On 9/6/2012 12:05, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
>>> The thing is, I can't think of any career that makes use of an ability
>>> to memorise and apply pointless algorithms...
>>
>> Off the top of my head:
>
>> research
>
> Seriously? That's a career? Talk about "vague"...

The point is that whatever you research in any field, you're going to need 
that ability.

>> finance
> Wouldn't I need extensive finance qualifications to do that?

No. The finance guys have extensive knowledge. They rely on technical guys 
to implement their algorithms. I know several mathematicians who don't know 
how to predict stocks, but know how to program computers with algorithms to 
predict stocks. And they use baroque custom languages like R, K, etc.

>> crypto/security
> Seriously, almost *nobody* actually does that.

Really? Wow. I guess all the people working in that field would disagree. 
You realize this includes things like analyzing how you can tell someone is 
breaking into your system and such, right?

>> logistics
>
> Really? I'm sure it's difficult keeping track of stuff, but I don't see much
> technical detail involved. It's just about keeping track of a lot of stuff
> all at once. It's hard, but it isn't very technical.

It's about getting it there efficiently. Logistics: Customer orders four 
dump trucks of cement. You have to figure out when to send the trucks to get 
it there soon enough after they're ready that they don't waste time, but not 
so soon that it congeals inside the truck. You also have to know how they're 
going to use it, so you can space out the trucks so the second is ready 
before the first has set enough. You have to have real-time traffic 
estimates, knowing how to route around them, including rerouting trucks 
already moving to get them where they're supposed to go at the right times. 
You have to account for days when a truck breaks down, a driver is out sick, 
or a construction company cancels or defers an order.  And that's just local 
delivery of fucking *cement*. What do you think a company like Amazon or UPS 
needs?

>> data mining
> Does anybody actually do that? I thought it was just a fashionable middle
> management buzzword.

That's ... all google does, basically. Every company that actually has a 
successful business needs constant "Actionable Business Information." How 
much to order. Who to hire. Where to advertise.

Heck, I write computer programs at Google, and my salary is based on how 
much money those computer programs make, just like salesmen get commission. 
How do you measure it? Well, if the user watches a lesson on my program, and 
then goes into one of the other programs and does what the lesson told him 
to do, and from that Google makes more money, then I attribute part of that 
to my program. *figuring out* those relationships is difficult. Going the 
extra step of looking at what he's already doing and suggesting other things 
he could tell his clients to ask for is yet another level harder.

Not that it's especially complex math, but the complexity is pretty 
astounding, especially when you're talking about the size of databases 
Google deals with.

>> robotics
> Is there any commercial application for that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvf29R7nXlM

>  From what I've seen, installing comms equipment doesn't require a great
> deal of technical skill - you just need to be good at carrying stuff around
> and running cables.

Heh heh heh. So, you already know how to calibrate a cell phone tower 
installation? How to splice optical fiber? How to run 10Kilovolt power 
circuits?

You've only installed stuff that was built for retail installation, clearly.

Granted, probably not a whole lot of programming involved.

>> marketing
> There's technical expertise in that?

If you're marketing technical products, you'll sell 10x as much if the 
person writing the ad actually knows what the product does, yes.

Do you think you could talk to the manufacturer and write a reasonable ad 
for a desktop computer system or a tape backup carousel? Do you think you 
could talk to the manufacturer and write a reasonable ad for an 
anti-retrovirus drug?

>> disaster response
> What kind of disaster response requires technical skill?

The kind where the disaster has struck technical infrastructure. Didn't you 
write the disaster recovery documents for your previous job? Could you have 
done that without knowing anything about technology?

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   "They're the 1-800-#-GORILA of the telecom business."

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