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Could a $500 Gadget Have Prevented the Metro-North Tragedy?
From ACM Opinion

Could a $500 Gadget Have Prevented the Metro-North Tragedy?

Investigators are still studying what caused the derailment of a Metro-North commuter train on its way to Grand Central Terminal just over a week ago, killing four...

Falling in Love with AI Virtual Assistants: A Creepy Love Affair Nearer Than You Think
From ACM Opinion

Falling in Love with AI Virtual Assistants: A Creepy Love Affair Nearer Than You Think

"I've never loved anyone the way I've loved you," swoons Joaquin Phoenix, in the movie Her.

The Rise and Fall of Blackberry: An Oral History
From ACM Opinion

The Rise and Fall of Blackberry: An Oral History

In 1984, Mike Lazaridis, an engineering student at the University of Waterloo, and Douglas Fregin, an engineering student at the University of Windsor, founded...

Why Obama Still ­ses a BlackBerry
From ACM Opinion

Why Obama Still ­ses a BlackBerry

Barack Obama is the world's most prominent BlackBerry user.

Saving the Net from the Surveillance State: Glenn Greenwald Speaks ­p
From ACM Opinion

Saving the Net from the Surveillance State: Glenn Greenwald Speaks ­p

Big Brother may be watching you. But Glenn Greenwald is watching Big Brother.

Is the Future of the Internet in Iceland?
From ACM Opinion

Is the Future of the Internet in Iceland?

When you clicked on the link to read this article, your computer, tablet or phone sent a request that traveled hundreds or perhaps thousands of miles at the speed...

Diagnosis For Healthcare.gov: ­nrealistic Technology Expectations
From ACM Opinion

Diagnosis For Healthcare.gov: ­nrealistic Technology Expectations

The fiasco with the $600 million federal health insurance website wasn't all bureaucratic.

23andme Is Terrifying, But Not For the Reasons the Fda Thinks
From ACM Opinion

23andme Is Terrifying, But Not For the Reasons the Fda Thinks

If there's a gene for hubris, the 23andMe crew has certainly got it.

Can You Hack It?
From ACM Opinion

Can You Hack It?

Wherever you're sitting right now, take a moment to note the connected devices around you.

Charlie Rose Talks to Nathan Myhrvold
From ACM Opinion

Charlie Rose Talks to Nathan Myhrvold

You worked for years at Microsoft, where things now look uncertain.

Software Is Reorganizing the World
From ACM Opinion

Software Is Reorganizing the World

For the first time in memory, adults in the United States under age forty are now expected to be poorer than their parents.

From MOOCs to SPOCs
From Communications of the ACM

From MOOCs to SPOCs

Supplementing the classroom experience with small private online courses.

Wikimedia Foundation Sends Cease and Desist Letter to Wikipr
From ACM Opinion

Wikimedia Foundation Sends Cease and Desist Letter to Wikipr

On October 21, the Wikimedia Foundation issued a statement from Sue Gardner, our executive director, condemning the black hat practice of paid advocacy editing...

A Neuroscientist's Radical Theory of How Networks Become Conscious
From ACM Opinion

A Neuroscientist's Radical Theory of How Networks Become Conscious

It's a question that’s perplexed philosophers for centuries and scientists for decades: Where does consciousness come from?

Why Google's Fair Use Victory In Google Books Suit Is A Big Deal—And Why It Isn't
From ACM Opinion

Why Google's Fair Use Victory In Google Books Suit Is A Big Deal—And Why It Isn't

Federal judge Denny Chin rejected a copyright challenge Google’s practices of scanning books into digital format and presenting snippets of those scans in search...

Will Ibm's Watson ­sher in a New Era of Cognitive Computing?
From ACM Opinion

Will Ibm's Watson ­sher in a New Era of Cognitive Computing?

Computers as we know them have are close to reaching an inflection point—the next generation is in sight but not quite within our grasp.

Blinded By the Light
From ACM Opinion

Blinded By the Light

The probe sails through space, traveling the distance of the LA-to-Chicago red-eye in a minute.

Our Government Has Weaponized the Internet. Here's How They Did It
From ACM Opinion

Our Government Has Weaponized the Internet. Here's How They Did It

The internet backbone—the infrastructure of networks upon which internet traffic travels—went from being a passive infrastructure for communication to an active...

Drm in Cars Will Drive Consumers Crazy
From ACM Opinion

Drm in Cars Will Drive Consumers Crazy

Forget extra cupholders or power windows: the new Renault Zoe comes with a "feature" that absolutely nobody wants.

The Daunting Challenge of Secure Email
From ACM News

The Daunting Challenge of Secure Email

When users of Lavabit, an encrypted e-mail service, logged on to the site this past August, they found a bewildering letter on the site's main page.
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