<OT> weird job ad of the week

[Alma J Wetzker]

Rick Sivernell wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 12:09:41 -0500 (EST)
> Net Llama! <netllama at linux-sxs.org> wrote:
> 
> 
>>http://jobsearch.monster.com/getjob.asp?JobID=27308662
>>
> 
> question 
> 
>   Is this for real? 
> I did find :
> Andrei A Markov was a graduate of Saint Petersburg University (1878), where he
> began a professor in 1886. Markov's early work was mainly in number theory and
> analysis, continued fractions, limits of integrals, approximation theory and the
> convergence of series.
> 
> After 1900 Markov applied the method of continued fractions, pioneered by his
> teacher Pafnuty Chebyshev, to probability theory. He also studied sequences of
> mutually dependent variables, hoping to establish the limiting laws of probability
> in their most general form. He proved the central limit theorem under fairly
> general assumptions.
> 
> Markov is particularly remembered for his study of Markov chains, sequences of
> random variables in which the future variable is determined by the present
> variable but is independent of the way in which the present state arose from its
> predecessors. This work launched the theory of stochastic processes.
> 
> In 1923 Norbert Wiener became the first to treat rigorously a continuous Markov
> process. 
> 

You tend to see Markov chains represented by square arrays, that are then 
raised to a power.  The columns (or rows) are probabilities of a given set of 
events, so their sum is one (1).  After a certain number of multiplications of 
  the matrix by itself, the numbers tend to converge to something an economist 
can use.  They try to predict things like current and ultimate market 
penetration of products or values of stocks in a market segment that is moving 
towards being static.

The math is simple and pretty straightforward.  Setting the things up is PFM 
(Pure Freakin' Magic).  It is actually pretty fun stuff.  The job description 
sounded like it could be pretty cool (except for the occasions where they tell 
you to bend over).  For now, it is a pass.  I graduate in about a year, maybe 
something will show up then....

     -- Alma