Communications of the ACM
Innovation Is Overrated: A Provocation
Digital innovation is not working in the interest of the whole of society. It is time to radically rethink its purpose without…
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...
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...
From ACM Opinion
One App’s Ios Debacle Shows Dangers of Betting It All on Apple
Apple has removed the popular AppGratis app from its app store. This strikes me as a really sad tale of what can happen when you place all your apps in one app...
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.
From ACM Opinion
Cyber Education Key to Security
Today, cyberspace is woven into the fabric of our daily lives.
From ACM Opinion
The Creator
When Markus Persson visited Las Vegas in 2011, for the first international convention held in honor of Minecraft, the video game he designed and built, a young...
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.
From ACM Opinion
Twitter, Hate Speech, and the Costs of Keeping Quiet
Last month was a bittersweet seventh birthday for Twitter.
From ACM Opinion
Mark Pincus Thinks Angry Birds Won't Hurt Your Kids
You are the founder and C.E.O. of Zynga, a company responsible for addictive games like FarmVille and the forthcoming Draw Something 2. You know, every time I see...
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.
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.
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
Paul Mockapetris, Inventor of the Domain Name System, Wants to Filter the Web
Before the Internet, there was the ARPANet, a closed computer network that pretty much shut down on weekends and over holidays.
From ACM Opinion
What Big Data Will Never Explain
"She told him that she loves me, which is an important data point."
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...
From ACM Opinion
A Leader of Obama's New Brain Initiative Explains Why We Need It
Neuroscientist William Newsome of Stanford University is one of two scientists tapped by President Obama to lead a new brain research initiative, which the administration...
From ACM Opinion
Yes, You Should Care About Bitcoin, and Here's Why
Everybody's talking about Bitcoin these days, which is quite remarkable given the highly technical nature of the crypto-currency. So why is it such a big deal?
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...
From ACM Opinion