystem

Mike described being unable to complete Apple’s identity check for a developer certificate without buying an iPhone, then failing to get the app to focus on his driver’s license. He compared it with Microsoft’s signing process, which he said costs about $10 a month. He said Apple’s lock-down means you often need a second Apple device to recover a locked one, and that Apple acts as if it were most of the market when he put it at around 20 percent.

Windows updates and Secure Boot

Mike said a mix of February, April and May updates, and a skipped preview update in some environments, can leave machines without the newer security certificates. He said a June update enforces a Secure Boot policy and such machines may not boot. He advised checking Windows Update, updating firmware or BIOS on custom-built machines, turning Secure Boot back on if it was disabled, and staying out of the Windows folder.

Calls

No listeners called in this episode.