Re: [Marxism] Interesting articles on economic modelling.

[Michael Perelman <michael@ecst.csuchico.edu>]

Wal-Mart supposedly has the second-largest computer system, second only to the 
Pentagon.  They can track everything in the stores, including the temperature, from 
their Bentonville center.

They figured out that on Friday afternoons there was a spurt in sales of beer and 
diapers.  They deduced that men were coming home from work to make these purchases.  
They rearranged products in the store in order to attract more sales from these men.

Running Wal-Mart would be the equivalent of running a small economy.

Wal-Mart, of course, is the equivalent of a major trucking company as well.

On Fri, May 09, 2008 at 12:47:57PM -0400, Les Schaffer wrote:
> Steve Palmer wrote:
> > I remember arguing with my professor of soviet economics about this. His
> > position was that it was technically impossible to solve what amounts to a
> > matrix equation of that size in anything approaching real-time (ie fast enough
> > to be of operational use). He discounted technical progress (this was way
> > before PCs or even minicomputers).
> out of curiosity: how big a matrix?
> 
> 
> Michael Perelman:
> > Your professor, no doubt, never heard of Wal-Mart.  Now it is obvious that the 
> > technology is pretty advanced.
> 
> i gather any companies are doing the matrix dance now: airlines and 
> trucking for optimization. what i wal-mart doing?
> 
> Les
> 
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-- 
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
michaelperelman.wordpress.com

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