Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
August 2012
From Computer Science Teachers Association
Montessori and CS in K-8
There has recently been a lot of discussion about improving computer science education and the need to include the elementary and middle school students in the process. As a K-8 technology teacher, this age group is always on…
From Schneier on Security
Friday Squid Blogging: Efforts to Film a Live Giant Squid
Japanese researchers are attempting to film the elusive giant squid.
As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven't covered.
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
A French-U.S. Collaboration on Computational Neuroscience
Earlier this week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) announcing a new international collaboration in computational neuroscience. Together with France’s Agence Nationale de la Recherche…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Principles of Data Visualization
In Information Management: Reasonable thoughts about the topic. Better this than many of the infographics I have seen that muddle the information in the data to the point of confusion.
From Gödel's Lost Letter and P=NP
The Right Definition
Sometimes definitions are more important than theorems, sometimes Atle Selberg was one of the first two postwar Fields Medalists, awarded in 1950. This partly recognized his work on an “elementary” proof of the Prime Number Theorem…
From The Eponymous Pickle
SAP and Intelligent Data
SAP makes plans to turn Big data into intelligence. Something we all hope to do. Some new releases from the ERP giant: " ... Using its BI market share leadership to help customers use analytics to run like never before,
…From The Eponymous Pickle
Innovation and Research in China
We were involved in early research done in China with retailers and universities in China. Notably with BJ Hualian, who ultimately used some our methods to develop a country-wide plan for training and innovation. So this article…
From Computational Complexity
Is the Turing Test Still Interesting?
Besides the Turing machine, Alan Turing also developed what we now call the Turing Test in Turing's seminal 1950 AI paper "Computational Machinery and Intelligence". Turing describes his imitation game and says if a judge cannot…
From Schneier on Security
$200 for a Fake Security System
This is pretty funny:
Watch the video. This is not an alarm, and…
- Moving red laser beams scare away potential intruders
- Laser beams move along floor and wall 180 degrees
- Easy to install, 110v comes on automatically w/timer
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
“On the Edge — The Future of Computing Research”
“On the Edge — The Future of Computing Research” was the title of a plenary session at the Computing Research Association’s (CRA) biennial Conference at Snowbird last month. And it’s a consistent theme of CRA’s Computing Community…
From The Female Perspective of Computer Science
My Workshop on Programming With Processing is Postponed
Summer is as summer does. We didn't get enough registrations for my workshop on learning to program using Processing. Luckily, this wasn't from lack of interest - too many people are just too busy during the last few weekends…
From The Eponymous Pickle
SNCR Publishes the Social Mind
From Schneier on Security
Rudyard Kipling on Societal Pressures
In the short story "A Wayside Comedy," published in 1888 in Under the Deodars, Kipling wrote:
You must remember, though you will not understand, that all laws weaken in a small and hidden community where there is no public opinion…From The Eponymous Pickle
How Big Data Became so Big
In the NYT: Largely obvious thoughts, but some very good links to a number of sources, including the report called Big Data, Big Impact from the World Economic Forum. Where they write: " ... The amount of data in the world…
From The Eponymous Pickle
A View of Sector Inventory Performance
A very informative piece in SC Digest, that surveys inventory turns by sector. A must for supply chain data trend understanding. " ... So, let's take an example. Amazon.com had about $48 billion in sales in 2011 (wow). Divided…
From My Biased Coin
Important IP Case
For those of you not following the Apple-Samsung case going on right now, it's fascinating. Since I do expert witness work, it's interesting to me from that perspective, but just in terms of the technology and issues involved…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Wave and Pay via Cheap Chips
Cheap printable chips have always been mentioned as solutions for making RFID ubiquitous. Now a cheap chips example for the 'wave and pay' revolution, that is getting closer. In New Scientist.
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
The Computing Innovation Fellows Project
In early 2009, the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), launched the Computing Innovation Fellows Project, a short-term initiative providing recent Ph.D.s with one-…
From Schneier on Security
An Analysis of Apple's FileVault 2
This is an analysis of Apple's disk encryption program, FileVault 2, that first appeared in the Lion operating system. Short summary: they couldn't break it. (Presumably, the version in Mountain Lion isn't any different.)
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
How To Read Code
We don’t teach students how to read code. Actually we don’t event teach them that they should read code for the most part. The closest we get is sample code in textbooks, demos, and for AP CS teachers the case study. Even there…
From The Eponymous Pickle
PureFlex Expert System for IT Operations
I worked on several large scale expert systems applications during the AI drive of the 1990s. One of the areas we specifically examined was the configuration of systems as they were moved to new applications. So I was intrigued…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Retail Mobile Payments Networks
In CWorld: Continued progress in retail payment networks. " ... More that a dozen retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Target and 7-Eleven have joined forces to form the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), a mobile-payments…
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
First Person: Maja Matarić, “the Social Roboticist”
University of Southern California computer scientist and neuroscientist Maja Matarić is the subject of an interview appearing in today’s Nature. On the eve of the release of a new film, Robot and Frank, winner of the annual Sundance…
From Schneier on Security
Lousy Password Security on Tesco Website
Good post, not because it picks on Tesco but because it's filled with good advice on how not to do it wrong.
From Computer Science Teachers Association
CSTA Cyber Security Poster Under Development
In recent months the federal government has expressed increasing concern about our cybersecurity, that is, with our ability to protect the complex computing and communications systems needed to protect our citizens and carry …
From Apophenia
What Anti-Trafficking Advocates Can Learn from Sex Workers: The Dynamics of Choice, Circumstance, and Coercion
For the last year, I’ve been trying to get my head around different aspects of human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. I’ve been meeting with a variety of relevant actors, including anti-trafficking…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Big Data and Optimal Pricing
From TDWI: Optimal pricing is a classical problem, used in retail in some form since the 1960s. Having more data can make it more accurate and useful.
From The Eponymous Pickle
Product Linkage with a Social Game
A kind of linkage we explored as far back as the introduction of SimCity. Now Johnson & Johnson links products with The Sims. A good example of product - game linkage: " ... The program uses value-exchange engagement media…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Business Expert Press
Just brought to my attention. The Business Expert Press. Which publishes short, inexpensive, practical and accessible books on key business topics. In E-book and physical forms. These are written by both expert practitioners…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Passive Quality Recruiting Networks
This GigaOM piece made me think more broadly about how social networks can be passively recruited. It used to be that it was always better to get more about you out in more places. This would suggest it is better to cultivate…