[SciPy-dev] random.set_state also in need of EXPERT attention

[Robert Kern]

On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 14:24, David Goldsmith<d_l_goldsmith@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi, folks!  Ralf originally requested expert attention for this in its Discussion section; I over-confidently said I thought I could handle it; after too many hours of unproductive research (I seem to have found that there's a lot of "politics" in the field of random number generators?  Despite widespread use: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mersenne_twister, Matsumoto & Nishimura and this algorithm don't appear to have much recognition in certain circles, e.g., those under the influence of Marsaglia, e.g., notably, "Numerical Recipes."  I understand that Marsaglia is critical of MT, but for "NR" to completely ignore an algorithm in such widespread use, well, out of curiosity, if anyone knows, "what gives"?) I give up.

NR is old and stodgy. They don't cover the state-of-the-art for many
arts. Ignore them.

What "expert attention" is required?

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless
enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as
though it had an underlying truth."
  -- Umberto Eco