It&#x27;s 1994, and a mathematical algorithm puts a spotlight on quantum computing for the first time. Defence departments, spy agencies and cybersecurity experts are on edge over the explosive Shor&#x27;s algorithm. They spend decades and billions of dollars searching for a solution before something called &quot;Q-day&quot; arrives. Got feedback? Email us sciencefriction@abc.net.au Guests: Dr Henry EverittSenior technologist for optical sciences, US Army Emeritus Professor Charles ClarkPhysicist, formerly National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Dr Sushmita RujAssociate professor, University of New South Wales&#x27; Institute for Cybersecurity Special thanks to Nick Adams for reading Peter Shor&#x27;s limerick. Presenter: Jacinta Bowler Producer: Fiona Pepper Senior Producer: Shelby Traynor Executive Producer: Petria Ladgrove Sound Engineer: Tim Jenkins Archives Research: Lisa Chidlow, Michael Osmond Additional audio courtesy of CSIRO Publishing

02 | Dead and Alive: Quantum attack

Science Friction

[SPEAKER_A] ABC Listen. Podcasts, radio, news, music and more.

[SPEAKER_B] Hey, Tegan Taylor here from Life Matters. Do you rely on grandparents to help pay the bills or look after the kids?

[SPEAKER_A] You're not alone.

[SPEAKER_B] Life has gotten busier, more expensive, and grandparents are picking up the slack. This July on Radio National, The Grandparent Trap explores the changing role of grandparents in modern family life. The Grandparent Trap and much more on Life Matters. Search for Life Matters on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts. Let me take you back to the year 1994. And honestly, what a year. MTV News. Kurt Cobain dies.

[SPEAKER_A] Cobain, who was 27, had reportedly been missing for several days.

[SPEAKER_B] Nelson Mandela is elected president of South Africa. And joy that we can loudly proclaim.

[SPEAKER_A] Free at last.

[SPEAKER_B] The first episode of Friends airs. Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King all hit cinemas.

[SPEAKER_A] For Hollywood, a night of celebration and backslapping in the movie industry's biggest night of the year.

[SPEAKER_B] And Pizza Hut delivers its first online order. Dougie!

[SPEAKER_A] Dougie! How are you, mate? Good.

[SPEAKER_B] And there's your 2 large pizzas at $16.90.

[SPEAKER_C] Beautiful.

[SPEAKER_B] As cheesy as it is, this is a pivotal moment in history. In 1994, the World Wide Web as we know it is only a year old. It has a whopping 2,000 websites. It's the world's biggest computer network. And we're still figuring out what this internet will be. A place for doing business? For socialising? For buying things?

[SPEAKER_A] All of a sudden I can sit here on the internet and buy goods.

02 | Dead and Alive: Quantum attack

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.

02 | Dead and Alive: Quantum attack

Read the full transcript

The candid version is on a podcast, not the earnings call.

The candid version is on a podcast,
not the earnings call.