A social media site has been set up for AI bots, where they plot how to outsmart humans - as.ft.com/r/c421cbb0-3... via @FT
02.02.2026 07:06
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A social media site has been set up for AI bots, where they plot how to outsmart humans - as.ft.com/r/c421cbb0-3... via @FT
"No government body publishes regular estimates of state pension liabilities. I suspect this is to shield Treasury officials from trauma akin to that wreaked by the Total Perspective Vortex imagined by writer Douglas Adams." - as.ft.com/r/8fee9319-f... via @FT
If he thinks Asians cant integrate Jenrick has clearly never been to a Maths olympiad.
What does the buy-out data cleanse journey have in common with the trials of Hercules? www.linkedin.com/pulse/goodne...
Not long before actuarial work involves consulting AI models? Where a large insurance premium is the first sign you are about to get ill or crash your car?
"A new AI model can forecast a person’s risk of diseases across their life" (subscribers only)
www.economist.com/science-and-...
I really hope this type of thinking starts to take hold. Is it wishful thinking to hope that @torstenbell.bsky.social will have a positive influence...?
More focus on regional inequalities needed please. When I read down the list of schools sending kids to Oxbridge, it is the regional bias that is striking, not the private/state split. Even within regions I imagine outcomes are heavily influenced by postcode.
Trustee power to refund "surplus" to company + ability for a company to appoint a sole trustee = potential conflict to be managed very carefully!
My interest in the new Pope suddenly just increased after I read that he studied Mathematics at University. I shall listen out for "quad erat demonstrandum" in his Papal addresses
Under the status quo people get back-payments to 60 (according to the article). Presumably the suggestion is that there would be no back-payments but instead an uplifted annual pension, set in a way that is cost neutral. Member receives same expected benefit but spread rather than a one-off lump sum
I should be pleased that Trump has crashed markets just as new ISA allowances become available, right? (Assuming he doesn't permanently bring down the global economy...)
I've fixed this story: "Good news! The state pension has risen so much in recent years that, in line with everyone else earning that amount, a tiny amount of income tax is expected to apply" (the original article refers to a "stealth raid")
www.thetimes.com/article/b9d8...
Train departure info at Kings X to be removed 3 mins early to stop people rushing for trains last minute... surely the big problem here is that the trains are so unreliable that no-one knows when the 3 mins cut off is? People will miss any late running train
www.thetimes.com/article/7724...
Suddenly faith in humanity is restored... "World Excel championships", "competitive spreadsheet events", "online battles", "three day spreadsheet conference", "finals in Las Vegas".
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
In the BBC Show #TheTraitors it would be much better to deliberately keep a Traitor in the game than to vote them out, because if you vote them out they seem to just get replaced by someone else (unknown). Whereas if you keep them in, you can vote them out at the end when they are not replaced.
A table of the top IQ professions with actuaries 7th out of 360
Actuaries are quite clever apparently. Just don't do a test of common sense...!
www.thetimes.com/article/41c1...
On the day of Trump's inauguration it's hard not to wonder if democracy has a problem. Even in the UK, the much more sensible Labour Party has made tax promises (due to electoral pressures) that in my view were unwise. How well equipped are we to face challenges of climate and demographic change?
That's "long running"
This sounds concerning (unless it was backed with contingent assets?):
"With a small undisclosed £50mn pension scheme allocating about £1.5mn directly to bitcoin in the hope that outsize returns might help plug its funding deficit."
Pension funds dabble in crypto - on.ft.com/4hbrEFT
Thought this was a good intro to the situation.
IMHO there's no way most DB schemes are going to pile into UK equities now, any last opportunity went when funding levels shot up with gilt yields. Time to confront reality and stop looking for a golden goose?
www.thetimes.com/article/7177...
Why doesn't whatsapp allow me to schedule messages so I can send my Happy New Year messages now and go to bed?
Maybe one day I'll be able charge my EV on holiday without having to download yet another app in a location where there's no mobile reception
If you are looking for something to take over your life during the festive lull, I can recommend the video game 'Balatro'. Engages brain, but not excessively. Black Mirror creator Charlier Brooker described it as "possibly the most addictive thing ever created". www.playbalatro.com
This year a lot of apps are wanting me to relive my 2024 experience with them. Spotify have been doing it a while... fine, it's nice to be remined of music I like again. But do I really want to relive my banking transactions or the the memory of looking up James Milner's age on my sports stats app?
Yes this seems valid. I am doubtful of both the PHSO decision AND the Government decision to ignore it! Not sure if two wrongs make a right...
I want to say something to support my view that the WASPI argument seems wrong to me, but this particular aspect does seem troubling..!
Re the WASPI cause... if it were accepted that there was an expectation of retirement at age 60, presumably there was also an expectation of inflation (not triple lock) increases in payment and BSP (not new State Pension)? My issue with the argument is that things change all the time for everyone...
I just turned the tv on right at this moment and could barely contain my excitement (which is why I came straight here!)
Well put... although I take "comfort" in the fact that, whilst I cannot plan for retirement well in the face of constant change, the main thing I need to know is that I won't have as much money as I'd like
"Why pensions planning can feel like trying to nail jelly to a wall" - on.ft.com/3DqmYww
