• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Technology Section CompISSUEAct 30 | JANUARY 2009 Cool Tech by Matthew Wilson 1 Cool Tech 22 Book Review elcome to the third edition of Cool Tech. This is where I point by Matthew Wilson The Analysis of Insurance Earnings: out cool things on the Web. In this edition I’ll also be talking 2 Editor’s Notes An Enterprise Approach W about free forum software, forum strategies, search engines, Principle-based reserves by John McGarry and Google Adwords/Adsense, free meetings on the Web, Open Courseware, update. Kevin Pledge The Learning Annex, Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and a deriva- Howard Callif Reviewed by Carol Marler tives spreadsheet that I wrote. 3 Letter from the Chair 23 Book Review Timothy Rozar Customer-Centered From getting my Amazon.Com clones wiped out, handling Russian forum Products, by Ivy F. Hooks spammers and getting run-over by bad-boy search bots, I’ve found that it’s 11 R Corner and Kristin A. Farry Steve Craighead not always easy playing around on the Web. However, I have picked up a Reviewed By Stephanie thing or two along the way. Hopefully I’ll be able to save you a little time, Young 16 The End Users Justify or at least give you some new ideas. the Means: II The Wrath of Numerate Decision-Makers A LITTLE HISTORY Mary Pat Campbell Back in 2003 I read an interesting article about a guy who created a Web site that provided book pricing information from several different Web sites. Apparently, he had a program that would gather data from multiple Web sites at the same time. The whole idea of scraping Web site data from multiple Web sites at the same time fascinated me. So I decided that I was going to create a similar Web site. My only problem was that I was starting from ground zero. To make a long story short, I eventually accomplished my goal. The only problem was that it took me a few years to do it, and by then these types of Web sites were a dime a dozen. In the process I learned Perl, Regular Expressions (RegEx), PHP, MySQL and a whole lot more. By the way, if you haven’t looked at RegEx, you’re missing out. One can implement amazing search and/or replace scripts. Using RegEx made it CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 Editor’s Notes CompAct by Howard Callif ISSUE 30 JANUARY 2009 he SOA meeting in Orlando provided a great forum to meet and discuss ideas. Published quarterly by the There are a lot of areas we could cover in our newsletter to help people make the Technology Section of the Society T most of technology. For a brief intro to the council members, please be sure to look of Actuaries at the “Letter from the Chair.” 2008-2009 Section Leadership The newsletter has a new look, and has been reformatted to enhance on-line access, as Van Beach, Web Site Coordinator well as be consistent with the other section newsletters. The SOA works hard to publish all Carl Nauman, Scenario Generator of the section publications, and usually does all of the graphic and design layout for each Timothy Rozar, Communications Coordinator issue. This behind the scenes work is very much appreciated, so a quick “Thank you” to Carl Desrochers, 2008 Annual Meeting Sam Phillips and Julissa Sweeney. program Comittee Coordinator Holly Loberg A special thank you Carol Marler and Stephanie Young—both of Employers Reinsurance David Minches Corp. They submitted book reviews on subjects they thought would interest section mem- Content Managers bers. Please consider whether a book you are reading would fit in this category, and take Howard Callif, Newsletter Editor a few minutes to write your thoughts on the subject. We are also going to mention any iPipeline, web-x presentations of interest, as long as they are not commercials, and have no cost. 10600 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon, WI 53092 Please keep an eye out for material that could benefit other readers. e: [email protected] We are lucky to have several columnists volunteer to provide regular content to our news- Other Volunteers Robert LaLonde, 2008 Spring Meeting letter: Steve Craighead (R Corner); Matthew Wilson (Cool Tech), and in upcoming issues Program Committee Coordinator Mary Pat Campell (still trying to find a catchy title). I am considering writing an article on VB, but need some guidance from readers on what topics would be most relevant. There Paula Hodges, Past Section Chairperson are several different topics that could be covered in this column, but it is very difficult and Education Subcommittee Coordinator to know if any readers would be interested. Please let me know if any of the following would be useful to you: Friend of the Council Kevin Pledge, Council Advisor 1) Visual Basic 6.0 SOA Staff 2) VB Macros in Excel Sam Phillips, Staff Editor 3) Visual Basic NET (2003, 2005, or 