acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

Recent Articles


bg-corner

Letter 'to a Future Woman in Tech' Hopes For Long Ladies' Room Lines at Conferences
From ACM Careers

Letter 'to a Future Woman in Tech' Hopes For Long Ladies' Room Lines at Conferences

Stacey Mulcahy, who is currently a lead developer at the digital creative agency Big Spaceship, has been in the tech industry since 2001.

Cobol Will Outlive ­S All
From ACM Careers

Cobol Will Outlive ­S All

In the early 1980s, I was told that COBOL was going away and that I should quickly move toward other programming languages.

President Obama's Cybersecurity Executive Order Scores Much Better Than CISPA On Privacy
From ACM Opinion

President Obama's Cybersecurity Executive Order Scores Much Better Than CISPA On Privacy

With the reintroduction of the much-maligned Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act scheduled for the day after the State of the Union, the House of Representatives...

Stupid, Stupid xBox!!
From ACM Opinion

Stupid, Stupid xBox!!

I was a founder of the original xBox project at Microsoft and gave it its name.

Apple and Samsung, Frenemies For Life
From ACM Opinion

Apple and Samsung, Frenemies For Life

It was the late Steve Jobs' worst nightmare. A powerful Asian manufacturer, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, uses Google Inc's Android software to create smartphones...

The Threat of Silence
From ACM Careers

The Threat of Silence

For the past few months, some of the world's leading cryptographers have been keeping a closely guarded secret about a pioneering new invention.

Can Machines Learn Morality?
From ACM Opinion

Can Machines Learn Morality?

When John Brennan, President Obama's choice to be the next head of the CIA, appeared before a Senate committee yesterday, one question supplanted all others at...

Phreaks and Geeks
From ACM Opinion

Phreaks and Geeks

One of the most heartfelt—and unexpected—remembrances of Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide last month at the age of 26, came from Yale professor Edward Tufte.

Don't Like Television? Then You're Not Going to Like the Future of Twitter Very Much
From ACM Opinion

Don't Like Television? Then You're Not Going to Like the Future of Twitter Very Much

According to a number of anonymous reports, Twitter is in the process of buying Bluefin Labs, an analytics company that specializes in broadcast media—an acquisition...

The Origins of 'big Data': An Etymological Detective Story
From ACM Opinion

The Origins of 'big Data': An Etymological Detective Story

Words and phrases are fundamental building blocks of language and culture, much as genes and cells are to the biology of life.

Geeks Are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties
From ACM Opinion

Geeks Are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties

A decade-plus of anthropological fieldwork among hackers and like-minded geeks has led me to the firm conviction that these people are building one of the most...

The Increasingly Blurry Line Between Big Data and Big Brother
From ACM Opinion

The Increasingly Blurry Line Between Big Data and Big Brother

The potential benefits of "big data" have been well described, both by us and others: the ability to spot flu trends earlier and potentially save lives, for example...

Eric Schmidt ­nloads on China in New Book
From ACM Opinion

Eric Schmidt ­nloads on China in New Book

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is brutally clear: China is the most dangerous superpower on Earth.

How to Build the Perfect Gaming Pc For 2013–and Beyond
From ACM Opinion

How to Build the Perfect Gaming Pc For 2013–and Beyond

There's little doubt that PC gaming is undergoing a renaissance at the moment.

Reflections on Stanford's MOOCs
From Communications of the ACM

Reflections on Stanford's MOOCs

New possibilities in online education create new challenges.

Talking, Walking Objects
From ACM Opinion

Talking, Walking Objects

Meeting Simon for the first time was one of the most sublime experiences I've had. With every coy head nod, casual hand wave and deep eye gaze, I felt he already...

Becoming Biohackers: Learning the Game
From ACM Careers

Becoming Biohackers: Learning the Game

When you have lunch courtesy of the FBI, you are offered chicken Caesar salad, hamburger, or fish.

From ACM Opinion

Google's Approach to Government Requests For ­ser Data

Today, January 28, is Data Privacy Day, when the world recognizes the importance of preserving your online privacy and security.

Innovation Is Messy Business
From ACM Opinion

Innovation Is Messy Business

Nine years ago, Boeing Co. BA executives decided to take the biggest leap in airliner technology in a generation and develop the 787 Dreamliner.

Crapware Won't Crap Out
From ACM Opinion

Crapware Won't Crap Out

For a few years now, I've been expecting to write an obituary for crapware. Or not an obit, exactly—I was hoping to dance on its grave.
Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account