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How to Get to Mars ... And Maybe Even Live There
From ACM Opinion

How to Get to Mars ... And Maybe Even Live There

There's something about the Red Planet—so close yet so far, inhospitable yet perhaps not totally uninhabitable—that keeps us dreaming about getting there one day...

We're on the Brink of a Revolution in Crazy-Smart Digital Assistants
From ACM Opinion

We're on the Brink of a Revolution in Crazy-Smart Digital Assistants

Here's a quick story you’ve probably heard before, followed by one you probably haven't.

You Can't ­nderstand Security Without These Classic Works
From ACM Opinion

You Can't ­nderstand Security Without These Classic Works

There are seminal books, movies, articles, and more that you've been meaning to get to but just haven't made the time for.

Who Won Science Fiction's Hugo Awards, and Why It Matters
From ACM Opinion

Who Won Science Fiction's Hugo Awards, and Why It Matters

Since 1953, to be nominated for a Hugo Award, among the highest honors in science fiction and fantasy writing, has been a dream come true for authors who love time...

The Amazingly Accurate Futurism of 2001: A Space Odyssey
From ACM Opinion

The Amazingly Accurate Futurism of 2001: A Space Odyssey

The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey" documents in nearly scientific detail exactly that: the story of how the iconic science-fiction film came...

How Fiction Can Reveal the Horrors of Future Wars
From ACM Opinion

How Fiction Can Reveal the Horrors of Future Wars

The fact that he couldn't feel the drill going into the back of his skull made the noise all the more terrifying.

The Martian's Andy Weir Is All Buddy-Buddy with Nasa
From ACM Opinion

The Martian's Andy Weir Is All Buddy-Buddy with Nasa

When sci-fi author Andy Weir went to visit mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center, the International Space Station was going through a crisis—an air leak...

Cli-Fi—That's Climate Fiction—Is the New Sci-Fi
From ACM Opinion

Cli-Fi—That's Climate Fiction—Is the New Sci-Fi

Extreme weather events, changes in precipitation levels, species migration and extinction—climate change promises so many fun things. But why wait?

Leap Motion's Augmented-Reality Computing Looks Stupid Cool
From ACM News

Leap Motion's Augmented-Reality Computing Looks Stupid Cool

We have a habit of filling new technologies with old ideas.

Calculating Pluto's Mass With Snapshots From New Horizons
From ACM Opinion

Calculating Pluto's Mass With Snapshots From New Horizons

As the New Horizons spacecraft is approaching Pluto, it's getting some great shots.

We Should Drop the Leap Second Before It Causes Real Damage
From ACM Opinion

We Should Drop the Leap Second Before It Causes Real Damage

The latest leap second couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Humans Are Tech's Next Big Thing—and That Could Be Risky
From ACM Opinion

Humans Are Tech's Next Big Thing—and That Could Be Risky

Internet companies make billions of dollars by capturing one of the world's most precious commodities: your attention.

Stop Laughing at Those Clumsy Humanoid Robots
From ACM Opinion

Stop Laughing at Those Clumsy Humanoid Robots

The humanoid robot, built like a linebacker with an oversized head, tiptoes on two feet through the dirt.

Looking For Creativity in Brains Will Take More Creativity
From ACM Opinion

Looking For Creativity in Brains Will Take More Creativity

About a decade and a half ago, the neuroscience world got super-stoked about a sexy new way to look at living brains: functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Google's Search ­pdated Will Remake the Web in Its Own Image
From ACM News

Google's Search ­pdated Will Remake the Web in Its Own Image

Some people are calling it Mobilegeddon.

Snowden's 'sexy Margaret Thatcher' Password Isn't So Secure
From ACM Opinion

Snowden's 'sexy Margaret Thatcher' Password Isn't So Secure

Edward Snowden appears to have a thing for the late British conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher. And his obsession may even be clouding his famously paranoid...

Why We Should Design Some Things to Be Difficult to ­se
From ACM Opinion

Why We Should Design Some Things to Be Difficult to ­se

The first car I ever drove was a bashed Land Rover Defender.

15 Predictions For Tech and Design in 2015
From ACM Opinion

15 Predictions For Tech and Design in 2015

It's our favorite time of year, when frogs from around the world examine the state of technology's future.

In the Future, Your Touchscreens Will Touch You Back
From ACM Opinion

In the Future, Your Touchscreens Will Touch You Back

You comfort your grieving friend online over chat, but you can't reach out and touch their shoulder.

How the Home Telephone Sparked the ­ser-Centered Design Revolution
From ACM Opinion

How the Home Telephone Sparked the ­ser-Centered Design Revolution

Have you ever thought about why doorknobs are positioned at around two-fifths of the door's height, instead of right in the middle? Or why a washing machine is...
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