Articles written by Matthew Lieff

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About me - Matthew Lieff

I am a technical writer with experience documenting anesthesia, automated diagnostic, bank trust accounting, point-of-sale and robotic systems.I have a BS in mechanical engineering from MIT, with a minor in economics. I've also dabbled as a freelancer in

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Personal Finance > Personal Finance (Other) Ways for siblings to divide an inheritance: 1 of 40

The purpose of leaving what you own to your children is to help them live a better life. It is tragically ironic that sometimes, inheritances hurt more than they help, by sparking disagreements that turn into feuds that last a lifetime. The best way to avoid such problems is for parents to decide how to divide all assets bef...
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights Can humanity exist without religion: 1 of 15

Maybe humanity can exist without religion, and maybe it can't. The important question is: do we really want to find out? Anthropologists and historians have yet to discover any culture or civilization that was not based, in whole or in part, on religion, except for Nazism and Communism - the twin atheistic scourges of the Tw...
Autos > Auto Repair (Other) You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car: 4 of 26

Following this rule is best for many drivers, but by no means all. What is right for you depends on two factors: what kind of parts you need, and what kind of car you drive. In general, all replacement parts can be divided in two types: "Sacrificial" parts are used for regularly scheduled maintenance. The manufacturer design...
Health & Fitness > Health Care Guidelines for choosing a health insurance package: 1 of 5

Choosing the best group health insurance plan available to you is a stressful, anxiety-provoking chore. It's hard to know how much health care you will need. It's difficult to compare the costs and benefits of competing plans. Since affordable health insurance is hard to find, choosing the wrong plan could cost you a lot of ...
Sports & Recreation > Biking Bicycling gear reviews: Gore Bike Wear Passion Lady jacket: 1 of 3

The best way to stay warm in winter is to dress in layers. The Passion Lady cycling jacket from Gore Bike Wear makes that a lot easier to do by providing all the layers you need in one piece. It's a stylish and versatile three-season garment with state-of-the-art technology that keeps you comfortably warm and dry no matter h...
Computers & Technology > Internet Software & Utils Why WinRAR is better than WinZip: 4 of 10

WinRAR is the most popular of available alternatives to WinZip, and many consider it the new industry standard in file compression. It's highest rated of all 192 such apps reviewed on CNET: and the ONLY one to be rated 5 out of 5 by editors AND 4.5 out of 5 by users. (No app scored higher with users.) WinZip has fixed many p...
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Should we replace some of FICA and SE taxes with a 7% sales tax?: 2 of 5

FICA taxes and sales taxes are both REGRESSIVE taxes. Their effective tax rate decreases as income increases. This causes low-income earners to pay proportionately more than high-income earners. Many people, including Senator Barak Obama and this writer, think this is unfair. So replacing FICA with another regressive tax is ...
Religion & Spirituality > Religion & Spirituality (Other) Can God and Darwinism coexist?: 50 of 109

"Can we simultaneously believe in God, and in a scientific theory like Evolution, which seem to conflict with the Bible?" That seems to be the question being asked here (because the debate topic as stated is trivial). If so, the answer is: "Yes!" Not only can you believe in both God and science, but God wants you to! Many Ch...
Sciences > Physics The physics of a toilet: 1 of 1

A toilet has three main parts: a bowl, a tank, and a siphon. Four principles of physics suffice to explain how it works: potential energy, pressure, the siphon effect and buoyancy. The bowl supports the seat and receives the "deposit" from the user. The tank is mounted on the bowl and holds the water used to clean it out. Th...
Personal Finance > Health Insurance How to determine what health plan option is best: 3 of 5

Choosing the best health insurance package available to you is a stressful, anxiety-provoking chore. It's hard to know how much health care you will need. It's difficult to compare the costs and benefits of competing plans. But, your health and financial well-being is at stake, so you have to make a decision. But how? A syst...