Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
December 2014
From ACM News
Trends to Watch in 2015: From Algorithmic Accountability to the ber of X
Year-end technology prediction lists can be dull fodder devoted to pie-in-the-sky concepts, outlandish marketing claims or rehashes of familiar trends.
From ACM Opinion
What Could Be Lost as Einstein's Papers Go Online
When I heard that Albert Einstein's papers were going to be published free online, I was thrilled—at least initially.
From ACM Opinion
The Last Astronauts to Fly to Hubble Talk About Their Wild Mission
On a sunny afternoon in May, 2009, seven astronauts strapped themselves into the space shuttle Atlantis and rocketed toward the heavens.
From ACM News
Search Gives s Superpowers
Machine learning—an area of AI focusing on systems that "learn" from data in order to navigate future similar scenarios—is one of the ways we’ve managed to give systems like search the ability to make sense of our analog world…
From ACM Opinion
The World Cracks Down on the Internet
In September of last year, Chinese authorities announced an unorthodox standard to help them decide whether to punish people for posting online comments that are false, defamatory, or otherwise harmful: Was a message popular…
From ACM Opinion
Professor Says Eu vs. Google Is Misguided and Politically Motivated
Recent attempts by the EU Parliament to censure and control Google's activities are misguided and possibly politically motivated, according to IMD Professor Michael Wade.
From ACM Opinion
Sure, Artificial Intelligence May End Our World, But That Is Not the Main Problem
The robots will rise, we're told.
From ACM Opinion
Finding an Image with an Image and Other Feats of Computer Vision
"We found that people were searching for squirrels just to favorite them, just to click 'like.' And the same with buses."
From ACM Opinion
The Princess Trap
When my 4-year-old told me the other day that she was "ready for princesses," part of me died.
From ACM Opinion
How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition
Information technology is revolutionizing products. Once composed solely of mechanical and electrical parts, products have become complex systems that combine hardware, sensors, data storage, microprocessors, software, and connectivity…
From ACM Opinion
Stephen Hawking Warns Artificial Intelligence Could End Mankind
He told the BBC: "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."
From ACM Opinion
Next Battle in the War on Science
The war over science is heating up on Capitol Hill.
From ACM Opinion
Turing's Spirit Hovers at a Restored Estate
When "Captain Ridley's shooting party" gathered here in late August 1938 as weekend guests at Bletchley Park, a Buckinghamshire country house, they were accompanied by one of the finest chefs from the Savoy hotel.
From ACM Opinion
Microscopy: Hasten High Resolution
The best electron and scanning probe microscopes today can resolve individual atoms and chemical bonds.
From ACM Opinion
Hacker Mitnick Has a Plan to Help You Stay Safe Online
Even famed hacker Kevin Mitnick—labeled a "computer terrorist" by the FBI in the '90s—worries about getting hacked.
From Communications of the ACM
The Whole Professional
A new book inspires a reflection on what it means to be a whole, competent, and effective professional — and may portend a wave of disruption in education.
From Communications of the ACM
Port Squatting
Do not irk your local sysadmin.
From Communications of the ACM
Making the Case For a 'Manufacturing Execution System' For Software Development
Seeking to improve information integration throughout the manufacturing process.
From Communications of the ACM
Innovation and Inclusion
What technology companies, especially startups, need to know about building great places to work — for her and him — in the digital age.
From Communications of the ACM
The Internet That Facebook Built
The on-ramp might appear free but exiting takes a toll.