Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
November 2011
From Wild WebMink
? Foundations, Babies and Bathwater
There was quite a
From The Eponymous Pickle
Companies and Big Data
A long post on how companies can use data to be disruptive. Scattered but useful information to scan. All companies create data, and you might as well leverage that to be more efficient and profitable.
From Computational Complexity
Matrix Mult (you heard it here... third?)
(INNOVATIONS CONFERENCE: here)
(While preparing this two other bloggers wrote on the same topic, Scott here and Lipton/Regan here. Our slogan: Complexity Blog: You heard it here THIRD.)
Let w be the exponent for matrix…
From The Eponymous Pickle
On Creating Flavors
I worked for some time on using business analytics methods to create coffee flavors. Here CBS 60 Minutes talks about creating flavors. As might be expected for them they develop a 'hit' angle regarding the addictive aspect…
From Computer Science Teachers Association
Good Teaching is Not About the Programming Language
After working for a number of years as a commercial programmer, I decided to become a teacher here in New Zealand. As part of my teacher training, I had to chose three subjects to teach and the main subject I chose was Maths…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Google Business Photo Tours
Google giving business tours. Stepping inside from just giving the street view. I like the general idea.
From The Eponymous Pickle
More on Procter & Gamble Virtual Retail
I mentioned in a previous post P&G building virtual retail spaces and using this idea to better understand the shopping consumer. Now an article about how they are outsourcing the management of some 20 P&G virtualization centers…
From Schneier on Security
Full Disclosure in Biology
The debate over full disclosure in computer security has been going on for the better part of two decades now. The stakes are much higher in biology:
The virus is an H5N1 avian influenza strain that has been genetically altered…From The Eponymous Pickle
Applied Concept Mapping
I recently met with Brian Moon of Perigean Technology, practitioner of the what is called 'Concept Mapping', an advanced form of what is also called mind mapping. We have used it in the enterprise for years and it a well worn…
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
DEBUT, Gig City
Two relevant challenges announced recently that are placing emphasis on prize-based innovation: DEBUT Challenge (for undergraduate students): The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) has announced…
From Schneier on Security
Bad CIA Operational Security
I have no idea if this story about CIA spies in Lebanon is true, and it will almost certainly never be confirmed or denied:
But others inside the American intelligence community say sloppy "tradecraft" -- the method of covert…From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
The Perfect Educational Computer Lab
I had the following question via Twitter the other day
From Apophenia
NOTICE: Email sabbatical will start December 15
It’s that time of the year again. If you don
From Schneier on Security
Security Systems as a Marker for High-Value Targets
If something is protected by heavy security, it's obviously worth stealing. Here's an example from the insect world:
Maize plants, like many others, protect themselves with poisons. They pump their roots with highly toxic insecticides…From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
DARPA May Pursue Crowdsourced Software Testing
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA)
From The Eponymous Pickle
Neuromarketing Grows in China
Steve Sands of SandsResearch reports on neuromarketing activity in China. The link below constains considerable detail: It's the fastest growing market and neuromarketing's the fastest growth area of market research. A great…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Visualizing Lots of Data Artfully
I like doing things artfully, but I always prioritize being able to objectively understand and interact with data first beyond sheer 'Form'. Nevertheless the following TED talk shows some useful techniques that might be used…
From Wild WebMink
Koha Shows We Need Foundations
Apache has been criticised for preventing new Incubator projects using Git. In its defence, some have claimed this is a criticism of the idea of the Foundation. It’s not, and I use the case of the Koha community to explain why…
From The Female Perspective of Computer Science
Gamifying College
Gamification is certainly a hot topic these days. Jesse Schell opened Pandora's Box with his Visions of the Gamepocalypse talk. Sebastian Deterding discussed the promises and pitfalls of gamification. Ian Bogost came right…
From BLOG@CACM
Enrollment and Quality: Does It Matter to Measure?
CS is declared to be the hottest major on campus based on enrollment at the top institutions. But is it rising everywhere? We don't really know how to measure computing knowledge. Is that a problem?
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
An interesting computer security research result making news this morning — and stirring some controversy — courtesy of msnbc.com: Could a hacker from half-way around the planet control your printer and give it instructions so…
From Schneier on Security
Shopper Surveillance Using Cell Phones
Electronic surveillance is becoming so easy that even marketers can do it:
The cellphone tracking technology, called Footpath, is made by Path Intelligence Ltd., a Portsmouth, U.K.-based company. It uses sensors placed throughout…From The Eponymous Pickle
Know What Your Customers Want
The power of knowing what your customers want before they do.
From Putting People First
On the Value of Social Proof (Informal Social Influence)
Aileen Lee, partner at venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, believes that the best way to cost-effectively attract valuable users is harnessing a concept called social proof. “What is social proof? Put simply, it’s…
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
12th Annual Computer Science & Information Technology Conference.
The Computer Science Teachers Association runs what I consider the single best and most important professional development events of the year for computer science educators - the Annual Computer Science & Information Technology…
From The Eponymous Pickle
iPads in Marketing
Keith Weed, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Unilever writes:
From The Eponymous Pickle
Aetna Sponsors an RFP Challenge
The Speaker is BJ Fogg head of Stanford's Persuasive Technology lab who we used in several projects in the enterprise: Aetna sponsors a Challenge: " ... Seniors are plagued by disability, declining health, and social isolation…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Towards a Taxonomy of All Things
Towards a taxonomy of all things. Which would be a very useful thing but turns out to be quite difficult.
From The Eponymous Pickle
Guy Kawasaki Visits Cincinnati and P&G
Innovative Guy Kawasaki visits Cincinnati and P&G and takes pictures of the background and industrial processes. I did something like this years ago but they didn't let me take pictures. Security has mellowed considerably. Via…
From Geeking with Greg
What mobile location data looks like to Google
A recent paper out of Google, "Extracting Patterns From Location History" (PDF), is interesting not only for confirming that Google is studying using location data from mobile devices for a variety of purposes, but also for the…