Last week, I published an article telling the story behind my LinkedIn headline, “The least qualified person in quantum.” The featured image, which is currently my LinkedIn profile photo, seemingly got more attention than the article I shared it with. Given the popularity of the photo, I decided I might as well share its story, too.
The Seed
You still see it from time to time, but not nearly as often as a few years ago. Back then, there was a steady stream of images of people “working” on the “chandeliers” of superconducting quantum computers. It looked almost as if literally everyone’s job in quantum was to tinker inside dilution refrigerators. The paradigm was incredibly prolific.
I obviously don’t work in a lab, so I’ve never had an opportunity to take such an image. And even if I did, you may have noticed that it’s not my style to simply blend in with everyone else. So, I somehow came up with the idea to spoof it. But let’s be honest here: with jargon like “chandelier,” there’s no creative genius at play.
A Hotel Lobby
It was probably about a year from the inception of this idea until the actual photo. I live in the Philippines, and I just don’t see chandeliers on a daily basis. I remember seeing a few along the way that just wouldn’t be right for this photo, so I decided to…
