Observed vs Un-observed

I was discussing the phenomenon of the double-slit experiment (see prior posts) with a very smart person, (my dad) and he explained it in this way...

When an electron is shot thorough the slit(s) 1 at a time and unobserved, it forms an interference pattern revealing that each individual electron, which is one of the quantum particles, has a probability of being anywhere in a region of space. When the experiment is done while observing the individual electron, it forms a point, like a normal macro-scale particle (e.g.: a dust mote). And yes, the act of observation does result in the resulting pattern change. The reason is that when it is observed, what is seen is the behavior in that particular instant, rather than the statistical distribution. The thing to remember is that any individual quantum particle, such as an electron, muon, quark or other subatomic particle, behaves in a quantum fashion all by itself. It acts as if it is spread out across a region of space, rather than as a point in space. By observing the electron, you determine its position exactly, and so you lose all information about its momentum (its probability distribution), so the interference pattern disappears. By not observing it, its probability distribution is preserved, but you can't determine its position exactly. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.

So, in essense, what this means is that, in fact, until a particle is observed it's position is undeterminable, and it doesn't make sense even to ask the question of "where it is". "Where" does not exist until the object is observed and the probabity of it being in any position is removed, and it is then seen to be in one fixed position. I love this!!! That's great!!! I think that is really one of the coolest things I have ever heard. Until you see an object, it's everywhere, lots of the same one particle, in every and any possible position. Then you see it, and poof!!! Its position is determined based on physical, measureable factors. Is that not the coolest thing you've ever heard?!??! Or am I just a big geek? Well, even if I am a big geek, that's still right up there with the most amazing things I've contemplated. I would love to be able to catch a piece of matter in its pre-detection state. Can you picture it? Matter particles bouncing all over the place, not different matter particles, but the exact same particle in multiple locations! Not separable, not measureable as separate individual particles, but the same exact particle in more than one position!!

What are the implications of this, I wonder. What are the real world (for that is what we must live in) applications of this? If we could tap into this quantum state, would we be able to place ourselves in any location we would like? Is it like another dimension we just have not learned to recognize yet? Maybe our minds are blocked against the possibility of this other dimension, and if we are able to unlock that part of our mind, we could literally be like that guy in the movie Jumper, just think about a place and - zap! We're there! Boy, that would really put a crimp in the oil companies' bottom lines. For that reason alone I think it's worth thinking about!!