Matthew Pinkney

Inside Moltbook: the social network where AI agents talk to each other [FREE TO READ] An online experiment has Elon Musk believing that we are reaching the ‘singularity’. Is that really true?

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

How the pensions triple lock will end [FREE TO READ] State pension indexation is very important to retirees — but almost certainly too expensive to survive

"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.

For goodness sake, why can't you just clean the data!? Most of my career has been spent as a Pensions Scheme Actuary – advising on strategy and funding, whilst studiously avoiding any contact with actual scheme members or the business of how they get paid...

What does the buy-out data cleanse journey have in common with the trials of Hercules? www.linkedin.com/pulse/goodne...

A new AI model can forecast a person’s risk of diseases across their life Delphi-2M can predict which of more than 1,000 conditions a person might face next

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-...

Britain must break from the grip of dysfunctional policymaking Speculation over what might be in November’s Budget has left me depressed about our capacity for rational policies

Very well put by @pjtheeconomist.bsky.social
on.ft.com/4moc6Qw

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...)

The state pension tax hit coming for your retirement A government stealth raid could see a chunk of your income going straight to HMRC, explains Lucy Andrews

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...

King’s Cross trains vanish early from screens ‘to ease rush’ Network Rail has angered passengers by deleting information three minutes before services depart in an attempt to stop people rushing to trains

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...

Suffolk man competes at World Excel Championships in Las Vegas

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.

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"

Pension funds dabble in crypto after massive bitcoin rally [FREE TO READ] Interest from typically conservative schemes has grown following launch of US crypto ETFs

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

How pension giants can rebuild the London stock market The pension industry insists it is investing in Britain — just not through shares. That needs to change

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

Balatro Balatro is a deck-building roguelite where you must play poker hands and earn chips to defeat enemy blinds. Enhance your deck of playing cards, buy Jokers to modify each hand you play, and discover ne...

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!)

Why pensions planning can feel like trying to nail jelly to a wall [FREE TO READ] For decades, our retirement finances have been a political plaything

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