Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
March 2014
From The Eponymous Pickle
Getting to Business Basics: PO Dispatch and eInvoicing.
I have mentioned ViniMaya here a number of times. A value driven method for improving revenue. For businesses small and large. A short webinar on its use March 27, 2PM EDT. More information and registration.'Increase Savings…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Readiness for a Resource Revolution
Intriguing thoughts and new directions. From The McKinsey Quarterly: " ... Are you ready for the resource revolution?Meeting increasing global demand requires dramatically improving resource productivity. Yet technological advances…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Making a Game of Chores
I see that colleague Chris Bergman's ChoreMonster startup was mentioned in this morning's Cincinnati Enquirer. Nice idea that I have not been following for a while. Worth taking a look at.The premise: " ... What if your kids…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Evaluating the Nature of Online Community
In the HBR Blog A good look at the Nike example of how community works, and sometimes does not. This is a very old Web problem we examined in the dawn of communities online. For a good general look at this, with ideas about…
From The Eponymous Pickle
3D Printing for Fashion
Continued examples of 3D Printing. Also note this as an example of what is called late stage differentiation, which improves supply chain efficiency. But also does conflict with economies of scale that have been key to manufacturing…
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Assigning Projects That Create Programs Students Use
I spend a lot of time thinking about projects for my students. For programming, for applications (Office apps etc.) and just in general. I want to find projects that students are interested in doing, that teach them things and…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Executive View: of Big Data
WSJ on Big Data: What the management is scanning at least. Registration required. " ... Meet the New Boss: Big Data .... Companies Trade In Hunch-Based Hiring for Computer Modeling ... " . When my job was to explain new…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Busting Glass Myths
Have been looking at Glass for the enterprise issues lately, and this CW Google piece on the myths behind the Glass makes me think. Applicable issues to other wearable devices as well. For general applicable systems issues…
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
DARPA Program Manager on Robotics, Commercial Investments
In an article on Robohub, Gill Pratt, Program Manager of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office, shares his thoughts on advances and changes in the robotics field. Pratt talked about the importance of cloud computing in robotics: Perhaps…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Going Visual with Your Research
I see that Zakta is putting out some new marketing on their research methodology. Have been talking to them for years (but have never been paid by them). They started their work emphasizing how groups can improve, direct and…
From U.S. Public Policy Committee of the ACM
Hill Tech Happenings, Week of March 24
March 26 Hearing: The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on public-private partnerships in cybersecurity. 10 a.m., 342 Dirksen Building The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation…
From Computer Science Teachers Association
More on Social Networking for CS Educators
Last month Patrice Gans had a great post Creating a Professional Learning Network here on the CSTA blog about creating a professional learning network using Twitter. I thought it might be worthwhile to add some suggestions of…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Walmart's New Blog Leveraging Acquisition
Late on this, but of interest. Leveraging knowledge and storytelling online. " ... Walmart launches its new corporate blog, utilizing it to announce that it is also acquiring Yumprint, a start-up company in the recipes and…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Wal-Mart Labs and Yumprint
A recent post on YumPrint made me look at the Wal-Mart Labs site. Well worth a follow by those interested in retail technology. I visited their labs a number of times, and they mine. Very impressive. .. Worth a look andat…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Basic R Tutorials in YouTube
Basic R for Newbies In Youtube. Have not looked at these closely yet, but looks to be worth while. Several dozen short tutorials, in understandable English, with the limitations of serial instruction. I repeat that R is a programming…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Data Visualization and Storytelling
Does data visualization plus story telling equal infographics? It can be done, but often is is sloppy and non objective. How can you tell the difference? In iDatassist: About a means to address this. But are the stories…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Value of Open Government Data Streams
Lots of open government data is available, and combined with corporate data, can lead to value. But since it has not been constructed with usability in mind, its use can be problematical. Can we improve and generalize the design…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Devices Can Have Personalities
The personality of devices. An interesting experiment that creates some new approaches to design consideration between product and consumer." ... Injecting some personality into products might be one way to help people notice…
From Putting People First
Crowdfunding for design: ITC-ILO campaign for training and facilitation card set
Are you a trainer? Do you facilitate meetings? The International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO, a specialised, not-for-profit UN agency and an Experientia client) is currently experimenting…
From Putting People First
What is it that you do exactly?
When you work in user experience or one of its many subsets, you tend to hear questions about what you do a lot. UX professionals often get this inquiry from parents, prospects, neighbors, friends, or casual acquaintances. Too…
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Interesting Links 24 March 2014
Supposedly spring arrived in New England last week. The daffodils working their way up in my front yard suggest that may actually have happened. The piles of snow that still fill other parts of my yard suggests I not get tooFirst…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Your Product and Word of Mouth
Word of mouth for any product?MARKETINGThink Your Product Is Too Boring for Word of Mouth Marketing? Think AgainNew Wharton research shows consumers communicate differently depending on the medium, providing food for thought…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Cisco and Conferencing
Cisco targets empty conference rooms with videoconferencing pushCisco is readying a suite of new and enhanced videoconferencing solutions designed to offer companies a number of high-performance but cost-effective avenues to…
From Computational Complexity
The answer is either 0,1, or on the board
I have heard (and later told people) that the in a math course if you don't know the answer you should guess either 0 or 1 or something on the board. This works quite often. I have heard that in a course on history of theater…
From Gödel's Lost Letter and P=NP
Rabin Meets Lagrange
On Rabin’s recent talks at Tech Jeffrey Shallit is a computational number theorist, with many wonderful results. He is also well known for his work as an advocate for civil liberties on the Internet, and also against intelligent…
From Gödel's Lost Letter and P=NP
Rabin Meets Lagrange
On Rabin’s recent talks at Tech Jeffrey Shallit is a computational number theorist, with many wonderful results. He is also well known for his work as an advocate for civil liberties on the Internet, and also against intelligent…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Countering Fraud and Financial Crime
I was invited to a meeting on Fraud and Financial crime last week, but due to a number of issues could not make it. I believe the detection of detecting fraud and how to counter it is an important one and is in particular aIBM…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Microchips in Your Head
Beyond wearable, embedded. An old idea that continues to make steps towards the bionic human. Can we master the interface to the brain? ... " ... Google Wants Microphones In Your Ceiling & Microchips In Your Head Alex Jones'…
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Microsoft Global Forum 2014
Recently Microsoft ran their big annual Microsoft Global Forum which brings together top teachers with technology from all over the world. I really want to go some day. I have attended parts or all of a couple of the US Forums…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Software Lie Detection
In New Scientist. Can lies be detected? A new kind of emotion detection. " ... An AI system trained on false statements is highly accurate at spotting deceptive language in written or spoken testimony. It can also be usedThe…