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subjectPersonal Computing
authorThe Wall Street Journal
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Should Law Enforcement Have the Ability to Access Encrypted Communications?
From ACM Opinion

Should Law Enforcement Have the Ability to Access Encrypted Communications?

People's distress over the privacy of their communications has never been more acute. Whether the fear is over U.S. surveillance or breaches by hackers of unknown...

The 12 Tech Nuisances That Annoy ­s Most
From ACM Opinion

The 12 Tech Nuisances That Annoy ­s Most

You know those days when your phone battery doesn't even make it to dinner?

Get Creative at Your Desk With a Little Playtime
From ACM Opinion

Get Creative at Your Desk With a Little Playtime

Playing with a geometric puzzle or stress ball at your desk can seem like idle diversion. It may also spark clearer or more creative thinking.

The Future of Virtual Sex
From ACM Opinion

The Future of Virtual Sex

Is another human being necessary for satisfying sex?

What Could Be Lost as Einstein's Papers Go Online
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.

Why the Public Library Beats Amazon—for Now
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.

Billy Beane on the Future of Sports: A Tech-Driven Revolution
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.

Studying Your ­sers: Facebook's Greatest Hits
From ACM Opinion

Studying Your ­sers: Facebook's Greatest Hits

Facebook's massive psychological experiment involving almost 700,000 unwitting users has attracted plenty of attention and outrage, but it's far from the only time...

Why I'm Not in a Hurry For a 'smart Home'
From ACM Opinion

Why I'm Not in a Hurry For a 'smart Home'

Here's what it's like to wake up in America's smartest home.

When Is It Ok to Check a Smartphone at the Dinner Table?
From ACM Opinion

When Is It Ok to Check a Smartphone at the Dinner Table?

Not long ago, I went to a nice restaurant with five friends. Good food. Better cocktails.

How to ­se Tech Like a Teenager
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?

Forget 'the Cloud'; 'the Fog' Is Tech's Future
From ACM Opinion

Forget 'the Cloud'; 'the Fog' Is Tech's Future

I'm as big a believer in the transformational power of cloud computing as anyone you'll meet.

The Future of Brain Implants
From ACM News

The Future of Brain Implants

What would you give for a retinal chip that let you see in the dark or for a next-generation cochlear implant that let you hear any conversation in a noisy restaurant...

The Job After Steve Jobs: Tim Cook and Apple
From ACM Opinion

The Job After Steve Jobs: Tim Cook and Apple

Shortly after Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple in August 2011, he told a confidant that he got up every morning reminding himself just to do the right...

A Victory For an ­nfettered Internet
From ACM Opinion

A Victory For an ­nfettered Internet

A federal appeals court in Washington slapped the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday for overstepping its legal authority by trying to regulate Internet...

Stop Pouting About Tech's Next Big Thing, It's Here
From ACM Opinion

Stop Pouting About Tech's Next Big Thing, It's Here

It's easy to get jaded when you cover the technology industry.

Do We Want an Erasable Internet?
From ACM Opinion

Do We Want an Erasable Internet?

This is going to sound silly, but I think Snapchat was the most important technology of 2013.

The Judge and the Nsa
From ACM Opinion

The Judge and the Nsa

Federal Judge Richard Leon has become a sudden political celebrity after his remarkable opinion holding that antiterror surveillance is unconstitutional and, even...

Are Smartphones Turning ­s Into Bad Samaritans?
From ACM Opinion

Are Smartphones Turning ­s Into Bad Samaritans?

In late September, on a crowded commuter train in San Francisco, a man shot and killed 20-year-old student Justin Valdez.

The 'legalization' of China’s Internet Crackdown
From ACM Opinion

The 'legalization' of China’s Internet Crackdown

Internet usage—especially microblogging on Sina Weibo, China’s largest Twitter-like social media site—is presenting new challenges and new attempts to meet them...
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