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
I Was Hacked in Beijing
The reality--and my fears--dawned only slowly. For weeks, friends and colleagues complained I had not answered their e-mail messages. I swore I had not received...
From ACM Opinion
Rethinking a Gospel of the Web
For about a decade now, ever since it became clear that the jungle of the World Wide Web would triumph over the walled gardens of CompuServe, AOL and MSN, a general...
From ACM Opinion
You Don't Need an Ipad
But once you try one, you won't be able to resist. I picked up my iPad at a San Francisco Apple Store early on Saturday morning, and I spent the rest of the weekend...
From Communications of the ACM
Be Careful What You Wish For
Reflections on the decline of mathematical tables.
From ACM Opinion
Is Motion Control Patent a Powder Keg For Mobile?
Here's a potentially noteworthy development in the patent litigation-riddled mobile device market. The patent is No. 7,679,604, "Method and apparatus for controlling...
From ACM Opinion
Beware the Nsa
Early this year, the big brains at Google admitted that they had been outsmarted. Along with 33 other companies, the search giant had been the victim of a major...
From ACM Opinion
Toyota Hardware Defects/software Bugs
Is embedded automotive software as buggy as a desktop operating system?
From ACM Opinion
Cisco's New Router: Trouble For Hollywood
Cisco's CRS-3 router made a bit of a splash when it was announced on March 9, but the power of this new device hasn't yet sunk in. Consider: The CRS-3, a network...
From ACM Opinion
The Ipad Paradox: Less Is More
The introduction of Apple's iPad predictably divided gadget fans into "love it" and "hate it" camps. The haters say iPad lacks multitasking, a Webcam, Flash support...
From ACM Opinion
Braking Bad
The Obama administration has said that it may require automakers to install “smart pedals” on all new cars. This kind of system—already used in BMWs, Chryslers...
From ACM Opinion
Driving By the Numbers
In the wake of the U.S. Congressional hearings on the Toyota recalls, we have heard various proposals for countering unintended acceleration in automobiles. Transportation...
From ACM Opinion
Virtual Reality War
My battalion commander, Lt. Col. Michael Kurilla, gave the directive that my squad leaders, platoon sergeant, and myself had heard countless times: my platoon was...
From ACM Opinion
Cars That Modify Driver Behavior
On-board diagnostics know how the car is being driven, for the sake of the driver's (and society's) own good.
From ACM Opinion
Apple's Multitouch Lawsuit Is Both Dumb and Dangerous
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at 2007's Macworld conference, he began by describing the device's groundbreaking user interface. "We have invented...
From ACM Opinion
Why It's So Hard For Toyota to Find Out What's Wrong
I won't lie to you: I was not a good engineering student. That's one of the reasons I went into journalism. But I managed to acquire a bachelor of sciences in mechanical...
From ACM TechNews
The Grill: Tom Mitchell
Tom Mitchell, head of Carnegie Mellon University's Machine Learning Department, says that advances in machine learning could bring about a transformation in psychology...
From ACM Opinion
Why Can
All of the gloss and glitter doesn’t hide the fact that both Mac and Windows operating systems are still pretty geeky and difficult for many computer users to navigate...
From ACM Opinion
What Will Be Hot at Rsa 2010?
The show is one week away -- here's a prediction on which technologies will be buzzing. In the midst of the global recession, I found the RSA 2009 Conference...
From ACM Opinion
Toyota
Whenever an airplane crashes, investigators focus on the black-box data, which may explain why the plane went down. Though most drivers don't realize it, two-thirds...
From ACM Opinion