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The double slit experiment was first performed by Thomas Young in 1801, as a demonstration of the wave nature of light. He used a coherent light source, such as sunlight or a candle, and passed it through a narrow slit in a card. Then he placed another card with two parallel slits close to the first one, and observed the light pattern on a screen behind the second card. He expected to see two bright spots on the screen, corresponding to the two slits, but instead he saw a series of bright and dark fringes, called an interference pattern. This meant that the light waves passing through the two slits interfered with each other, creating regions of constructive and destructive interference. This was evidence that light was not made of particles, as Isaac Newton had proposed, but of waves, as Christiaan Huygens had suggested.

However, with the development of quantum mechanics in the early 20th century, it was discovered that light could also behave like particles, called photons. In 1905, Albert Einstein explained the photoelectric effect by assuming that light was composed of discrete packets of energy that could knock electrons out of metals. In 1924, Louis de Broglie proposed that matter could also have wave properties, and derived a relation between the wavelength and momentum of any particle. In 1927, Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer, and independently George Thomson and Alexander Reid, confirmed this hypothesis by showing that electrons could produce interference patterns when scattered by crystals. Later, it was shown that atoms and molecules could also exhibit wave-particle duality.

The double slit experiment was then repeated with single photons or electrons, one at a time. Surprisingly, even when only one particle was sent through the slits at a time, an interference pattern still emerged on the screen after many repetitions. This meant that each particle somehow interfered with itself, as if it went through both slits at once. However, if detectors were placed at the slits to observe which slit each particle passed through, the interference pattern disappeared. This showed that the act of measurement affected the outcome of the experiment, and that the particle's behavior depended on whether it was observed or not. This phenomenon is known as quantum superposition and collapse, and it implies that quantum systems exist in a state of uncertainty until they are measured.

The experiment has profound implications for our understanding of reality and the nature of observation. It challenges our classical intuition and forces us to accept that reality is not deterministic but probabilistic at the quantum level.

Editorial ingredient shot w/Midjourney🍊

PROMPT:
A vertical alignment of three citrus fruits with accompanying leaves. A stark white backdrop that enhances the vivid colours of the subjects. Water droplets on the leaves to convey freshness, and the gradation of ripeness from unripe green at the top to a mature wrinkled texture at the bottom. The glossy sheen on the fruits and leaves suggesting recent harvest or dew. A conceptual display of the citrus lifecycle, or variety, creating a vibrant contrast between colours and textures, invoking a sense of organic growth and vitality

Returning from an experimental ~2 week detox from the internet. Main takeaway is that I didn't realize how unsettled the mind can get when over-stimulating on problems/information (like a stirred liquid), and ~2 weeks is enough to settle into a lot more zen state.

I'm struck by how an over-stimulated brain automatically keeps bubbling up problems into consciousness, creating a state of persistent anxiety and nervousness. After some time, in the settled state, this activity just... stops. You can sit down and your brain doesn't immediately go into some kind of problem solving overdrive, it just stays silent. Nothing happens.

I'm sure this could read a bit duh to many, but I haven't been to this subset of "brain dynamics" state space in I think a very long time and it is comforting to know that 1) it exists, and 2) you can visit, if you like, but the journey there takes a few weeks.

Anyway, where were we :D

Brian Chesky’s response to the Samwer Brothers cloning Airbnb: “Missionaries will outlast mercenaries”

In mid-2011, the Samwer Brothers cloned Airbnb’s website.

At the time, they were notorious for cloning companies that were working in the US and replicating it across Europe and non-English-speaking countries.

Before cloning Airbnb, they sold their Groupon clone, MyCityDeal, to Groupon itself for roughly €100 million.

Brian describes the situation Airbnb was facing:

“We had 40 employees and had raised $7M. They cloned us and raised $90M, and in 30 days they hired 400 people and wanted to sell the company. And if they couldn’t they were going to destroy us around the world. And the problem with Airbnb is if we’re not everywhere around the world, a travel site not being in Europe is like your phone not having email. It doesn’t actually work.”

At the time, a lot of people were telling Brian and the Airbnb cofounders to buy the clone because they couldn’t risk losing international. But Airbnb didn’t buy them.

Brian explains his reasoning:

“The reason we ended up not buying them is I just didn’t like the culture. I didn’t want to bring in these 400 people. I felt like we were missionaries and they were mercenaries. I didn’t think they were doing it for the beliefs. I thought they were doing it to make a lot of money very quickly. And I believed in a war missionaries would outlast and out-endure mercenaries. I also felt like the best revenge against an internet clone was just to make them run the company long term. It’s like, you had the baby, now you gotta raise it.”

In the end, that proved to be the right decision. Today, Airbnb is valued at more than $100B, and most people have never heard of Wimdu, the Samwer brothers’ clone.

Video Source: @ycombinator