He was, in fact, a wizard. To his fellows at the Boure' Quantum Mechanics Laboratory, Professor Elliem Brown, Quantum Physicist, Ph.D . But that was just a title covering his education.

"All matter," he lectured, "can exist in an indeterminate state. The Heisenberg Principal is only the tip of the Quantum Iceberg. Even before the first Einstein condensate, we demonstrated the dual wave and particle nature of matter. It has shown us that all particle behavior and thus all matter derived from it, obey rules, that only statistically, sum into the systems that support common physics. It is not a question of which way a quark spins, but that it can spin both ways at the same time, or even be at the same moment on Mars, and here, as part of your shoe."

The initial lecture was always the most difficult for students visiting the institute. He waited while the expected murmuring abated. These tours were droll inconveniences, but total must-be-done efforts of the institute to bolster Public Relations and pave the way for future grants and entitlements, the life blood of the researcher.

"Here at BQM, we research the applications of such knowledge, find new ways to translate the theoretical and mathematical into the practical and usable. Quantum Physics has already given us all the devices of electronics that exist today. As early as 2010, ways of harnessing quantum entanglement to determine non-local events was paving the way for today's advanced quantum computers."

Here, per script, he flashed his ring. Actually he was quite proud of it, gold and platinum inlay, with his initials, the institute's crest, and a micro engraving of his graduate thesis on it, all 400 pages.

"I have on my finger, more processing power than was available from all the computers in the world, at one time...and, I see that you are not impressed."

An expected chuckle ran through the group. Ring based supercomputers were common as coal.

"But it was only made possible because of the dedication of fierce slaves to the science, such as myself, in places like this." He swept his ring hand up and gestured broadly.

***

Professor Elliem Brown, pulled deeply at his cigar, and dusted his cue, leaning over the green felt to line up on the six.

"You gonna call that shot?"

"You, are a putz, know that, Emmit? Six in the side, just like it looks. Get me another whiskey. Neat, no ice this time."

The cue cracked sharply and the six ball sank like a ship. "Owe me five."

"Aren't you supposed to be guiding a tour over at the plant right now?'

Elliem unbent from the table, looked at his watch with a raised eyebrow while taking up the offered rock glass in his ring hand. "Yes. I'm just finishing up the lecture right now, and leading the kids into the lab. Why?"