I got back yesterday afternoon from my first ever physics conference. The subject of the conference was “Manipulation and Control of Quantum Systems” and I learned about many cool projects going on while there. One might equivalently say that the topic was quantum computing, but the actual title of the conference probably better states the actual problems people are working on (you can’t build a quantum computer until you’ve learned how to manipulate a quantum system). The setting was also nearly ideal: a resort town situated on the side of a mountain which over looks a lake. You can see a view over the lake here. There are more pictures from my trip on flickr.
There is an editorial in today’s New York Times about this case involving reporters Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper and their refusal to testify regarding confidential sources who revealed the name of a CIA agent to them. I find this case interesting and troubling in many ways. I do not know enough about constitutional guarantees of a free press and legal precedents regarding confidential sources to form a legal opinion. Nonetheless, I certainly have plenty of thoughts about the matter.
First of all, the idea that reporters can be compelled to reveal confidential sources seems completely antagonistic to the idea of a free press. Quite simply, reporters cannot adequately research stories if people in sensitive positions cannot provide information to reporters without fear of being revealed. There are many examples in our nation’s history of stories which we would not have heard about without credible guarantees of confidentiality; the most obvious example being Watergate.
On the other hand, it also does not make sense to grant reporters unlimited immunity to such inquiries. Just as lawyers and doctors are compelled to reveal information when a client tells the lawyer or doctor that he intends to commit a crime, reporters should not publish stories that needlessly put another’s life at risk. In this case in particular, Bob Novak’s article which revealed that Valerie Plume was a CIA agent was an unnecessary element of the story which put Ms. Plume’s life at risk and completely destroyed the possibility for her to continue her occupation. This seems to me to be a reckless misjudgment on the part of Mr. Novak.
Which actually brings me to the part which confuses me most: Ms. Miller and Mr. Cooper seem to have done the responsible thing in not publishing this information. So, what did they do that got them in trouble? Did they pass this information on to other reporters? I would agree that that would be wrong. But if they did not disclose the information and just refused to reveal their confidential source, then I think the law should protect them.
If anyone knows something about constitutional arguments regarding a free press, please let me know.
A number of things struck me last night while watching the 4th of July fireworks display in Excelsior Bay on Lake Minnetonka. First of all, depth perception is almost non-existent when viewing fireworks. The fireworks explode symmetrically from one point, but somehow the streaks of light always look like they are coming toward you. I really had to force my eyes to try to see some streaks of light as going away from me.
I also starting thinking about what must go into planning a fireworks show. Can you imagine even knowing what to order? I mean, how are these things even labeled in a catalogue? If the names of the fireworks products in stores are any indicator, it must be a major challenge just to create your own translation catalogue of “green dragon = outer green ring with red center and extended sparkle streaks” or whatever…
The show last night had a very nice grand finale. Since, by this point, I was already thinking about what goes into planning a fireworks display, something struck me about what makes a good grand finale: if you want to get people excited, turn up the volume! And the show last night did exactly that: there was a constant stream of small fireworks whose main purpose seemed to be to add an almost continuous bang while the larger fireworks went off up above. This may seem quite obvious, but I guess what I realized for the first time is that a fireworks show is not just about the flashes of pretty lights, but the explosions also provide a soundtrack to the display. And, an effective grand finale increases the intensity of both the visual and the aural experience.
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