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Google Bets a Billion Dollars on Twitch
From ACM Opinion

Google Bets a Billion Dollars on Twitch

Video gaming differentiates itself from the older forms of escapism—literature, theatre, film, television—with interactivity.

How to Invent a Person Online
From ACM Opinion

How to Invent a Person Online

On April 8, 2013, I received an envelope in the mail from a nonexistent return address in Toledo, Ohio.

When Robots Come For Our Jobs, Will We Be Ready to Outsmart Them?
From ACM Opinion

When Robots Come For Our Jobs, Will We Be Ready to Outsmart Them?

Non-human employees are filling positions in all sorts of workplaces, and they are proving themselves to be fast, accurate, and reliable—more so than their human...

How the ­.s. Stumbled Into the Drone Era
From ACM Opinion

How the ­.s. Stumbled Into the Drone Era

On Sept. 7, 2000, in the waning days of the Clinton administration, a U.S. Predator drone flew over Afghanistan for the first time.

The Next Big Thing in Hardware: Smart Garbage
From ACM Opinion

The Next Big Thing in Hardware: Smart Garbage

There's a box on a shelf in my closet stuffed with smart smoke detectors, old smartphones, chargers, battery cases, fitness trackers, a Kindle that I sat on and...

How to Talk About Blowing Things ­p in Cyberspace, According to the Military
From ACM Opinion

How to Talk About Blowing Things ­p in Cyberspace, According to the Military

Bombs are relatively simple, when you boil everything down.

The Fasinatng … Frustrating … Fascinating History of Autocorrect
From ACM Opinion

The Fasinatng … Frustrating … Fascinating History of Autocorrect

Invoke the word autocorrect and most people will think immediately of its hiccups—the sort of hysterical, impossible errors one finds collected on sites like Damn...

Id Shows Off Double-Jumping, Skull-Crushing New Doom at Quakecon
From ACM Opinion

Id Shows Off Double-Jumping, Skull-Crushing New Doom at Quakecon

The bad news is that only people who were actually at Dallas' QuakeCon last night were able to see the world-premiere gameplay footage from the next Doom game,...

Bletchley Park's Rebirth and Why It Matters
From ACM Opinion

Bletchley Park's Rebirth and Why It Matters

Twenty five years ago, the historic World War II codebreaking center Bletchley Park faced demolition.

Calling All Hackers: Help ­S Build an Open Wireless Router
From ACM Opinion

Calling All Hackers: Help ­S Build an Open Wireless Router

EFF is releasing an experimental hacker alpha release of wireless router software specifically designed to support secure, shareable Open Wireless networks.

The Future of Robot Caregivers
From ACM Opinion

The Future of Robot Caregivers

Each time I make a house call, I stay much longer than I should.

Being a Better Online Reader
From ACM Opinion

Being a Better Online Reader

Soon after Maryanne Wolf published "Proust and the Squid," a history of the science and the development of the reading brain from antiquity to the twenty-first...

The Moral Hazards and Legal Conundrums of Our Robot-Filled Future
From ACM Opinion

The Moral Hazards and Legal Conundrums of Our Robot-Filled Future

The robots are coming, and they're getting smarter.

Defending the Grand Vision of the Human Brain Project
From ACM Opinion

Defending the Grand Vision of the Human Brain Project

"A grass roots effort is under way to stop the project... 'Mediocre science, terrible science policy,' begins the spirited letter…"

How to Terraform the Moon
From ACM Opinion

How to Terraform the Moon

Space fans were startled—and perhaps a little skeptical—in May when the Russians announced that they intend to build a manned moon base.

The Trouble With Brain Science
From ACM Opinion

The Trouble With Brain Science

Are we ever going to figure out how the brain works?

How Not to Build a Brain
From ACM Opinion

How Not to Build a Brain

Building a brain sounds like a worthy goal, one that makes it seem as though the future is within reach.

The Oculus Rift Game That's So Real It Nearly Destroyed Me
From ACM Opinion

The Oculus Rift Game That's So Real It Nearly Destroyed Me

I can hear the alien breathing.

The Most Annoying Problem in Computing Is Still Unsolved
From ACM Opinion

The Most Annoying Problem in Computing Is Still Unsolved

When I travel these days, I tend to look like a walking Radio Shack—cords bursting out of my pockets, bag overflowing with chargers and accessories.

Will Computers Ever Replace Teachers?
From ACM Opinion

Will Computers Ever Replace Teachers?

The classroom looked like a call center.
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