Friday
Oct302009
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill You know you're in trouble
Oct 30, 2009 Sui generis ...when Amazon's best idea for a book you might like to buy is... Actuarial Mathematics for Life Contingent Risks. 
Maybe I need to get out more...
Reader Comments (8)
Do not go out more until you've read the book!
Agreed - then you need to summarise it for us lot, in words of one syllable or less!
"As someone who has purchased or rated Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein, you might like to know that Actuarial Mathematics for Life Contingent Risks (International Series on Actuarial Science) will be released on 31 October 2009. You can pre-order yours for just £33.99 (15% off the RRP) by following the link below."
Yes I got that email as well, depressed me as well.
I got it because I had read Risk by John Adams (although I've read Bertstein too). They need to work on their algorithm a bit I would say.
I worry about Amazon's recommendations. My last lot included Game Theory, Sniping and Yacht Design. Given I've not bought books on any of those subjects before, I wonder what Amazon is encouraging me to do?
It probably contains formulae for calculating your risk of croaking from Global Warming (or Climate Change, take your choice) and Amazon has taken due note of your skepticism (note to UK posters: that's the correct spelling in the US). I would encourage all readers to get a copy of the late Michel Foucault's book "Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison".... truly dismal reading, but I suspect our "liberals" have all read it and had one of those "apostrophe moments" (movie reference) and said "what a marvelous idea!"
I get recommendations for books on freight containers. Like how to adapt a freight container for living quarters. I find this rather sinister.
I Michael Moore is planning a movie.