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How to Call B.s. on Big Data: A Practical Guide
From ACM Opinion

How to Call B.s. on Big Data: A Practical Guide

"Nothing that you will learn in the course of your studies will be of the slightest possible use to you," the Oxford philosophy professor John Alexander Smith told...

Who Will Pay For the Future If Not the Robots?
From ACM Opinion

Who Will Pay For the Future If Not the Robots?

RRobots are taking over the world's workforce—and why shouldn't they?

20 Years After Deep Blue: How AI Has Advanced Since Conquering Chess
From ACM Opinion

20 Years After Deep Blue: How AI Has Advanced Since Conquering Chess

Twenty years ago IBM's Deep Blue computer stunned the world by becoming the first machine to beat a reigning world chess champion in a six-game match.

Military-Funded Prosthetic Technologies Benefit More Than Just Veterans
From ACM Opinion

Military-Funded Prosthetic Technologies Benefit More Than Just Veterans

In 1905, an Ohio farmer survived a railroad accident that cost him both of his legs.

7 in 10 Smartphone Apps Share Your Data with Third-Party Services
From ACM Opinion

7 in 10 Smartphone Apps Share Your Data with Third-Party Services

Our mobile phones can reveal a lot about ourselves: where we live and work; who our family, friends and acquaintances are; how (and even what) we communicate with...

What Happens When Your Car Gets Hacked?
From ACM Opinion

What Happens When Your Car Gets Hacked?

As devastating as the latest widespread ransomware attacks have been, it's a problem with a solution.

The Vr Future Is Here but No One Can Agree on a Name For It
From ACM Opinion

The Vr Future Is Here but No One Can Agree on a Name For It

At the VR keynote at Google's IO developer conference, a slide appeared on screen to start the morning's presentation. Clay Bavor, head of AR and VR for Google,...

Google, Not the Government, Is Building the Future
From ACM Opinion

Google, Not the Government, Is Building the Future

One persistent criticism of Silicon Valley is that it no longer works on big, world-changing ideas.

On the Future of Human-Centered Robotics
From ACM Opinion

On the Future of Human-Centered Robotics

A major theme in recent political discourse has been the perceived impact of robots and automation on the United States labor economy.

How Privacy Became a Commodity For the Rich and Powerful
From ACM Opinion

How Privacy Became a Commodity For the Rich and Powerful

Recently I handed over the keys to my email account to a service that promised to turn my spam-bloated inbox into a sparkling model of efficiency in just a few...

Online Voting Won't Save Democracy
From ACM Opinion

Online Voting Won't Save Democracy

Technology can do a lot more to make our elections more secure and reliable, and to ensure that participation in the democratic process is available to all.

FCC Chief Makes Case For Tackling Net Neutrality Violations 'after The Fact'
From ACM Opinion

FCC Chief Makes Case For Tackling Net Neutrality Violations 'after The Fact'

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on May 18 to formally begin the process of loosening regulations that enforce the so-called net neutrality rules...

Google and Facebook's Idealistic Futures Are Built on Ads
From ACM Opinion

Google and Facebook's Idealistic Futures Are Built on Ads

In 2011 a young computer scientist named Jeff Hammerbacher said something profound while explaining why he'd decided to leave Facebook—and the promise of a small...

The Internet of Things Needs a Code of Ethics
From ACM Opinion

The Internet of Things Needs a Code of Ethics

In October, when malware called Mirai took over poorly secured webcams and DVRs, and used them to disrupt internet access across the United States, I wondered who...

The 'fix' For Net Neutrality That Consumers Don't Need
From ACM Opinion

The 'fix' For Net Neutrality That Consumers Don't Need

Netflix and Amazon have been nominated for hundreds of Emmys and Golden Globe awards in recent years, and that is a testament to both the quality of those companies...

Finding Solace in Defeat By Artificial Intelligence
From ACM Opinion

Finding Solace in Defeat By Artificial Intelligence

Fan Hui, the European Go champion, needed some fresh air. "I don't understand myself anymore."

Artificial Intelligence: Chess Match of the Century
From ACM Opinion

Artificial Intelligence: Chess Match of the Century

Nearly 20 years ago, I was fortunate enough to play friendly blitz chess against former world champion Garry Kasparov.

Facebook's Race to Link Your Brain to a Computer Might Be ­nwinnable
From ACM Opinion

Facebook's Race to Link Your Brain to a Computer Might Be ­nwinnable

"What if you could type directly from your brain?" Regina Dugan said, as the same words appeared on the towering screen behind her, one digital character at a time...

With Neuralink, Elon Musk Promises Human-to-Human Telepathy. Don't Believe It.
From ACM Opinion

With Neuralink, Elon Musk Promises Human-to-Human Telepathy. Don't Believe It.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, by way of blogger and cartoonist Tim Urban, has revealed in a 36,400-word illustrated explainer the thinking behind his new...

You've Never Heard of Tech Legend Bob Taylor, But He Invented 'almost Everything'
From ACM Opinion

You've Never Heard of Tech Legend Bob Taylor, But He Invented 'almost Everything'

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