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Why Big Data Has Some Big Problems When It Comes to Public Policy
From ACM Opinion

Why Big Data Has Some Big Problems When It Comes to Public Policy

For all the talk about using big data and data science to solve the world’s problems—and even all the talk about big data as one of the world’s problems—it seems...

Here's What You Need to Know About the Future of Gesture-Based ­i Design
From ACM Opinion

Here's What You Need to Know About the Future of Gesture-Based ­i Design

Smartphone screens across the globe are embracing clean design in an effort to feature content on high-end pixel real estate.

Did Facebook Miss a Massive Opportunity By Building a Walled Garden Instead of a Truly Open Platform?
From ACM Opinion

Did Facebook Miss a Massive Opportunity By Building a Walled Garden Instead of a Truly Open Platform?

When Facebook first launched its platform strategy in 2007, it seemed as though a new world of opportunity had opened up for anyone interested in the social web—a...

Why Microsoft's Reorganization Closes the Books on an Era of Computing
From ACM Opinion

Why Microsoft's Reorganization Closes the Books on an Era of Computing

Nothing ever stays the same. On more than one occasion, it has taken Microsoft, one of the most important engines powering the rise of the technology industry,...

Why Google Is the Big Data Company That Matters Most
From ACM Opinion

Why Google Is the Big Data Company That Matters Most

Every now and then, someone asks "Who’ll be the Google of big data?"

Why the Pencil Is Still the Most Important Tool For Digital Designers
From ACM Opinion

Why the Pencil Is Still the Most Important Tool For Digital Designers

Looking for digital inspiration, or staring at an empty computer screen?

Why Marissa Mayer's Ban on Remote Working at Yahoo Could Backfire Badly
From ACM Opinion

Why Marissa Mayer's Ban on Remote Working at Yahoo Could Backfire Badly

Not long after her arrival at Yahoo, new CEO Marissa Mayer started handing out carrots to her new employees, including new smartphones, free food, and other Google...

How Google Did the Right Thing with the Nascar Crash Video, and Why It Matters
From ACM Opinion

How Google Did the Right Thing with the Nascar Crash Video, and Why It Matters

At a NASCAR event on Saturday, debris created by a serious crash flew into the stands and injured a number of fans.

Want to See in the Dark? One Day They'll Have an App For That
From ACM Opinion

Want to See in the Dark? One Day They'll Have an App For That

The combination of man and machine has been so entrenched in our popular culture that for many, the idea that you could attach a sensor to a mouse brain which enables...

Don't Like Television? Then You're Not Going to Like the Future of Twitter Very Much
From ACM Opinion

Don't Like Television? Then You're Not Going to Like the Future of Twitter Very Much

According to a number of anonymous reports, Twitter is in the process of buying Bluefin Labs, an analytics company that specializes in broadcast media—an acquisition...

The Increasingly Blurry Line Between Big Data and Big Brother
From ACM Opinion

The Increasingly Blurry Line Between Big Data and Big Brother

The potential benefits of "big data" have been well described, both by us and others: the ability to spot flu trends earlier and potentially save lives, for example...

Ford Engineers Have 3D Printers on Their Desks. When Will You Get One?
From ACM Opinion

Ford Engineers Have 3D Printers on Their Desks. When Will You Get One?

Ford has caught the DIY revolution and now puts 3D printers at workstations for its engineers.

How London's Silicon Roundabout Really Got Started
From ACM Careers

How London's Silicon Roundabout Really Got Started

Four years ago developer Matt Biddulph jokingly coined "Silicon Roundabout" as a description of East London's small but growing startup scene—now it's become the...

What Tumblr Can Tell ­S About the Future of Media
From ACM Opinion

What Tumblr Can Tell ­S About the Future of Media

If there was any doubt left that Tumblr is trying to become more of a mainstream media entity, albeit with its own odd twist, it was removed recently when the service...

Digital First Isn't an Option for Media—It's the Only Way Forward
From ACM Opinion

Digital First Isn't an Option for Media—It's the Only Way Forward

Everywhere you look in the traditional media industry, you can see signs of turmoil and disruption: to take just a few recent examples, the New York Times is ...

How Can We Make Devices Better? By Studying What People Actually Do
From ACM Opinion

How Can We Make Devices Better? By Studying What People Actually Do

Many new technologies are based on what companies and designers seem to think their users might want to do, or what they envision them wanting to do, but not as...

5 Ideas to Help Everyone Make the Most of Big Data
From ACM Opinion

5 Ideas to Help Everyone Make the Most of Big Data

Big data is going mainstream, but there are still plenty of lessons to be learned from Silicon Valley data scientists whose businesses depend on data to survive...

Should Google Be Censoring Videos Just Because They Are Linked to Violence?
From ACM Opinion

Should Google Be Censoring Videos Just Because They Are Linked to Violence?

After violent attacks on Americans in both Egypt and Libya—including an attack in Libya on Tuesday that killed the American ambassador to that country—Google said...

One Year In: What We've Learned About Ceo Tim Cook
From ACM Opinion

One Year In: What We've Learned About Ceo Tim Cook

When Tim Cook was named permanent chief executive of Apple a year ago Friday, most discussion centered on what Jobsian qualities and trademark values Cook didn't...

Plagiarism, Defamation, and the Power of Hyperlinks
From ACM Opinion

Plagiarism, Defamation, and the Power of Hyperlinks

What do Fareed Zakaria, Jonah Lehrer, and Gawker Media have in common? In different ways, the incidents that have thrust all three into the news recently help to...
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