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An Ode to Jon


"Jon the Lord" of our quantum gang,
the finest BS detector since the Big Bang.
May we be audience to many more of your tales,
Tales of "gremlins" and "English - Von Neumann"
Tales of "demons" and the "theft of Shannon".

Be wary before you bet our ship's Captain Kirk,
On "Supremacy" or topological computers that won't work,
Before Neven came Dowling and Jon shall beat John,
for on all matters that are "QUBIT" he is the big Don.

Your warmth and wisdom keeps us on the run,
without the pun-master where is the fun?
In this new family far-far away from home,
Under your caring shadow newer terrains we roam.
With hope that our journey has just seen its dawn,
We wish you a very Happy Birthday Dear Jon.

Thanks,
Stav

This was dedicated to Prof. Jonathan Dowling on his 65th birthday, never realizing that it would be my first and last tribute to him in life. Guardian and father figure to many students like me. In him the world lost a magnanimous soul.
Prof. Jonathan P. Dowling (1955-2020), Hearne Chair of Theoretical Physics, Louisiana State University.
Founder of the US government program on quantum computation and cryptography.
P.S. A story teller par excellence and a comedic genius.

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