Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
June 2016
From ACM Opinion
How New Technology Is Illuminating a Classic Ethical Dilemma
On a pleaant Friday afternoon in April, the grassy quadrangle at the center of the Carnegie Mellon University campus is buzzing with activity.
From ACM Opinion
Dear Apple: Please se These Ideas to Modernize the Mac
I took a vacation last month. I traveled some. I read a lot. And I refurbished an old late 2008 MacBook Pro, one of the original aluminum unibody models.
From ACM Opinion
A Strip of Pluto
I know, that image above doesn't look like much, does it? But go ahead, click it. I dare you.
From ACM Opinion
Kevin Kelly on Soft Singularity and Inevitable Tech Advances
Kevin Kelly knows technology can't be stopped.
From ACM Opinion
To Beat the Blues, Visits Must Be Real, Not Virtual
Imagine being stranded on a desert island with a roof over your head and sufficient provisions—but no human contact other than what you can get from your smartphone.
From ACM Opinion
The Snowden Effect: Privacy Is Good For Business
On June 6, 2013, Edward Snowden—holed up in a Hong Kong hotel room with two Guardian reporters and a filmmaker—told the world about a secret surveillance program that let the US National Security Agency grab people's emails,…
From ACM Opinion
Elegy For the Capital-I Internet
We've long stopped referring to the Internet as "the information superhighway," but there was a reason for the metaphor.
From Communications of the ACM
An Interview with Yale Patt
ACM Fellow Professor Yale Patt reflects on his career in industry and academia.
From Communications of the ACM
Privacy Is Dead, Long Live Privacy
Protecting social norms as confidentiality wanes.
From Communications of the ACM
A Byte Is All We Need
A teenager explores ways to attract girls into the magical world of computer science.
From Communications of the ACM
Computer Science Should Stay Young
Seeking to improve computer science publication culture while retaining the best aspects of the conference and journal publication processes.
From Communications of the ACM
What Are You Trying to Pull?
A single cache miss is more expensive than many instructions.
From Communications of the ACM
How to Produce Innovations
Making innovations happen is surprisingly easy, satisfying, and rewarding if you start small and build up.
From Communications of the ACM
The Risks of Self-Auditing Systems
Unforeseen problems can result from the absence of impartial independent evaluations.
From Communications of the ACM
Q&A: Finding New Directions in Cryptography
Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman on their meeting, their research, and the results that billions use every day.