A long time ago, I wrote this short post about actuaries being mentioned in books. Since then, I don't think any other instances have come up... until this morning. And (maybe) oddly it's in the sequel to the book from last time. Now... how much of this can I be arsed to type out...
"May I assist you carrying one of those tomes Mr Halley?"
"Daniel! An unexpected pleasure! I can manage, thank you, but you may assist me by telling me in which of these rooms I might find Mr. Pepys."
"Follow me. He is meeting with one Cabal or other at the end of the opposite wing."
"Ah, then wait with me whilst I rest my arms."
"Are these for his book collection?"
"These are money/"
"On the pages I see numbers. Rumor has had it, Mr. Halley, that you have hired up every computer on this island, and set them to a great work. Now I see the rumors were true."
"These are only the first fruits of their lucubrations - I have brought them up, at the request of Mr. Pepys, to show them as a sort of demo'."
"Why do you say that they are money? To me they could be sines and cosines."
"These are actuarial tables, a sort of extract or distillation from the records of births and deaths of every parish in England. Supplied with these data the Exchequer can raise capital by selling annuities to the general public; and if they sell enough of them, why, the law of averages dictates that they will make a profit without fail!"
"What, by gambling that their customers will die?"
"That is no gamble Dr. Waterhouse."
Extract from 'The Confusion' by Neal Stephenson
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I read a book the other day with actuaries in it, "Human Croquet" by Kate Atkinson, I'll get the relevant bit - gave a great description. As a remember he turned out to be a cross dresser!
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