By George F. Smith
May 20, 2026
In 2000, the world braced for Y2K. It came with a date and a remedy. There was panic about doomsday but as I and other programmers stretched the year field from two to four characters, apart from scattered hiccups the lights stayed on. Everything about Y2K was known - the problem, the solution, and the deadline.
Q-Day is something else entirely.
Q-Day is shorthand for the moment when quantum computing crosses a line we assumed would hold-when the mathematics that secures modern life can be broken, and broken quickly.