Tem42's New Writeups

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (review)

2009-11-24T01:22:26Z

Author: Daniel H. Pink
Published: Riverhead Books, December 2009
Genre: Psychology, non-fiction.

A note: This book has not been released yet. It is well worth reading, and I hope you make a note to look it up in a month.

Ever since 1949, when Harry Harlow found that monkeys worked harder at solving puzzles when they weren't rewarded, we have known that that our common sense understanding of motivation is not really adequate to explain animal behavior. As time went on, it became apparent that the same was true of human behavior. Over the decades evidence has slowly mounted, showing that sometimes rewards don't make us work better, and sometimes they make us work worse. People take longer to solve problems when they are paid to do so than when they volunteer, artists paint less critically acclaimed paintings when they are paid commissions, and parents are less likely to pick up their children on time when they…

Ground rod (thing)

2009-11-13T20:12:39Z

A ground rod is a metal shaft used for grounding an electrical system. Until recent years a house's electrical system was grounded to the plumbing system, allowing the underground pipes and drains to act as a giant electrode. But now that plumbing is becoming overwhelming plastic (PVC and PEX), it is necessary to make other arrangements. Usually, a contractor will hammer a metal ground rod (or two) into the ground, and ground the wiring system to that.

These rods are generally made out of iron or steel, are at least 8-feet long, and at least 5/8 inches thick. This description may sound familiar to you; it is indeed possible, in some cases, to get away with using a section of rebar. Some building codes require that you buy poles manufactured specifically for ground rods, available in your local hardware store. Non-ferrous or copper-coated bars are available; they are usually thicker, and thus harder to hammer into the ground. They should…

Acneform (definition)

2009-10-27T01:47:30Z

adj. That which resembles acne. Also written acneiform.

The term acneform is rarely used except in the phrases acneform eruption, acneform rash, and acneiform dermatoses. While all of these are in common use in medical jargon, there is no consensus on whether the spelling of acneform or acneiform is better.

Acneform conditions may be caused by acne vulgaris, rosacea, folliculitis, and perioral dermatitis, among others.

Pass-through entity (idea)

2009-10-27T00:12:39Z

AKA pass-through taxation and disregarded tax treatment.

A legal entity, such as a company, that does not have its income taxed at the level of that entity (although it will still have to file a tax return to keep the IRS or other governmental agency informed). Instead, any income or loss is passed through to the individual shareholders or interest holders, who must account for it on their tax returns.

This form of taxation allows an entity's income to be taxed only once, and may allow shareholders to use any losses to offset their other income, making their taxes lower.

Examples of pass-through entities include S corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and some forms of trusts. Corporations are not pass-through entities, and are taxed as a corporation as a whole.

The People of Sparks (review)

2009-10-26T22:32:50Z

Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Published: Random House, 2004
Genre: Children's Science fiction

This is the second book in the Ember series, a popular children's series set in a post-apocalyptic Earth. Although I would never recommend such a thing, you could read this book without reading the first book. There is a bit in second chapter that would be confusing, but overall this book could work as a stand-alone piece.

It's hard to write a review without giving spoilers for either this book or the first book, but I'll start by saying that this is a good book, and if you enjoyed the first book you will also enjoy this one. It takes up right where the last book left off, and we follow the same characters through a new set of adventures. This book seems a bit more preachy and heavy-handed in its moral lessons, but even so it's not obnoxious, and as the moral lesson is…

Accelerando (review)

2009-10-23T02:44:26Z

Author: Charles Stross
Published: Ace Books, 2005
Genre: Science Fiction, Transhumanism

Charles Stross is one of the best writers of transhumanist SF around today (although he refers to it as posthumanism, not transhumanism). He has written a number of books set in the far (or maybe not-so-far) future, exploring the effects that advanced biological sciences and artificially created neural networks will have on humans. You should read some of his books. But not this book. Not unless you are really obsessed with transhumanism, anyway...

Accelerando is a novel pasting together a number of short stories previously published in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. And I use the word 'pasting' deliberately. While this book is packed full of new and exciting ideas, the plot and writing style leaves a lot to be desired. Mr. Stross made a number of…