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Before the Internet
From ACM Opinion

Before the Internet

Before the Internet, you would just sit in an armchair with a book open on your lap, staring into space or staring at a decorative broom on the wall—kind of shifting...

To Make Your Conspiracy Theory Legit, Just Find an 'expert'
From ACM Opinion

To Make Your Conspiracy Theory Legit, Just Find an 'expert'

"MIT Professor Exposes 'Egregious Error' & Evidence Tampering in US Report on Syria Sarin Incident." Pretty good headline, right?

Google, Not the Government, Is Building the Future
From ACM Opinion

Google, Not the Government, Is Building the Future

One persistent criticism of Silicon Valley is that it no longer works on big, world-changing ideas.

Toward a Ban on Lethal Autonomous Weapons
From Communications of the ACM

Toward a Ban on Lethal Autonomous Weapons: Surmounting the Obstacles

A 10-point plan toward fashioning a proposal to ban some — if not all — lethal autonomous weapons.

The Anonymization Debate Should Be About Risk, Not Perfection
From Communications of the ACM

The Anonymization Debate Should Be About Risk, Not Perfection

Focusing on the process of anonymity rather than pursuing the unattainable goal of guaranteed safety.

What to Expect Now That Internet Providers Can Collect and Sell Your Web Browser History
From ACM Opinion

What to Expect Now That Internet Providers Can Collect and Sell Your Web Browser History

After Congress handed President Trump legislation Tuesday that would wipe away landmark privacy protections for Internet users, we received a lot of reader questions...

Are Teenagers Replacing Drugs With Smartphones?
From ACM Opinion

Are Teenagers Replacing Drugs With Smartphones?

Amid an opioid epidemic, the rise of deadly synthetic drugs and the widening legalization of marijuana, a curious bright spot has emerged in the youth drug culture...

The Wisdom of Nokia's Dumbphone
From ACM Opinion

The Wisdom of Nokia's Dumbphone

They weighed heavy in pockets and jackets and bags, for they were thick and bulky, not lithe and narrow. 

Listen, Technology Holdouts: Enough Is Enough
From ACM Opinion

Listen, Technology Holdouts: Enough Is Enough

Even as fanatic customers can be counted on to line up outside the Apple store for the latest iPhone, there are still millions of Americans who don't use a smartphone...

Hollywood Has No Idea What to Do with Vr
From ACM Opinion

Hollywood Has No Idea What to Do with Vr

Would you watch a virtual-reality Casablanca?

Face It, Meatsack: Pro Gamer Will Be the Only Job Left
From ACM Opinion

Face It, Meatsack: Pro Gamer Will Be the Only Job Left

Look at economic data closely and the trends aren't pretty: People with elite backgrounds are hoovering up an increasing share of new income and wealth.

Learning with Mobile Technologies
From Communications of the ACM

Learning with Mobile Technologies

Considering the challenges, commitments, and quandaries.

Lady Gaga's Halftime Show Drones Have a Bright Future
From ACM Opinion

Lady Gaga's Halftime Show Drones Have a Bright Future

The best Super Bowl halftime shows leave indelible memories, be it a notorious wardrobe malfunction, that goofy Left Shark, or every last second of Beyoncé's two...

Reality Bites: Learning the Future of V.r. at Sundance
From ACM Opinion

Reality Bites: Learning the Future of V.r. at Sundance

Standing in a pink desert landscape, I looked down and realized I'd become a robot, with skinny metal legs and pincers for hands.

The ­ltimate Cure For the Fake-News Epidemic Will Be More Skeptical Readers
From ACM Opinion

The ­ltimate Cure For the Fake-News Epidemic Will Be More Skeptical Readers

"Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President." "FBI Agent Suspected in Hillary Email Leaks Found Dead of Apparent Murder-Suicide." "Rush Reveals...

AI Dangers
From Communications of the ACM

AI Dangers: Imagined and Real

Arguing against the arguments for the concept of the singularity.

Smart Machines Are Not a Threat to Humanity
From Communications of the ACM

Smart Machines Are Not a Threat to Humanity

Worrying about machines that are too smart distracts us from the real and present threat from machines that are too dumb.

How to Sit Courtside at a Basketball Game Without Leaving Your Couch
From ACM Opinion

How to Sit Courtside at a Basketball Game Without Leaving Your Couch

One of the promises that virtual reality offered was that we'd all be able to watch "courtside" sports games without having to leave our couches.

10 Ways the Iphone Changed Everything
From ACM Opinion

10 Ways the Iphone Changed Everything

Ten years ago, Nokia was the world's largest phone maker. Microsoft was gearing up to launch Windows Vista. And the best new products at CES included a wireless...

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.
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