Alternative description ...<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_map_algorithm" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_map_algorithm</a><p>I'm trying to work out if this is a clever version of simulated annealing or randomised ballistic hill-climbing. It's not clear if it really is something different underneath.<p>But it's making a splash - it seems to be solving problems that people had trouble with.