Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2010
From The Eponymous Pickle
Analytics Magazine
I have always found these very useful and practical: The January/February issue of Analytics is now available. You may access this new issue and all previous issues at http://analyticsmagazine.com. .... Analytics' goal is to…
From ACM-W supporting, celebrating and advocating for Women in Computing
New Ambassador from India: Gayatri Buragohain
Welcome to our newest ACM-W Ambassador, Gayatri Buragohain of India. We are excited about Gayatri's coming on board since she is has lots of experience encouraging girls and women in IT. Gayatri is organizing an ACM-W (ACM's…
From The Female Perspective of Computer Science
Attractive Things Work Better
I've always liked Don Norman. Well, I should say I've always liked his work, because I've never met him (though he seems nice enough). Learning material from The Design of Everyday Things in a third year computer science class…
From Schneier on Security
Adopting the Israeli Airport Security Model
I've been reading a lot recently -- like this one on the Israeli airport security model, and how we should adopt more of the Israeli security model here in the U.S. This sums up the problem with that idea nicely:
On the other…From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
High School Students Competing Against University Students
I’ve been saying for some time that the overlap between high end high school students and low end university students is greater than many people realize. When the Imagine Cup kicked off back in September I suggested that high…
From Wild WebMink
links for 2010-01-05
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Six Lessons Learned from Launching
From Schneier on SecurityVatican Admits Perfect Security is Both Impossible and Undesirable
This is refreshing:
Father Lombardi said it was not realistic to think the Vatican could ensure 100% security for the Pope and that security guards appeared to have acted as quickly as possible. It seems that they intervened…
From Computational ComplexityVoting on Mathematical Truths: The Axiom of Det.
One of the founders of Conservapedia (a conservative alternative to Wikipedia) said the following on The Colbert Report:
There is an absolute truth. People don't vote on mathematical things like 2+2=4.
Given the source this…
From The Eponymous PickleReaping Outside Innovation at Procter
A short ABC article on how Procter & Gamble reaps and filters external innovation. A bit too much on the ridiculous and sensational, not enough on how these ideas are ultimately brought to fruition.
From Michael NielsenBiweekly links for 01/04/2010
How We Miscalculated | Print Article | Newsweek.com
Andy Grove on the Intel floating-point bug. Interesting throughout, including this comment on how insulated most CEOs are: “But most CEOs are in the center of a for-titled…
From The Eponymous PickleEnduring Twitter
David Carr on why Twitter will endure. I agree that something like it will. Blogs take too much time and Twitter is about the right level of commitment for the average person.
From Computer Science Teachers AssociationNew Years Resolutions
* Each of us talked to one school administrator and expressed our concerns about the lack of programs available for interested students? * Each of us took a moment to talk about the job opportunities in CS among all the students…
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred ThompsonInteresting Links January 4th 2010
Happy New Year everyone. Are you back to school or work yet? I took two weeks off and really enjoyed myself. I didn’t spend much time on the Internet as usual so I’m behind on Twitter and blogs and pretty much everything. I had…
From Schneier on SecurityChristmas Bomber: Where Airport Security Worked
With all the talk about the failure of airport security to detect the PETN that the Christmas bomber sewed into his underwear -- and to think I've been using the phrase "underwear bomber" as a joke all these years -- people forget…
From Daniel Lemire's BlogDatabase Questions for 2010: What
I started 2009 with an interest in Web 2.0 OLAP and collaborative data processing. The field of collaborative data processing has progressed tremendously. Last year, we got Google Fusion Tables and data warehousing products…
From Wild WebMinklinks for 2010-01-04
This is a great YouTube channel. Some fantastic artists, complete with interesting video (usually with short interviews about the song) plus fine stereo audio…
From Putting People FirstLatest issue of Interactions Magazine now available
The January-February edition of Interactions Magazine — exploring the evolving nature of experiences, people and technology — is online and some articles are available without subscription. interactions: information, physicality…
From Putting People FirstRace shapes teen Facebook and MySpace adoption, says danah boyd
Two years ago, ethnographer danah boyd had the blogosphere abuzz with her look at class-based divisions between teens on MySpace and Facebook, writes Dana Oshiro on ReadWriteWeb. The esteemed Microsoft researcher found that Facebook’s…
From The Computing Community Consortium BlogWhere the jobs are
Every second year, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a ten-year forecast of job growth in all fields of employment.
From The Eponymous PickleMapping the World
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are an old interest of mine. They were used in the enterprise a number of times. Integrity Logic provides a nice view of a public data source that could have lots of creative applications…
From Putting People FirstThe Apparatgeist calls
How you use your mobile phone has long reflected where you live. But the spirit of the machines may be wiping away cultural differences, claims The Economist. The article, that quotes design researchers Mizuko Ito and Younghee…
From Putting People FirstNow even medical doctors are launching design firms
Jay Parkinson, MD, MPH, is a doctor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who uses his experience in both clinical and preventive medicine to design consumer experiences and business opportunities that create health. He was trained at…
From Putting People FirstFree yourself from oppression by technology
That new phone or laptop may be giving you a warm glow, but beware a stealth attack on your happiness, warns Yair Amichai-Hamburger in The New Scientist. “Our lifestyles are increasingly driven by technology. Phones, computers…
From Putting People FirstMobiles offer new view of reality
The BBC thinks that Augmented reality (AR) “is set to explode” this year. “Futurologist Ian Pearson predicts an explosion of such services next year. “I’m surprised we haven’t got there yet. But it makes a lot of sense if a friend…
From Putting People FirstSeeing customers as partners in innovation
A freelance writer reports for the New York Times on 3M Company
From Putting People FirstA thank you to our web service provider Aventure Host
On December 31st 2009 we finished the process of moving our websites and our mail services to Italy. Since the beginning of our company, we had hosted our websites and mail with Aventure Host, a United Kingdom based webhosting…
From The Eponymous PickleMicrosoft Patents EMG Controller
From Engadget: Not sure of the appropriateness of the patent application, but I like the continuing work at trying to find replacements for ways to control the interaction between person and computer. Will it someday be as simple…
From My Biased CoinHow Much Grading Should Professors Do?
One of the outcomes of the Harvard budget crisis is that the budget for Teaching Assistants has been brought into line. At Harvard, we've been ridiculously spoiled with TAs for many years now, with a TA for roughly every 12-15…
From The Female Perspective of Computer ScienceBeing Digital
How appropriate of me to read a book on technology from 15 years ago after the decade that I think was the most exciting comes to a close. The funny thing is that Being Digital by Nicholas Negroponte (founder of the MIT Media…
From The Noisy ChannelSearch Questions for 2010: What
Happy New Year to the Noisy Community and everyone else in virtual earshot! I hope everyone is entering 2010 well-rested and ready for great things. And I don’t just mean shiny new gadgets. For me, 2009 marked the end of a decade…