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From ACM Opinion

Warning: This Site Contains Conspiracy Theories

In its early days, the Web was often imagined as a global clearinghouse—a new type of library, with the sum total of human knowledge always at our fingertips. 

From ACM Opinion

Why 2012, Despite Privacy Fears, Isn't Like Orwell's 1984

Last week was a remarkable one for the Web: A week that proved George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" incredibly prescient yet woefully incorrect.

What Have We Learned About Software Engineering?
From Communications of the ACM

What Have We Learned About Software Engineering?

Upon closer examination, everything old appears to be new again in the realm of software engineering.

Emotion and Security
From Communications of the ACM

Emotion and Security

Examining the role of human emotional response in making complex security-related decisions.

Wanton Acts of Debuggery
From Communications of the ACM

Wanton Acts of Debuggery

Keep your debug messages clear, useful, and not annoying.

Yet Another Technology Cusp
From Communications of the ACM

Yet Another Technology Cusp: Confusion, Vendor Wars, and Opportunities

Considering the unexpected risks associated with seemingly minor technological changes.

Peer Instruction
From Communications of the ACM

Peer Instruction: A Teaching Method to Foster Deep Understanding

How the computing education community can learn from physics education.

Incentive Auctions
From Communications of the ACM

Incentive Auctions

Reallocating valuable wireless spectrum can generate billions of dollars in revenue to the U.S. federal government while also benefiting consumers.

From ACM Opinion

The Great and Powerful Reddit

Of all the sites that went dark on Wednesday to protest Congress's misguided anti-piracy legislation, Reddit was the one I missed most.

From ACM Opinion

Smith: Facts Will Overcome Fears

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas)  issued a statement in response to reports that some members have dropped their support of the Stop Online...

From ACM Opinion

Did It Work? 'day After' Results of the Sopa, Pipa Blackout

Google dropped its logo-shroud, Wikipedia returned from limbo, normal service in general has been resumed, and all's right with the world… except that SOPA and...

From ACM Opinion

Why The 'check Engine' Light Must Be Banned

It's pretty easy to dismiss the "check engine" light as just stupid, because, well, it is. 

From ACM Opinion

Why We've Censored Wired.com

We've blacked out the headlines on our Website homepage today as part of a global internet protest against two radical anti-piracy bills pending in Congress—legislation...

From ACM Opinion

It's Time to Start 3d Scanning the World

When Microsoft was developing its Kinect 3D sensor, a critical task was to calibrate its algorithms to rapidly and accurately recognize parts of the human body,...

From ACM Opinion

Research Bought, Then Paid For

Through the National Institutes of Health, American taxpayers have long supported research directed at understanding and treating human disease.

Read My Email? Get a Warrant
From ACM Opinion

Read My Email? Get a Warrant

Last October the well-known hacking group Chaos Computer Club revealed that the German state police had been monitoring the computers of ordinary citizens using...

From ACM Opinion

Internet Access Is Not a Human Right

From the streets of Tunis to Tahrir Square and beyond, protests around the world last year were built on the Internet and the many devices that interact with...

Four Industries Apple Can Disrupt in the Near Future
From ACM Opinion

Four Industries Apple Can Disrupt in the Near Future

Over the past 10 years, Apple has done a rather amazing job of disrupting quite a few industries.

Smoke Screening
From ACM Opinion

Smoke Screening

Not until I walked with Bruce Schneier toward the mass of people unloading their laptops did it occur to me that it might not be possible for us to hang around...

Interfaces For the Ordinary User
From Communications of the ACM

Interfaces For the Ordinary User: Can We Hide Too Much?

Increasing the visibility and access to underlying file structure on consumer devices can vastly improve the user experience.
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