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How Pixar ­sed Moore's Law to Predict the Future
From ACM Opinion

How Pixar ­sed Moore's Law to Predict the Future

Whether you call it a data-driven prediction or think of it as a self-fulfilling prophecy, Moore's Law has been going strong.

You'll Never Believe the Data 'wiped' Smartphones Store
From ACM Opinion

You'll Never Believe the Data 'wiped' Smartphones Store

Few things are more precious, intimate, and personal than the data on your smartphone.

How Relying on Algorithms and Bots Can Be Really, Really Dangerous
From ACM Opinion

How Relying on Algorithms and Bots Can Be Really, Really Dangerous

So you can’t wait for a self-driving car to take away the drudgery of driving? Me neither! But consider this scenario, recently posed by neuroscientist Gary Marcus...

Why It's Time For Our Devices to ­nderstand What We Mean, Not Just What We Say
From ACM Opinion

Why It's Time For Our Devices to ­nderstand What We Mean, Not Just What We Say

It wasn’t just cost and Moore’s law. The graphical user interface—now known as the GUI ("gooey")—is what really made computing widespread, personal and ubiquitous...

10 Companies Chasing Innovations That Really Matter
From ACM Careers

10 Companies Chasing Innovations That Really Matter

PayPal co-founder Max Levchin faced some flak recently when he announced he was starting a new company in the already crowded field of digital payments.

What to Do After You've Been Hacked
From ACM Opinion

What to Do After You've Been Hacked

Evernote became the latest member of the "we’ve been hacked" club. And the thing is, what was once a pretty exclusive club now lets just about everyone in these...

The Other Ted Prize
From ACM Careers

The Other Ted Prize

Sergey Brin waltzed in for a try and threw up a score of 250,953, first time out of the gate and with Google Glass still perched on his face.

The Ar-15 Is More Than a Gun. It's a Gadget
From ACM Opinion

The Ar-15 Is More Than a Gun. It's a Gadget

I was shaking as I shouldered the rifle and peered through the scope at the small steel target 100 yards downrange.

Cellphone Chips Will Remake the Server World. Period.
From ACM News

Cellphone Chips Will Remake the Server World. Period.

Facebook recently ran an experiment. Inside a test lab, somewhere behind the scenes at the world's most popular network, engineers sidled up to a computer server...

Why Subtraction Is the Hardest Math in Product Design
From ACM Opinion

Why Subtraction Is the Hardest Math in Product Design

Simple doesn't just sell, it sticks.

On Stephen Hawking, Vader, and Being More Machine Than Human
From ACM Opinion

On Stephen Hawking, Vader, and Being More Machine Than Human

Click-click-click: This is what you hear when having a conversation with Stephen Hawking. No voice, no other sounds, no facial expressions.

Better Than Human: Why Robots Will—and Must—take Our Jobs
From ACM Opinion

Better Than Human: Why Robots Will—and Must—take Our Jobs

It's hard to believe you'd have an economy at all if you gave pink slips to more than half the labor force.

No Longer Vaporware: The Internet of Things Is Finally Talking
From ACM Opinion

No Longer Vaporware: The Internet of Things Is Finally Talking

The rise of the machines has begun: Steve Sande’s household fan is now self-aware.

The Next Big Os War Is in Your Dashboard
From ACM Opinion

The Next Big Os War Is in Your Dashboard

Competition in automotive technology has long been about who's got the most horsepower, the best towing capacity or the fastest acceleration. These days, though...

Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can't Protect ­S Anymore
From ACM Opinion

Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can't Protect ­S Anymore

You have a secret that can ruin your life.

Wrath of the Math: Obama Wins Nerdiest Election Ever
From ACM Opinion

Wrath of the Math: Obama Wins Nerdiest Election Ever

Congratulations, Barack Obama: You have prevailed in the nerdiest election in the history of the American Republic.

Probability Versus Prediction in Volcanic Hazards (and Elections)
From ACM Opinion

Probability Versus Prediction in Volcanic Hazards (and Elections)

Unless you've been living on the far side of the moon for the past two years, you'll know that the U.S. presidential election is next week. Now, I'm by no means...

Cybercrime: Mobile Changes Everything—and No One's Safe
From ACM Opinion

Cybercrime: Mobile Changes Everything—and No One's Safe

The FBI recently put out a mobile malware alert, providing us with a sobering reminder of this "evil software" for phones and tablets.

Why Everyone (not Just Geeks) Should Care About Big Data
From ACM Opinion

Why Everyone (not Just Geeks) Should Care About Big Data

Hugo Campos has a cardiac defibrillator implanted in his body. It sends data about his heart to his doctors and back to the manufacturer, but it takes days to get...

If Design's No Longer the Killer Differentiator, What Is?
From ACM Opinion

If Design's No Longer the Killer Differentiator, What Is?

We already know that design matters. Product design. Industrial design. Experience design. Supply chain design. Witness the renewed fervor for the iPhone 5 today...
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