David Januszewski looks at the the development of open source software in statistics. By comparing the virtues between SAS, the proprietary software and R, the open source software used by statisticians, he thinks that open source software "can and does coexist with the proprietary software" and "both have a purpose. "He further looks at the availability of the open source software in the actuarial profession and does not see "open source software sweeping across actuarial science like it has with other fields". Dave explains the possible uses and virtues of the open source software to actuaries and asserts that it may be beneficial that the open source is used together with the propriety software.

Overview of Technology section and summary of articles in current month's CompAct.

This session will give an in-depth explanation of genetic algorithms, which effectively explore the solution space without examining every possibility by taking an initial set of solutions and iteratively combining the most successful. In addition, the session will cover tips to picking appropriate problems, languages and tools that have been used successfully, and a walk-through of the construction of an actual application.

This session will introduce the attendee to new methods such as cellular automata, genetic algorithms, deterministic chaos, fractal geometry, network theory, behavioral economics, serious games and other topics in the new paradigm of complexity science.

This paper outlines some of the fundamental concepts of the object-oriented approach and applies them to the design of a dynamic simulation model of a financial institution. A sample design for a simulation model is presented, including a description of the objects involved and the way they interact.

This is a book review of "J: The Natural Language for Analytic Computing" by Norman Thomson, 2001.

This book review is of Tools for Computational Finance by Rudiger Seydel.

This paper explores new opportunities provided by the ongoing revolution in information technology, computer science, and Internet expansion for studies of exceptional human longevity. The results of this cross-validation study demonstrated that computerized genealogies may serve as a useful starting point for developing a reliable family-linked scientific database on exceptional human longevity. From NAAJ, January 2007, Volume 11, Number 1.

This session will give an in-depth explanation of genetic algorithms, which effectively explore the solution space without examining every possibility by taking an initial set of solutions and iteratively combining the most successful. In addition, the session will cover tips to picking appropriate problems, languages and tools that have been used successfully, and a walk-through of the construction of an actual application. From the 2012 SOA Annual Meeting.

Several complexity science techniques that can be applied to actuarial problems have emerged in recent years. As our health care environment becomes increasingly elaborate, these types of models have the potential to assist us in understanding the new landscape. This session will introduce the attendee to new methods such as cellular automata, genetic algorithms, deterministic chaos, fractal geometry, network theory, behavioral economics, serious games and other topics in the new paradigm of complexity science.