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Nickname: Milton
Review:
I enjoy the article very much. As well as using to provide guidance or
ilustrate where the new career opportunities are for member of the It
community that have been affected or will be affected by Global
Resourcing. Yes. We are using some of these algorithms today to help us
become more efficient.
Date reviewed: Jan 17, 2006 3:49 AM
Nickname: helge
Review: always pay cash
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 11:57 PM
Nickname: Cheech
Review:
If I recall correctly, Isaac Asimov's Foundation series of novels
tackles this precise question. The protagonist of the first novel is a
mathematician who has calculated the future 1000 years in advance, and
realizing that the galactic empire he lives in will dissolve into
anarchy, he creates a foundation to preserve civilization as it was
known.
Interesting and disturbing at the same time.
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 11:46 PM
Nickname: Dave
Review:
I think what some people here are missing is that these mathematical
models won't be making exact predictions of behavior. The models are
based on probabilities and they will point us toward the most likely
set of outcomes, not one specific prediction. This is the essence of
much of the stochastic modeling done in quantitative finance.
Techniques such as this have also been employed to study the dynamics
of "randomly" moving molecules and the spread of diseases. So don't
expect a mathematical model to ever tell you definitively what an
individual will do. Expect them to tell you what the most likely
behavior of a person is and to also suggest other, less likely,
behaviors. For example, if I mathematically modeled my
gastro-intestinal system and my metabolism then my model might be able
to tell me which types of foods I will most likely be craving given my
current diet, but it won't be able to predict exactly what I will have
for lunch.
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 10:59 PM
Nickname: vzn
Review:
Great to see the mainstream media discovering the importance &
preeminence of quantitative mathematics & what might be called the
new field of "algorithmics". I noticed the increasing
relevance/significance of this realm & started a blog/mailing list
on it about 7.5 years ago. take a look, we'd like to hear from you.
search on anything related & it will probably turn up in the large
msg archives
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theory-edge/
best links collection
http://vznuri.orgspace.com/theory-edge/
see also my online paper on (among other things) mathematics &
simulation & modelling in economics
http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/wpawuwpma/0203005.htm
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 5:13 PM
Nickname: rxp6810
Review:
Anyone who says that we are putting too much stock in math to predict
the future is missing the point. It is not about predicting the future
per se...it is about making business decisions.
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 4:13 PM
Nickname: Aghbah
Review: Mathematics to predict the future? Are we getting smarter or dumber? Seriously.
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 2:25 PM
Nickname: Angel
Review:
This might be applicable to the US but it would not work in Europe.
People, as a whole, are much more predictable in the States and in
Europe it is quite a different story.
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 12:06 PM
Nickname: Syed Arfin
Review:
Practically speaking this article is an exaggeration of what we can do
with mathematical formulas. If all sorts of unpredictable things can be
predicted with rational formulas, then we don't have to live to see the
future. We can actually calculate it! I have not read these sorts of
things even in science fiction books. I think this article gives a
great idea to make a science fiction movie at least.
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 8:31 AM
Nickname: rex
Review:
I am happy that the article shows respect for the field of mathematics
and mathematicians in the business world. However good these models
are, I believe that predictions of human consumption/activities will be
easier under controlled capitalist conditions with the caveate that
once in a while the beast under microscopic watch will start thinking
and that's when predictions go out the door. As the article points out:
With NSA employing so many brains crunching data the question remains:
Where is OBL or how about simpler stock/bond market predictions?
Date reviewed: Jan 16, 2006 12:39 AM
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