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Time and Navigation: How We Found Our Way in the World
From ACM Opinion

Time and Navigation: How We Found Our Way in the World

Type an address into your phone, and up will pop a step-by-step route from where you are to where you want to be. This is, in its way, magic—magic that has, at...

Should We Fall Out of Love with Robot Surgery?
From ACM Opinion

Should We Fall Out of Love with Robot Surgery?

Last fall, shoppers outside a Macy's store in Boston were given a chance to test drive a robot. They were invited, compliments of Brigham and Women’s Hospital,...

More Cracks ­ndermine the Citadel of Tv Profits
From ACM Opinion

More Cracks ­ndermine the Citadel of Tv Profits

For the longest time in the media business, the concept of the bundle has been foundational.

How Technology Is Slowly Developing Its Sense of Smell
From ACM Opinion

How Technology Is Slowly Developing Its Sense of Smell

Last week I attended what was, I think it is fair to say, the oddest conference I have been to yet. It was the first world congress of the Digital Olfaction Society...

Immigration and the Knowledge Economy
From ACM Opinion

Immigration and the Knowledge Economy

Earlier this year I started teaching a class on entrepreneurship at an after-school program in my community.

The Coming Golden Age For Mobile-Game Developers
From ACM Opinion

The Coming Golden Age For Mobile-Game Developers

Do you like video games? More to the point, do you like developing games and making money? Then here's some great news: The gaming boom that's been underway for...

Will Bitcoins Make Me Rich?
From ACM Opinion

Will Bitcoins Make Me Rich?

Let me begin this column with a lengthy disclosure. One morning last week, I stopped at my bank, filled out a withdrawal slip for $1,027.51, and walked away with...

If You Hate Red-Light Cameras, You'll Really Hate Speeding Ticket Robots
From ACM Opinion

If You Hate Red-Light Cameras, You'll Really Hate Speeding Ticket Robots

Four academics from West Point and Samford University in Alabama set out to answer a seemingly simple question: how would one write a computer program to issue...

Intel Cooks ­p Future of TV—A Potential Mess for Cable
From ACM Opinion

Intel Cooks ­p Future of TV—A Potential Mess for Cable

Visualize the TV service you've always wanted: a gorgeous interface that does away with clunky (and often ad-strewn) programming grids; a simple remote that isn't...

Why Retina Displays and 4k Tvs May Not Be Worth the Trouble
From ACM Opinion

Why Retina Displays and 4k Tvs May Not Be Worth the Trouble

When Apple unveiled its Retina screen on the iPhone 4, the world gasped.

Cyber Education Key to Security
From ACM Opinion

Cyber Education Key to Security

Today, cyberspace is woven into the fabric of our daily lives.

17 of Apple's Favorite Apps
From ACM Opinion

17 of Apple's Favorite Apps

Steve Jobs was a stickler for detail, requiring final approval on everything from ads to wording on his Keynote presentations. It's no surprise then that the company...

From ACM Opinion

Why Obama's Brain-Mapping Project Matters

Last week, President Obama officially announced $100 million in funding for arguably the most ambitious neuroscience initiative ever proposed.

Five Years And Nothing To Show: How Doom 4 Got Off Track
From ACM Opinion

Five Years And Nothing To Show: How Doom 4 Got Off Track

Doom 4 is in trouble, and has been for quite some time now, according to multiple sources.

The Future of Surveillance Will Turn Society Into a Massive Online Game
From ACM Opinion

The Future of Surveillance Will Turn Society Into a Massive Online Game

No matter what the future may contain, one thing is certain: just about everything in it, including us, will increasingly be under surveillance.

The Facebook Phone Is Not As Dumb As I Thought It Was Going to Be.
From ACM Opinion

The Facebook Phone Is Not As Dumb As I Thought It Was Going to Be.

People have been waiting for the Facebook Phone for years. Not real people, mind you, just technology reporters.

From ACM Opinion

What Big Data Will Never Explain

"She told him that she loves me, which is an important data point."

From Touch Displays to the Surface: A Brief History of Touchscreen Technology
From ACM Opinion

From Touch Displays to the Surface: A Brief History of Touchscreen Technology

It's hard to believe that just a few decades ago, touchscreen technology could only be found in science fiction books and film. These days, it's almost unfathomable...

Save a Soccer Referee. Hire a Machine to Rule on Goals.
From ACM Opinion

Save a Soccer Referee. Hire a Machine to Rule on Goals.

Referees are the worst. Anyone who plays, coaches, or watches sports will agree. They call either too little or too much. They're blind, stupid, paid off, or just...

Apple and the Mysterious Case of the Missing Moonshot
From ACM Opinion

Apple and the Mysterious Case of the Missing Moonshot

When John Morrell left his post at Yale University last year and decamped to Apple, some members of the robotics community were perplexed.
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