acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

Recent Articles


bg-corner

Letter 'to a Future Woman in Tech' Hopes For Long Ladies' Room Lines at Conferences
From ACM Careers

Letter 'to a Future Woman in Tech' Hopes For Long Ladies' Room Lines at Conferences

Stacey Mulcahy, who is currently a lead developer at the digital creative agency Big Spaceship, has been in the tech industry since 2001.

The Threat of Silence
From ACM Careers

The Threat of Silence

For the past few months, some of the world's leading cryptographers have been keeping a closely guarded secret about a pioneering new invention.

Phreaks and Geeks
From ACM Opinion

Phreaks and Geeks

One of the most heartfelt—and unexpected—remembrances of Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide last month at the age of 26, came from Yale professor Edward Tufte.

The Two Classes of Cyber Threats
From ACM Opinion

The Two Classes of Cyber Threats

There is one number that matters most in cybersecurity.

Crapware Won't Crap Out
From ACM Opinion

Crapware Won't Crap Out

For a few years now, I've been expecting to write an obituary for crapware. Or not an obit, exactly—I was hoping to dance on its grave.

Fonts of Inspiration
From ACM Opinion

Fonts of Inspiration

When did we all become amateur typography experts?

How To Charge Your Laptop
From ACM Opinion

How To Charge Your Laptop

Whether they're in our computers, cell phones, or cars, the only time we think about batteries is when they're almost dead and we need to find some place to charge...

This Real-Life Pixar Lamp Cutely Refuses to Let You Turn It Off
From ACM Opinion

This Real-Life Pixar Lamp Cutely Refuses to Let You Turn It Off

Design-class projects have come a long way. That's the only conclusion I can draw from this brilliant video of a robotic desk lamp that squeaks, swivels, and mugs...

Prepare For the New Cameras-Everywhere World
From ACM Opinion

Prepare For the New Cameras-Everywhere World

Some questions can never be answered.

Was a Texas Student Really Expelled for Refusing To Wear an RFID Chip?
From ACM Opinion

Was a Texas Student Really Expelled for Refusing To Wear an RFID Chip?

The Texas school district that began requiring its students to wear RFID tracking chips this year is now facing a fight in federal court.

The Real Threat to Internet Freedom Isn't the ­nited Nations
From ACM Opinion

The Real Threat to Internet Freedom Isn't the ­nited Nations

The Internet is often seen as a place of chaos and disorder, a borderless world in which anonymous trolls roam free and vigilante hackers wreak havoc.

This Is Your Brain on Neural Implants
From ACM Opinion

This Is Your Brain on Neural Implants

You are in the future with technologies more advanced than today's.

Instead of 'dead Dropping,' Petraeus and Broadwell Should Have ­sed These Email Security Tricks
From ACM Opinion

Instead of 'dead Dropping,' Petraeus and Broadwell Should Have ­sed These Email Security Tricks

Having an extramarital affair in 2012 is not an easy task if you’re the chief of the world’s most renowned spy agency.

Should a Calendar App Look Like a Calendar?
From ACM Opinion

Should a Calendar App Look Like a Calendar?

This week, Apple fired Scott Forstall, its longtime chief of mobile software. In the wake of the shake-up—which reportedly had to do with Forstall's refusal to for...

The Flop That Saved Microsoft
From ACM Opinion

The Flop That Saved Microsoft

It wasn't very easy to get my hands on a Zune. After Microsoft's long-pitied music player wonSlate's Reader Takeover poll—in which I'd promised to reassess an overlooked...

Can We Trust Voting Machines?
From ACM Opinion

Can We Trust Voting Machines?

Last week, a congressional report claimed that using Chinese telecommunications companies’ goods and services in the United States could threaten national security...

Will Neuroscience Radically Transform the Legal System?
From ACM Opinion

Will Neuroscience Radically Transform the Legal System?

Although academic fields will often enjoy more than Andy Warhol's famous 15 minutes of fame, they too are subject to today's ever-hungry machinery of hype. Like...

The Chinese Steve Jobs Is Probably a Pirate
From ACM Opinion

The Chinese Steve Jobs Is Probably a Pirate

When discussing innovation, the Chinese like to tout the country’s "Four Great Inventions"—paper, gunpowder, the compass, and woodblock printing—and their enormous...

The Supreme Court Needs To Weigh In on Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking By Law Enforcement
From ACM Opinion

The Supreme Court Needs To Weigh In on Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking By Law Enforcement

Americans should have no reasonable expectation of privacy over the location data stored by their mobile phone.

From ACM Opinion

Could the Internet Ever 'Wake ­Up'?

In the world of sci-fi movie geekdom, Aug. 29, 1997, was a turning point for humanity: On that day, according to the Terminator films, the network of U.S. defense...
Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account