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dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectSoftware
authorNew Scientist
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Defending the Grand Vision of the Human Brain Project
From ACM Opinion

Defending the Grand Vision of the Human Brain Project

"A grass roots effort is under way to stop the project... 'Mediocre science, terrible science policy,' begins the spirited letter…"

Cyborg Angst: 5 Ways Computers Will Perplex ­S in 2039
From ACM News

Cyborg Angst: 5 Ways Computers Will Perplex ­S in 2039

Brain chips mean we are struggling to distinguish our own thoughts from ideas implanted by advertisers.

Maths Spying: The Quandary of Working For the Spooks
From ACM Opinion

Maths Spying: The Quandary of Working For the Spooks

For the past 10 months, a major international scandal has engulfed some of the world's largest employers of mathematicians.

Smallest Subversive: Mathematical Fight For Our World
From ACM Opinion

Smallest Subversive: Mathematical Fight For Our World

Did you know that every time you use your cellphone, you strike a blow for republicanism against both monarchy and a fixed Divine Order?

Five Ways to Make Sure We Never Lose a Plane Again
From ACM Opinion

Five Ways to Make Sure We Never Lose a Plane Again

For the past few weeks the world's attention has been focussed on the lost Malaysia Airlines plane and its 239 passengers and crew that has apparently crashed in...

Bitcoin: How Its Core Technology Will Change the World
From ACM Opinion

Bitcoin: How Its Core Technology Will Change the World

Bitcoin has been called many things, from the future of money to a drug dealer's dream and everything else in between.

A Stronger 'online Eraser' Law Would Be a Mistake
From ACM Opinion

A Stronger 'online Eraser' Law Would Be a Mistake

Excited teenagers—in other words normal teenagers—have never been famous for consistently wise decisions, nor should they be.

Texan Creationism Showdown May 'contaminate' Textbook
From ACM Opinion

Texan Creationism Showdown May 'contaminate' Textbook

If creationists in Texas get their way, high-school students throughout the U.S. could soon be reading biology textbooks that falsely cast doubt on the scientific...

Why a Cyberwar Won't Happen
From ACM Opinion

Why a Cyberwar Won't Happen

Exactly two decades ago, the RAND Corporation, an influential think tank, proclaimed that "cyberwar is coming!"

State of Innovation: Busting the Private-Sector Myth
From ACM Opinion

State of Innovation: Busting the Private-Sector Myth

Images of tech entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are continually thrown at us by politicians, economists and the media.

Hands On the Wheel, Mind On the Road–not Cyberspace
From ACM Opinion

Hands On the Wheel, Mind On the Road–not Cyberspace

Makers of cars and mobile electronics are pushing a tempting vision of the future. It is one in which you can stay fully connected while driving.

Mathematicians Think Like Machines For Perfect Proofs
From ACM News

Mathematicians Think Like Machines For Perfect Proofs


The Trouble With Neuroscience
From ACM Opinion

The Trouble With Neuroscience

No crevice of the human experience is safe.

The Promise and Perils of a Datafied World
From ACM Opinion

The Promise and Perils of a Datafied World

In a former life I was a research assistant. After painstaking weeks spent gathering data, I was tasked with putting the numbers into a statistics application that...

Will We Ever ­nderstand How Our Brains Work?
From ACM News

Will We Ever ­nderstand How Our Brains Work?

When it comes to the human brain, many scientists believe that we are incapable of understanding how it works because we lack the tools and intelligence to measure...

Patent Could Shackle 3D Printers with Drm
From ACM Opinion

Patent Could Shackle 3D Printers with Drm

One of the greatest benefits of 3D printing technology—the ability to make replacements or parts for household objects like toys, utensils and gadgets—may be denied...

From ACM Opinion

Augmented Reality Offers a New Layer of Intrigue

If you ever come across a photograph of communist-era East Berlin, or modern Pyongyang in North Korea, the cityscapes look drab and featureless. Billboards, advertising...

Was Our Interview with Lulzsec Hacker an Fbi Set-­p?
From ACM Opinion

Was Our Interview with Lulzsec Hacker an Fbi Set-­p?

In the early hours of 30 June last year, my time spent monitoring the Anonymous chat room finally paid off: "Sabu" would grant me an interview. 

From ACM Opinion

Time For Robots to Get Real

From robotic slug-killers to dancing humanoids, there's a lot of media buzz around robots.

Let's Get Back to Real Space Exploration
From ACM Opinion

Let's Get Back to Real Space Exploration

Time to ditch the black armbands and look beyond low Earth orbit again. The shuttle's passing marks the start of an exciting new era.
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