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An Npr Reporter Raced a Machine to Write a News Story. Who Won?
From ACM Opinion

An Npr Reporter Raced a Machine to Write a News Story. Who Won?

Even the most creative jobs have parts that are pretty routine—tasks that, at least in theory, can be done by a machine. Take, for example, being a reporter.

As Congress Haggles Over Patriot Act, We Answer 6 Basic Questions
From ACM Opinion

As Congress Haggles Over Patriot Act, We Answer 6 Basic Questions

The rest of the month is setting up to be pretty dramatic in the Senate.

Created Computed Universe
From Communications of the ACM

Created Computed Universe

Computing crosses cosmology and makes the case for agnosticism.

Routing Money, Not Packets
From Communications of the ACM

Routing Money, Not Packets

Revisiting network neutrality.

Why Robots Will Always Need ­S
From ACM Opinion

Why Robots Will Always Need ­S

"Human beings are ashamed to have been born instead of made," wrote the philosopher Günther Anders in 1956. Our shame has only deepened as our machines have grown...

The Second Job You Don’t Know You Have
From ACM Opinion

The Second Job You Don’t Know You Have

Technology has knocked the bottom rung out of the employment ladder, which has sent youth unemployment around the globe skyrocketing and presented us with a serious...

Hacking the Brain
From ACM Opinion

Hacking the Brain

The perfectibility of the human mind is a theme that has captured our imagination for centuries—the notion that, with the right tools, the right approach, the right...

How the Battle For the Future of the Web Is Shaped By Economics
From ACM Opinion

How the Battle For the Future of the Web Is Shaped By Economics

There are two stories people are trying to tell right now about the future of the Internet.

Behind the Indie Video Game Sensation that Caught Nasa's Attention
From ACM Careers

Behind the Indie Video Game Sensation that Caught Nasa's Attention

"Here let's zoom in so you can see your Kerbal floating above Kerbin," my boyfriend suggests before hitting the "M" key on his keyboard.

Moore's Law Turns 50
From ACM Opinion

Moore's Law Turns 50

On April 19, 1965, just over 50 years ago, Gordon Moore, then the head of research for Fairchild Semiconductor and later one of the co-founders of Intel, was asked...

New Ways to Crash the Market
From ACM Opinion

New Ways to Crash the Market

Five years ago, on the afternoon of May 6, 2010, the Dow and the S. & P. fell more than six per cent in a matter of minutes, losing a trillion dollars in value.

The White House Just Snagged One of the Most Valuable Players in the Tech Policy World
From ACM Opinion

The White House Just Snagged One of the Most Valuable Players in the Tech Policy World

The White House is adding one of the tech policy world's most valuable players to its roster: Princeton Professor Ed Felten.

'rise of the Robots' and 'shadow Work'
From ACM Opinion

'rise of the Robots' and 'shadow Work'

In the late 20th century, while the blue-collar working class gave way to the forces of globalization and automation, the educated elite looked on with benign condescension...

Why Nsa Surveillance Is Worse Than You've Ever Imagined
From ACM Opinion

Why Nsa Surveillance Is Worse Than You've Ever Imagined

Last summer, after months of encrypted emails, I spent three days in Moscow hanging out with Edward Snowden for a Wired cover story.

Why the Ruling Against the Nsa's Phone Records Program Could Have Huge Implications
From ACM Opinion

Why the Ruling Against the Nsa's Phone Records Program Could Have Huge Implications

A federal appeals court ruling that the National Security Agency's collection of millions of Americans' phone records is illegal could undercut more than just that...

The Illegal Phone-Data Sweeps
From ACM Opinion

The Illegal Phone-Data Sweeps

There is a lot to praise in the powerful ruling issued by a three-judge federal appeals panel in New York on Thursday, which held that the government's vast, continuing...

Are We to Become Gods, the Destroyers of Our World?
From ACM Opinion

Are We to Become Gods, the Destroyers of Our World?

In the stylish new sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, Frankenstein's old theme re-emerges in a beautifully designed setting: Instead of the Gothic castle we have a spectacular...

Quantum Computers Will Make Your Laptop Look Like an Abacus
From ACM Opinion

Quantum Computers Will Make Your Laptop Look Like an Abacus

The race to make the first quantum computer is becoming as important as the race 75 years ago to get the first nuke. It could change the balance of power in politics...

The Hidden Politics of Video Games
From ACM Opinion

The Hidden Politics of Video Games

Imagine that video games had been invented in the Middle Ages.

Brace Yourself: Microsoft Wants to Guess How Old You Are
From ACM News

Brace Yourself: Microsoft Wants to Guess How Old You Are

Like a distant relative who makes you feel bad at the annual holiday get together, Microsoft has created a website that analyzes a photo of a person's face and...
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