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Why We'll Never Make an ­npickable Lock
From ACM Opinion

Why We'll Never Make an ­npickable Lock

It would be roughly accurate to say that there have been locks as long as there have been things humans wanted to guard.

Can Your Boss Read Your Email?
From ACM Opinion

Can Your Boss Read Your Email?

Harvard faculty members responded with shock after the Boston Globe revealed that theuniversity’s administration had searched 16 faculty deans’ email accounts to...

Eye-Tracking Smartphones Have Arrived. What About the Privacy Implications?
From ACM Opinion

Eye-Tracking Smartphones Have Arrived. What About the Privacy Implications?

Last March, I wrote in Slate about eye-tracking, which could allow computers and smartphones of the future to collect information not only about what we read, but...

On Today's Battlefield, Is Information More Important Than Firepower?
From ACM Opinion

On Today's Battlefield, Is Information More Important Than Firepower?

Halo, Borderlands, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Battlefield, Metal Gear Solid—these kinds of games taught a generation to see enemies as red dots on a mini-map...

Is It Time To Take Cyborg Rights Seriously? A Q&a With Neil Harbisson.
From ACM Opinion

Is It Time To Take Cyborg Rights Seriously? A Q&a With Neil Harbisson.

Harbisson was born without the ability to see color, but a device he calls his "eyeborg" allows him to now "hear" color.

The Art of Cyberwar
From ACM Opinion

The Art of Cyberwar

The New York Times’ front-page report last week that the Chinese army is hacking into America's most sensitive computer networks from a 12-story building outside...

Letter 'to a Future Woman in Tech' Hopes For Long Ladies' Room Lines at Conferences
From ACM Careers

Letter 'to a Future Woman in Tech' Hopes For Long Ladies' Room Lines at Conferences

Stacey Mulcahy, who is currently a lead developer at the digital creative agency Big Spaceship, has been in the tech industry since 2001.

The Threat of Silence
From ACM Careers

The Threat of Silence

For the past few months, some of the world's leading cryptographers have been keeping a closely guarded secret about a pioneering new invention.

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.

The Two Classes of Cyber Threats
From ACM Opinion

The Two Classes of Cyber Threats

There is one number that matters most in cybersecurity.

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.

Fonts of Inspiration
From ACM Opinion

Fonts of Inspiration

When did we all become amateur typography experts?

How To Charge Your Laptop
From ACM Opinion

How To Charge Your Laptop

Whether they're in our computers, cell phones, or cars, the only time we think about batteries is when they're almost dead and we need to find some place to charge...

This Real-Life Pixar Lamp Cutely Refuses to Let You Turn It Off
From ACM Opinion

This Real-Life Pixar Lamp Cutely Refuses to Let You Turn It Off

Design-class projects have come a long way. That's the only conclusion I can draw from this brilliant video of a robotic desk lamp that squeaks, swivels, and mugs...

Prepare For the New Cameras-Everywhere World
From ACM Opinion

Prepare For the New Cameras-Everywhere World

Some questions can never be answered.

Was a Texas Student Really Expelled for Refusing To Wear an RFID Chip?
From ACM Opinion

Was a Texas Student Really Expelled for Refusing To Wear an RFID Chip?

The Texas school district that began requiring its students to wear RFID tracking chips this year is now facing a fight in federal court.

The Real Threat to Internet Freedom Isn't the ­nited Nations
From ACM Opinion

The Real Threat to Internet Freedom Isn't the ­nited Nations

The Internet is often seen as a place of chaos and disorder, a borderless world in which anonymous trolls roam free and vigilante hackers wreak havoc.

This Is Your Brain on Neural Implants
From ACM Opinion

This Is Your Brain on Neural Implants

You are in the future with technologies more advanced than today's.

Instead of 'dead Dropping,' Petraeus and Broadwell Should Have ­sed These Email Security Tricks
From ACM Opinion

Instead of 'dead Dropping,' Petraeus and Broadwell Should Have ­sed These Email Security Tricks

Having an extramarital affair in 2012 is not an easy task if you’re the chief of the world’s most renowned spy agency.

Should a Calendar App Look Like a Calendar?
From ACM Opinion

Should a Calendar App Look Like a Calendar?

This week, Apple fired Scott Forstall, its longtime chief of mobile software. In the wake of the shake-up—which reportedly had to do with Forstall's refusal to for...
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