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Christine Kenneally's 'invisible History of the Human Race'
From ACM Opinion

Christine Kenneally's 'invisible History of the Human Race'

Of Christine Kenneally’s father’s father—a man neither Kenneally nor her father ever knew, a man who did the deed requisite to reproduction and promptly vanished—she...

Isaac Asimov Mulls 'how Do People Get New Ideas?'
From ACM Opinion

Isaac Asimov Mulls 'how Do People Get New Ideas?'

In 1959, I worked as a scientist at Allied Research Associates in Boston.

To Siri, With Love
From ACM Opinion

To Siri, With Love

Just how bad a mother am I? I wondered, as I watched my 13-year-old son deep in conversation with Siri.

How Big Data Algorithms See ­s—while They Eat ­S ­p
From ACM Opinion

How Big Data Algorithms See ­s—while They Eat ­S ­p

Four years ago I interviewed Sam Yagan, then CEO of OKCupid, about the mathematics underlying his free matchmaking site.

Find Out What Your Zip Code Predicts You'll Buy
From ACM Opinion

Find Out What Your Zip Code Predicts You'll Buy

Where you live says a lot about you—and nobody knows that better than marketeers. Now, though, you can take a glimpse at what they know, using this searchable map...

The Myth of the Lone Genius
From ACM Opinion

The Myth of the Lone Genius

The computer and the Internet are among the most important inventions of our era, but few people know who created them.

Should We Tailor Difficulty of a School Text to Child's Comfort Level or Make Them Sweat?
From ACM Opinion

Should We Tailor Difficulty of a School Text to Child's Comfort Level or Make Them Sweat?

"A man who traveled from Liberia to visit family members in Texas tested positive for Ebola on Tuesday, marking the outbreak's first diagnosis outside of Africa...

The Planning Machine
From ACM Opinion

The Planning Machine

In June, 1972, Ángel Parra, Chile’s leading folksinger, wrote a song titled "Litany for a Computer and a Baby About to Be Born."

Your Phone Screen Just Won the Nobel Prize in Physics
From ACM Opinion

Your Phone Screen Just Won the Nobel Prize in Physics

You've probably got the fruits of this year’s Nobel laureates' handiwork in your pocket. In fact, if you're reading this on your phone or a relatively recent flat...

Can Virtual Reality Make You a Better Person?
From ACM Opinion

Can Virtual Reality Make You a Better Person?

"This is already so real, I don’t know if I even want to do this anymore," I say out loud.

How Humans Could Inhabit the Solar System
From ACM Opinion

How Humans Could Inhabit the Solar System

With our rising planet's population competing for space and resources, some people are convinced we need to look beyond Earth to help ensure humanity's survival...

The Google Formula For Success
From ACM Careers

The Google Formula For Success

Can Google’s winning ways be applied to all kinds of businesses?

Cyborgs: The Truth About Human Augmentation
From ACM Opinion

Cyborgs: The Truth About Human Augmentation

At the height of summer, when London was baking in unseasonable heat, I made an ill-fated trip to the Serpentine lido in central London.

When Everything Works Like Your Cell Phone
From ACM Opinion

When Everything Works Like Your Cell Phone

Everyone understands what it means to own a plunger.

Outsourcing Responsibility
From Communications of the ACM

Outsourcing Responsibility

What do you do when your debugger fails you?

Risks and Myths of Cloud Computing and Cloud Storage
From Communications of the ACM

Risks and Myths of Cloud Computing and Cloud Storage

Considering existing and new types of risks inherent in cloud services.

Why Is Our Sci-Fi So Glum About A.i.?
From ACM Opinion

Why Is Our Sci-Fi So Glum About A.i.?

When I was 12, I invented a superhero named Boy Genius, a guy my age who awakens one morning with access to 100 percent of his brain power.

Visualizing 4-Dimensional Asteroids
From ACM Opinion

Visualizing 4-Dimensional Asteroids

One of the largest treasure troves of astronomical data comes from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), an ongoing scan of the firmament that began 15 years ago...

The Internet Is Losing Interest in Computers
From ACM Opinion

The Internet Is Losing Interest in Computers

You may know Google Trends.

The $3.2 Billion Man: Can Google's Newest Star Outsmart Apple?
From ACM Opinion

The $3.2 Billion Man: Can Google's Newest Star Outsmart Apple?

Lounging poolside in 93-degree July heat as Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" thrums through the patio speakers, Tony Fadell takes a sip of nonalcoholic beer and sinks far...
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