Latest Posts
Is mortality improving? Who for?
Late last year, there was a flurry of mainstream interest in mortality statistics – here is the New York Times reporting on a study by two economists (Ann Case and Angus Deaton) The paper: documents a marked increase in the all-cause mortality of middle-aged white non-Hispanic men and women in the United StatesContinue Reading
Book Review: Lost Enlightenment
Today’s book review is a bit different for this blog – the book is a fairly dense history of a part of the world that doesn’t get much attention these days. It is Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane, by S Frederick Starr. I bought this bookContinue Reading
What did I read in 2015?
I’ve written up my annual page about what I read in 2015 here. This year there was a lot of history, inspired by my travels. In this post, I’m just mentioning the books that I enjoyed the most. First, The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the DigitalContinue Reading
Why are there more shark attacks being reported this year in NSW?
Lately there have been an increasing number of shark attacks off the NSW coast. I’m increasingly having a conversation with friends about why the number of sharks is increasing. But are there more sharks? Or just more shark attacks? First on the shark attacks. In 2015 we have had a hugeContinue Reading
Insurance – can it be a technology leader?
In June 1958, under Alf Pollard’s leadership, Australia’s first commercial computer was installed in the MLC buildings in North Sydney. MLC was (and still is) one of Australia’s biggest life insurers. The computer weighed five tonnes, had a room of its own, cost £160,000 and took 20 million times longerContinue Reading
A cycling update
Last year, after a spate of cycling deaths, I posted about the riskiness of cycling in Sydney. I concluded that cycling Sydney’s streets is actually safer than it was 20 years ago. Since then, I’ve gone back to a regular commute – I’m cycling to work two or three timesContinue Reading
Book Review: I know how she does it
Today’s book review is of I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time, by Laura Vanderkam. Those of my readers who know me in real life will know that I have recently started a new job (hence the lack of blog posts here).Continue Reading
Appointed Actuary – a cross practice discussion
I’ve blogged about the role of the Appointed Actuary before – here and here. My own view has been that we need to positively define the role of the Appointed Actuary, and that, at least in life insurance, it should be closer to the first line of defence (ie managing theContinue Reading
How big is the indigenous gap?
This week’s Economist has a sobering article about the gap between black and white america. It included a graphic of various statistics, showing the difference between black and white america on a range of measures. It also showed how the two compared with various countries around the world – forContinue Reading
ANZAC Day – A family story
On Anzac Day, it seems a good time to remember one of the soldiers in my family – my grandfather. He was lucky – he came back, and had five children and lived a long life after the war, even though he was wounded. I never met him, as he died whenContinue Reading