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Will the Constitution Protect Your Next Smartphone?
From ACM Opinion

Will the Constitution Protect Your Next Smartphone?

More than a decade ago, the keynote speaker at a major annual cybersecurity conference strode into the spotlight and predicted the death of the password.

The All-American Iphone
From ACM Opinion

The All-American Iphone

Donald Trump says that if he becomes president, he will "get Apple to start making their computers and their iPhones on our land, not in China." Bernie ­Sanders...

Jobs Threatened By Machines: A Once 'stupid' Concern Gains Respect
From ACM Opinion

Jobs Threatened By Machines: A Once 'stupid' Concern Gains Respect

They replaced horses, didn't they? That's how the late, great economist Wassily Leontief responded 35 years ago to those who argued technology would never really...

How New Technology Is Illuminating a Classic Ethical Dilemma
From ACM Opinion

How New Technology Is Illuminating a Classic Ethical Dilemma

On a pleaant Friday afternoon in April, the grassy quadrangle at the center of the Carnegie Mellon University campus is buzzing with activity.

Dear Apple: Please ­se These Ideas to Modernize the Mac
From ACM Opinion

Dear Apple: Please ­se These Ideas to Modernize the Mac

I took a vacation last month. I traveled some. I read a lot. And I refurbished an old late 2008 MacBook Pro, one of the original aluminum unibody models.

A Strip of Pluto
From ACM Opinion

A Strip of Pluto

I know, that image above doesn't look like much, does it? But go ahead, click it. I dare you.

To Beat the Blues, Visits Must Be Real, Not Virtual
From ACM Opinion

To Beat the Blues, Visits Must Be Real, Not Virtual

Imagine being stranded on a desert island with a roof over your head and sufficient provisions—but no human contact other than what you can get from your smartphone...

The Snowden Effect: Privacy Is Good For Business
From ACM Opinion

The Snowden Effect: Privacy Is Good For Business

On June 6, 2013, Edward Snowden—holed up in a Hong Kong hotel room with two Guardian reporters and a filmmaker—told the world about a secret surveillance program...

Elegy For the Capital-I Internet
From ACM Opinion

Elegy For the Capital-I Internet

We've long stopped referring to the Internet as "the information superhighway," but there was a reason for the metaphor.

The Real Reason America Controls Its Nukes with Ancient Floppy Disks
From ACM Opinion

The Real Reason America Controls Its Nukes with Ancient Floppy Disks

America's nuclear arsenal depends on a surprising relic of the 1970s that few of us may recall: the humble floppy disk.

The Woeful Tsa Doesn't Need More Staff. It Needs This Tech
From ACM Opinion

The Woeful Tsa Doesn't Need More Staff. It Needs This Tech

American airport security has never been something to look forward to, but in the past few weeks, it's attained new levels of misery.

Smart Tampon? The Internet of Every Single Thing Must Be Stopped
From ACM Opinion

Smart Tampon? The Internet of Every Single Thing Must Be Stopped

Let's play a game. Which of the following is a real smartphone-connected product?

American Schools Are Teaching Our Kids How to Code All Wrong
From ACM Opinion

American Schools Are Teaching Our Kids How to Code All Wrong

The US Department of Labor projects that one million jobs in computing will go unfilled by 2020.

The Privacy Problem with Digital Assistants
From ACM Opinion

The Privacy Problem with Digital Assistants

For the last century, we've imagined a future where we're surrounded by robotic butlers that are classy, smart, and discreet.

Why Seti Researchers Must Change the Way They Announce First Contact
From ACM Opinion

Why Seti Researchers Must Change the Way They Announce First Contact

One of humanity’s most significant events will be the discovery of intelligent life elsewhere in universe. Back in the 1980s, a group of astronomers involved in...

What Are You Trying to Pull?
From Communications of the ACM

What Are You Trying to Pull?

A single cache miss is more expensive than many instructions.

The Risks of Self-Auditing Systems
From Communications of the ACM

The Risks of Self-Auditing Systems

Unforeseen problems can result from the absence of impartial independent evaluations.

The Oracle-Google Case Will Decide the Future of Software
From ACM Opinion

The Oracle-Google Case Will Decide the Future of Software

The legal battle  between Oracle and Google is about to come to an end. And nothing less is as stake than the future of programming.

To Write Better Code, Read Virginia Woolf
From ACM Opinion

To Write Better Code, Read Virginia Woolf

The humanities are kaput. Sorry, liberal arts cap-and-gowners. You blew it. In a software-run world, what's wanted are more engineers.

Google Doubles Down on AI
From ACM Opinion

Google Doubles Down on AI

Google announced something for everyone yesterday at its 10th annual I/O developer conference.
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