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What Science-Fiction Gadget Would Be Most Valuable in Real Life?
From ACM Opinion

What Science-Fiction Gadget Would Be Most Valuable in Real Life?

Nicole Perlman, screenwriter, Guardians of the Galaxy: As someone who’s both accident-prone and constantly putting her foot in her mouth, my first thought is the...

Mark Zuckerberg and the End of Language
From ACM Opinion

Mark Zuckerberg and the End of Language

Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg hosted an online Q&A session on his personal Facebook page.

Humans, Not Robots, Are the Real Reason Artificial Intelligence Is Scary
From ACM Opinion

Humans, Not Robots, Are the Real Reason Artificial Intelligence Is Scary

Unfortunately, much of the recent outcry against artificial-intelligence weapons has been confused, conjuring robot takeovers of mankind.

What Is a 'computer' Anymore?
From ACM Opinion

What Is a 'computer' Anymore?

People used to be computers.

How to Write About World War Iii
From ACM Opinion

How to Write About World War Iii

One of us first fought World War III from the backseat of a station wagon headed toward Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For the other, it was at an island cabin on...

That Time the CIA Bugged a Cat to Spy on the Soviets
From ACM Opinion

That Time the CIA Bugged a Cat to Spy on the Soviets

My favorite story about American spying is one I've never been able to verify with the Central Intelligence Agency, and not for lack of trying.

Beware the Listening Machines
From ACM Opinion

Beware the Listening Machines

One of my great pleasures in life is attending conferences on fields I'm intrigued by, but know nothing about.

The Myth of a Borderless Internet
From ACM Opinion

The Myth of a Borderless Internet

Almost a decade ago now, McDonald's made a seemingly innocuous decision.

Immortal But Damned to Hell on Earth
From ACM Opinion

Immortal But Damned to Hell on Earth

Imagine a supercomputer so advanced that it could hold the contents of a human brain.

Hacking the Brain
From ACM Opinion

Hacking the Brain

The perfectibility of the human mind is a theme that has captured our imagination for centuries—the notion that, with the right tools, the right approach, the right...

Facebook Is Eating the Internet
From ACM Careers

Facebook Is Eating the Internet

Facebook, it seems, is unstoppable. The social publishing site, just 11 years old, is now the dominant force in American media.

Even Computers Are ­nsure About Their March Madness Brackets
From ACM Opinion

Even Computers Are ­nsure About Their March Madness Brackets

By this point of March Madness, with three games left in the men's NCAA basketball tournament, most brackets are busted.

How Isis Succeeds on Social Media Where #stopkony Fails
From ACM Opinion

How Isis Succeeds on Social Media Where #stopkony Fails

Social networks offer an incredible tool for tapping into the collective unconscious, a virtual Jungian arena in which competition might be expected to amplify...

Finding Out What the Past Smelled Like
From ACM Opinion

Finding Out What the Past Smelled Like

It was the smell that hit me first, a heady mixture of roasting meat, woodsmoke, and farmyard manure.

Jet Lag Is Worse on Mars
From ACM Opinion

Jet Lag Is Worse on Mars

What would you do with an extra 40 minutes in a day?

The Robot That Knows When to Swipe Right
From ACM Opinion

The Robot That Knows When to Swipe Right

I have come to think of Tinder as a sort algorithm for the mind.

Televised Football Is Looking More Like a Video Game—in Subtle Ways
From ACM Opinion

Televised Football Is Looking More Like a Video Game—in Subtle Ways

It is impossible to consider American football without considering television.

The Cathedral of Computation
From ACM Opinion

The Cathedral of Computation

Algorithms are everywhere, supposedly.

When Everything Works Like Your Cell Phone
From ACM Opinion

When Everything Works Like Your Cell Phone

Everyone understands what it means to own a plunger.

The Internet Is Losing Interest in Computers
From ACM Opinion

The Internet Is Losing Interest in Computers

You may know Google Trends.
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