My Cat Is Dead! -- A Physics Problem

Let me start by saying that I am a physics nut who has been known to worship at the altar of Richard Feynman on occasion. So, you will not likely be surprised to discover that I was mesmerized by a recent article in the New Yorker by Rivka Galchen regarding quantum computing. You might be surprised that an old psychometrician reads the New Yorker (or even that I can read), but let me assure you I