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dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectSoftware
authorThe Wall Street Journal
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Alexa: Don't Let My 2-Year-Old Talk to You That Way
From ACM Opinion

Alexa: Don't Let My 2-Year-Old Talk to You That Way

Parents, your child may have a new secret friend: your smart speaker.

Why Are There So Many Robocalls? Here's What You Can Do About Them
From ACM Opinion

Why Are There So Many Robocalls? Here's What You Can Do About Them

Remember when phone calls meant people wanted to talk to you about something other than lowering your interest rates?

Who Has More of Your Personal Data Than Facebook? Try Google
From ACM Opinion

Who Has More of Your Personal Data Than Facebook? Try Google

Recent controversy over Facebook Inc.'s hunger for personal data has surfaced the notion that the online advertising industry could be hazardous to our privacy...

In Search of Blockchain's Killer-Apps
From ACM Opinion

In Search of Blockchain's Killer-Apps

Blockchain has been in the news lately, but beyond knowing that it has something to do with payments and digital currencies, most people don't know what blockchain...

A Framework for Building Artificial Intelligence Capabilities
From ACM Opinion

A Framework for Building Artificial Intelligence Capabilities

After decades of promise and hype, artificial intelligence has finally reached a tipping point of market acceptance.

Tech That Will Change Your Life in 2017
From ACM Opinion

Tech That Will Change Your Life in 2017

If you've seen in it in a movie, you might see it in reality in 2017.

America Isn't Ready For a Cyberattack
From ACM Opinion

America Isn't Ready For a Cyberattack

The recent cyberattack that rendered more than 1,200 websites unreachable was a warning. Experts say a similar, or larger, attack could be launched tomorrow, and...

Algorithms Aren't Biased, But the People Who Write Them May Be
From ACM Opinion

Algorithms Aren't Biased, But the People Who Write Them May Be

A provocative new book called "Weapons of Math Destruction" has inspired some charged headlines. But author Cathy O'Neil's message is subtle: Math isn't biased....

In China, a Robot's Place Is in the Kitchen
From ACM Opinion

In China, a Robot's Place Is in the Kitchen

Wang Peixin has seen the future, and he's sure it features robots serving up fried dumplings.

How to Stop Robocalls … or at Least Fight Back
From ACM Opinion

How to Stop Robocalls … or at Least Fight Back

"This is a final notice from the IRS."

Here's Your Chance to Decode President Lincoln's Secret Messages
From ACM Opinion

Here's Your Chance to Decode President Lincoln's Secret Messages

On April 12, 1865—three days after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox and two days before President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated—the president sent...

Too Cute For Their Own Good, Robots Get Self-Defense Instincts
From ACM Opinion

Too Cute For Their Own Good, Robots Get Self-Defense Instincts

At a shopping mall here one recent Friday, six-year-old Ruby Dowling made friends with a friendly egg-shaped robot.

How New Technology Is Illuminating a Classic Ethical Dilemma
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.

To Beat the Blues, Visits Must Be Real, Not Virtual
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...

Smart Tampon? The Internet of Every Single Thing Must Be Stopped
From ACM Opinion

Smart Tampon? The Internet of Every Single Thing Must Be Stopped

Let's play a game. Which of the following is a real smartphone-connected product?

What If Facebook Gave ­S an Opposing-Viewpoints Button?
From ACM Opinion

What If Facebook Gave ­S an Opposing-Viewpoints Button?

Imagine if you could flip a switch on Facebook, and turn all the conservative viewpoints that you see liberal, or vice versa. You'd realize your news might look...

How Wooden Toys Teach Kids to Code
From ACM Opinion

How Wooden Toys Teach Kids to Code

Like most parents,  I want my young children to be prepared for the future—one in which knowing how to program a computer will be a basic skill, like clicking "Skip...

Is Predictive Policing the Law-Enforcement Tactic of the Future?
From ACM Opinion

Is Predictive Policing the Law-Enforcement Tactic of the Future?

As big data transforms industries ranging from retailing to health care, it’s also becoming a more important tool for police departments, which are turning to data...

Telegraph to the Iphone: A Short History of Corporate Defiance
From ACM Opinion

Telegraph to the Iphone: A Short History of Corporate Defiance

The high-stakes stalemate between Apple and the Justice Department isn’t the first time that Washington and Silicon Valley have come to a showdown over security...

The Language Barrier Is About to Fall
From ACM Opinion

The Language Barrier Is About to Fall

It used to be the case when I traveled abroad that I would take a little pocket dictionary that provided translations for commonly used phrases and words.
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