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Phreaks and Geeks
From ACM Opinion

Phreaks and Geeks

One of the most heartfelt—and unexpected—remembrances of Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide last month at the age of 26, came from Yale professor Edward Tufte.

Geeks Are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties
From ACM Opinion

Geeks Are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties

A decade-plus of anthropological fieldwork among hackers and like-minded geeks has led me to the firm conviction that these people are building one of the most...

The Increasingly Blurry Line Between Big Data and Big Brother
From ACM Opinion

The Increasingly Blurry Line Between Big Data and Big Brother

The potential benefits of "big data" have been well described, both by us and others: the ability to spot flu trends earlier and potentially save lives, for example...

Eric Schmidt ­nloads on China in New Book
From ACM Opinion

Eric Schmidt ­nloads on China in New Book

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is brutally clear: China is the most dangerous superpower on Earth.

Inside the Targeted Attack on The New York Times
From ACM Opinion

Inside the Targeted Attack on The New York Times

The Chinese group behind the targeted attack on The New York Times was laser focused on accessing the email of a reporter and the newspaper’s former Beijing bureau...

A Fuzzy and Shifting Line Between Hacker and Criminal
From ACM Opinion

A Fuzzy and Shifting Line Between Hacker and Criminal

In January 2011, I was assigned to cover a hearing in Newark, where Daniel Spitler, then 26, stood accused of breaching AT&T's servers and stealing 114,000 email...

The Two Classes of Cyber Threats
From ACM Opinion

The Two Classes of Cyber Threats

There is one number that matters most in cybersecurity.

The Explosive Growth of Postdocs in Computer Science
From Communications of the ACM

The Explosive Growth of Postdocs in Computer Science

Considering the factors influencing the recent rapid increase in the number of postdoctoral positions in computer science.

Cloud Services Certification
From Communications of the ACM

Cloud Services Certification

How to address the lack of transparency, trust, and acceptance in cloud services.

The Value of Microprocessor Designs
From Communications of the ACM

The Value of Microprocessor Designs

Applying a centuries-old technique to modern cost estimation.

Reflections on Stanford's MOOCs
From Communications of the ACM

Reflections on Stanford's MOOCs

New possibilities in online education create new challenges.

Divided By Division
From Communications of the ACM

Divided By Division

Is there a "best used by" date for software?

More Sight on Foresight
From Communications of the ACM

More Sight on Foresight

My previous column, "The Foresight Saga, Redux," began a discussion that is continued here regarding some lessons learned from the 2012 U.S. November elections. In...

The Tangled Web We Have Woven
From Communications of the ACM

The Tangled Web We Have Woven

Seeking to protect the fundamental privacy of network interactions.

Becoming Biohackers: Learning the Game
From ACM Careers

Becoming Biohackers: Learning the Game

When you have lunch courtesy of the FBI, you are offered chicken Caesar salad, hamburger, or fish.

From ACM Opinion

Google's Approach to Government Requests For ­ser Data

Today, January 28, is Data Privacy Day, when the world recognizes the importance of preserving your online privacy and security.

Crapware Won't Crap Out
From ACM Opinion

Crapware Won't Crap Out

For a few years now, I've been expecting to write an obituary for crapware. Or not an obit, exactly—I was hoping to dance on its grave.

From ACM Opinion

Remembering Aaron By Taking Care of Each Other

My friend Will Morrell, brilliant and sardonic, was the first person I ever knew to make his living close to the machine.

Jill and Scott Kelley on the Petraeus Scandal and Loss of Privacy
From ACM Opinion

Jill and Scott Kelley on the Petraeus Scandal and Loss of Privacy

We woke up on the morning of Nov. 9 expecting the usual: for one of us, the tending to patients; for the other, the morning rush of packing lunches and getting...

Hacktivism: Civil Disobedience or Cyber Crime?
From ACM Opinion

Hacktivism: Civil Disobedience or Cyber Crime?

When Reddit co-founder and internet freedom activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide, he was facing up to 13 felony counts, 50 years in prison, and millions of dollars...
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