I just finished reading Drive, by Daniel H. Pink. I liked it on many levels, especially since it resonates with a lot of what I already believe about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, monetary compensation, and why we do what we do, etc.

Some takeaways:

• We are born with intrinsic motivation to discover, learn, go new places, and want ourselves, to get better at stuff.
• Extrinsic motivation, and extrinsic variables can lead to less of what we want, and more of what we don’t want! (eg, more pay may not equal more work performed…)
• “If / then” rewards lead to a continued cycle of needing / wanting rewards for any kind of performance, eg kids getting paid for taking out the trash will always expect payment for doing so, and will need to see a greater payment for other chores, and so on… and will not perform without!
• “Now that” rewards are better, especially when exercised on a random schedule, eg “Now that you’ve done such a great job taking out the trash, let’s get some ice cream!”
• Autonomy is more important than pay.
• Autonomy over 4 areas of your work is more important than anything. They are:
• time
• task
• team
• technique

I highly recommend this book to anyone. It has a great chapter on what to work on with your kids, and suggestions for success and self-improvement (although it’s not a self-help book) in all areas of life. I consumed via audio CD, read by the author, and enjoyed it a lot. I’ll probably have to hunt down the actual book from some of the resources, and some of the parts I’d like to go back and read again, to study in more detail.

Driverless cars will soon be a reality on the roads of Nevada after the state approved America’s first self-driven vehicle licence. The first to hit the highway will be a Toyota Prius modified by search firm Google, which is leading the way in driverless car technology. Its first drive included a spin down Las Vegas’s famous strip. Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licences in Nevada.

Accident

The car uses video cameras mounted on the roof, radar sensors and a laser range finder to “see” other traffic. Engineers at Google have previously tested the car on the streets of California, including crossing San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge. For those tests, the car remained manned at all times by a trained driver ready to take control if the software failed. According to software engineer Sebastian Thrun, the car has covered 140,000 miles with no accidents, other than a bump at traffic lights from a car behind.

Human error

Bruce Breslow, director of Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles, says he believes driverless vehicles are the “cars of the future”. Nevada changed its laws to allow self-driven cars in March. The long-term plan is to license members of the public to drive such cars. Google’s car has been issued with a red licence plate to make it recognisable. The plate features an infinity sign next to the number 001. Other states, including California, are planning similar changes. ”The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error,” said California state Senator Alex Padilla, when he introduced the legislation. ”Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analysing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely.”

via http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17989553

In the December 16, 1951 issue of the New York Times, British philosopher/logician/ mathematician/historian (a quadruple thought leader threat) Bertrand Russell shared his ten commandments of teaching.

Do not feel absolutely certain of anything. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light. Never try

Click to continue reading Bertrand Russell’s 10 commandments of teaching!