2008) e: [email protected] 4) Converting from Visual Basic 6.0 to Visual Basic NET 5) Programming concepts/standards Meg Weber, Staff Partner e: [email protected] 6) Database/SQL processing 7) Introductory materials (for actuarial students or new users to easily pick up the lan- Susan Martz, Project Support Specialist guage) e: [email protected] 8) Tools/Utilities for common functions Julissa Sweeney, Graphic Designer 9) Source code control/versioning e: [email protected] Finally, a sad note: a typo crept into our last issue in the table of contents. Although Mary Facts and opinions contained herein are the Pat Campell found it amusing for the irony, I do apologize for the error, and take full sole responsibility of the persons expressing responsibility for the misspelling. We work very hard to ensure that every issue is gram- them and shall not be attributed to the matically and typographically correct, but mistakes do occur. Society of Actuaries, its committees, the Technology Section or the employers of the authors. We will promptly correct errors Please contact me if you have any ideas, suggestions, or comments (even if it is to just brought to our attention. point out a typo). Copyright © 2009 Society of Actuaries. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Howard Callif is a senior system architect at iPipeline in the Illustrations unit. He can be reached at [email protected]. Letter from the Chairman It is a true pleasure to write this note introducing myself as the new Chairman of the Technology Section Council. I’m excited about the year ahead and about the terrific group of council members that I will be working with this year. Last week at the annual meeting in Orlando we had a great time getting to know each other over wine and cheese, Letterdinning from the at Chairman the House of Blues, and brainstorming our many aspirations for the coming year. I’d like to introduce you to our 2009 council and some of the projects they will be It is a workingtrue pleasure on this to yearwrite: this note introducing myself as the new Chairman of the LetterTechnology from Section the Council. Chair I’m excited about the year ahead and about the terrific by Timothy groupRozar of council members that I will be workingTim D witheitz isthis a new year. council Last week member at the this annual year, and he meeting in Orlando we had a great time gettingcomes to to know us from each Old other Mutual over winein Baltimore. and cheese, Tim will t is a truedinning pleasure toat writethe Housethis note of introducing Blues, andmyself brainstorming as the servnew eChair as our the of many thecouncil aspirations Vice Chairman for the thiscoming year, and he Technology Section Council. I’m excited about the year ahead and about the terrific year. I’d like to introduce you to our 2009 willcouncil also an bed oursome People of the Coordinator. projects they In will that be role, Tim I group of council members that I will be working with this year.will Last beweek coordinating at the volunteers and working to annual meetingworking in Orlando on we this had year a great: time getting to know each other over wine and cheese, dining at thedevelop House ofjob Blues, descriptions and brainstorming for the our keymany roles aspirations that forwe the rely on each year to reach our goals. coming year. I’d like Youto introduce are really you to goingour 2009 to council appreciate andTim some Tim’s Dofe theitz projectswork is a new when they council you join member the council this year, and andget tohe serve will be working on thisin year: one of these roles! comes to us from Old Mutual in Baltimore. Tim will serve as the council Vice Chairman this year, and he Tim Deitz is a new council member this year, and he comes to us from Old Mutual in Joe Liuzzo is in his third and finalwill yearalso bewith our the People council Coordinator. and In that role, Tim Baltimore. Tim will servecome ass theto uscouncil from Vice TIAA Chairman-CREF this inyear, Charlotte, and he will N also.C. be Joe is our our People Coordinator. In that role, Tim will be coordinating willvolunteers be coordinating and working to volunteers and working to Secretary Treasurer, and he also heads up our Table Manager develop job descriptionsdevelop jobfor the descriptions key roles that forwe relythe onkey each roles year thatto reach we our rely goals. on each year toASSE reachT MANA GEMENTour goals. • ASSURANCE • SAVINGS You are reallyYou going are toproject. appreciate really Joe going Tim’s has work to worked appreciate when youtirelessly join Tim’s the council on work Table and when get Manager to serveyou join over the the council and get to serve in one of thesein roles! oneyears, of these and roles! there are not very many of us who don’t owe Joe our thanks for making this tool available.

Load more

  28

Copy Link