Communications of the ACM
Generative AI Degrades Online Communities
How large language models are influencing online communities.
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...
From ACM Careers
Is the Tech Bubble Popping? Ping Pong Offers an Answer
Twitter's gloomy quarterly report last week unsettled investors. They might have anticipated trouble more than a year ago had they noticed one key indicator.
From ACM Opinion
Learning to Apply Data Science to Business Problems
One of the most exciting parts of data science is that it can be applied to many domains of knowledge, given our newfound ability to gather valuable data on almost...
From ACM Opinion
The Myth of Basic Science
Innovation is a mysteriously difficult thing to dictate. Technology seems to change by a sort of inexorable, evolutionary progress, which we probably cannot stop—or...
From ACM Opinion
Review: Littlebits Makes Robot Building Easier For Junior Engineers
In the recent surge of electronic building toys, my early favorite was LittleBits. The individual pieces each have a specific job, and they magnetically interlock...
From ACM Opinion
Pluto Is Just a Baby Step For Humankind
As it advances now beyond Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft is sending back data from its historic encounter with the dwarf planet like a long sigh of relief.
From ACM Opinion
Sean Parker: Philanthropy For Hackers
In the past several decades, there has been a monumental shift in the distribution of wealth on the planet.
From ACM Opinion
What's It Like at a Top-Tier Conservatory? There's an App For That
The world of education has become a rapidly expanding universe.
From ACM Opinion
The Culture Wars Invade Science Fiction
Theodore Beale had a big day when the nominations for science fiction's annual Hugo Awards were announced last month: He received two nominations for his editing...
From ACM Opinion
Raspberry Pi 2 Review: A $35 Computer Can Do a Heck of a Lot
Our computers have become too easy to use.
From ACM Opinion
What the World Will Speak in 2115
In 1880 a Bavarian priest created a language that he hoped the whole world could use.
From ACM Opinion
What Could Be Lost as Einstein's Papers Go Online
When I heard that Albert Einstein's papers were going to be published free online, I was thrilled—at least initially.
From ACM Opinion
Why All Employees Must Learn to Code
The most important technological skill for all employees is being able to code.
From ACM Opinion
Why the Public Library Beats Amazon—for Now
A growing stack of companies would like you to pay a monthly fee to read e-books, just like you subscribe to Netflix to binge on movies and TV shows.
From ACM Opinion
Billy Beane on the Future of Sports: A Tech-Driven Revolution
Baseball—my passion and profession for three decades—has been at the forefront of the analytics revolution sweeping through sports.
From ACM Opinion
How to se Tech Like a Teenager
Enough with complaining that young people these days are addicted to their phones. The question you should be asking is: What do they know that you don't?
From ACM Opinion
The Wrong Way to Treat Child Geniuses
When I was a child, I was a "genius"—the kind you sometimes see profiled on the local news.
From ACM Opinion
Humans 1, Robots 0
Computers seem to be replacing humans across many industries, and we're all getting very nervous.
From ACM Opinion
Should Students se a Laptop in Class?
There's a widely shared image on the Internet of a teacher's note that says: "Dear students, I know when you're texting in class. Seriously, no one just looks down...12