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 Communications of the ACM
Will Software Engineering Ever Be Engineering?
Considering whether software engineering and engineering can share a profession.
From Communications of the ACM
Why the Google Book Settlement Failed - and What Comes Next?
Assessing the implications of the Google Book Search settlement.
From Communications of the ACM
What Gets Measured Gets Done
"U.S. broadband is terrible" has become a familiar meme. Given the growing importance of broadband Internet connections, a poor broadband infrastructure would...
From Communications of the ACM
Security Risks in Next-Generation Emergency Services
Sounding the alert on emergency calling system deficiencies.
From ACM Opinion
Don't nderestimate the Singularity
Although Paul Allen paraphrases my 2005 book, The Singularity Is Near, in the title of his essay (cowritten with his colleague Mark Greaves), it appears that he...
From ACM Opinion
Technology and the Innovation Economy
By adopting policies such as a permanent R&D tax credit, more effective university knowledge commercialization, improving STEM worker training, and regional economic...
From ACM Opinion
The Scary Prospect of Global Drone Warfare
Drone technology is spreading rapidly. As many as 50 countries are developing or purchasing these systems, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran. Even...
From ACM Opinion
When Technology Disrupts Enforcement of Judicial Decisions
The relationship between law and technology has been described accurately as a cat and mouse game. Technology readily fills the role of mouse, always outpacing...
From ACM Opinion
The Cyber Arms Race Has Begun
The Stuxnet virus was the starting gun for an arms race in cyberspace. Not only do all major powers feel compelled to develop threatening malware; many smaller...
From ACM Opinion
The Importance of Word Choice: Terms with Multiple Meanings For Scientists and the Public
If you haven't seen the excellent post on Mountain Beltway—Words matter—you should head over there and take a look. The post brought up some interesting ideas about...
From ACM Opinion
Steve Jobs and the ser Psyche
In a 1989 interview, Steve Jobs of NeXT Computer impressed Communications Editor Peter J. Denning as viewing the future as infinitely malleable, as something he...
From ACM Opinion
The Singularity Isn't Near
Futurists like Vernor Vinge and Ray Kurzweil have argued that the world is rapidly approaching a tipping point, where the accelerating pace of smarter and smarter...
From ACM Opinion
Do Volunteer Programmers Produce Better Code?
Volunteer programmers do better if they are in it for the long haul, says blogger Robert Pogson. "It's human nature to do better work when you are doing something...
From ACM Opinion
Ada Lovelace and Brazil's Female It Pros
Computer science higher education classes today are heavily skewed towards men. Researcher Jamie Swim's Master's thesis at the University of Texas was focused...
From ACM Opinion
.s. v. Jones: Where Privacy, Technology and the Constitution Collide
What is at stake in United States v. Jones is nothing less than the continued vitality of the Fourth Amendment in the modern technological age.
From ACM Opinion
Prospero's Tempestuous Family
Abdulfattah "John" Jandali is a casino manager outside Reno, so he knows about odds.
From ACM Opinion
Meters Could Spy On s
If you bought an appliance in the last three years, odds are it was 'smart,' meaning it probably contains a wireless radio. Once hooked up to a smart meter, an...
From ACM Opinion
Despite Hopes, Computer Sector Not Making A Dent In Joblessness
Despite a few success stories, most Internet, software and information technology service firms headquartered in Connecticut are not adding many employees. That...
From ACM Opinion