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Why I Don't Own a Kindle
From ACM Opinion

Why I Don't Own a Kindle

I've done my part to prop up the consumer-electronics industry in recent years: a flat-panel TV downstairs and one upstairs, his and hers smartphones, not-too...

The Problem with Design Education
From ACM Opinion

The Problem with Design Education

University industrial design programs are usually cloistered in schools of art or architecture, and students in such programs are rarely required to study science...

In Praise of Distraction
From ACM Opinion

In Praise of Distraction

For many Americans, March Madness has been a time to worry about office pools, busted brackets, and buzzer beaters. For American businesses, though, the N.C.A...

Where Will Larry Page Lead Google?
From ACM Opinion

Where Will Larry Page Lead Google?

In the 10 years since the last time Larry Page was Google's chief executive, the company has changed a bit. It has gone from an ambitious startup to a publicly...

When Will Sci-Fi Tech Become Real? Sooner Than You Think
From ACM Opinion

When Will Sci-Fi Tech Become Real? Sooner Than You Think

Growing up, physicist Michio Kaku had two heroes. The first, predictably enough for the man who co-founded a branch of string theory, was Albert Einstein. "Second...

From ACM Opinion

China's War in Cyberspace, August

Strategic theorists frequently lament that military planners are very effective at preparing for the last war, not the next one. Planners today must cope with...

Have Computers Made Architects Less Disciplined?
From ACM Opinion

Have Computers Made Architects Less Disciplined?

We generally assume that technological advances save time, boost efficiency, increase productivity, and so on. Once we get used to the latest conveniences, we...

The Anti-Predictor: A Chat with Mathematical Sociologist Duncan Watts
From ACM Opinion

The Anti-Predictor: A Chat with Mathematical Sociologist Duncan Watts

The Yahoo! Labs scientist and author explains why the "law of the few" is bunk, why history is full of failed hedgehogs, and why we can't make good predictions...

Three Cheers For the Judge Who Smacked Down Google Books
From ACM Opinion

Three Cheers For the Judge Who Smacked Down Google Books

For a company with the audacity to make "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible" its mission statement, it takes a lot to take...

How Did a British Polytechnic Graduate Become the Design Genius Behind
From ACM News

How Did a British Polytechnic Graduate Become the Design Genius Behind

Few Westerners have ever seen the forging of a Japanese samurai sword. It's considered a sacred practice in Japan; one of the few traditional arts that has yet...

From ACM Opinion

Teaching to the Text Message

I've been teaching college freshmen to write the five-paragraph essay and its bully of a cousin, the research paper, for years. But these forms invite font-size...

Platform Wars Come to Social Media
From Communications of the ACM

Platform Wars Come to Social Media

The world can absorb more social media sites, but how many?

Building Castles in the Air
From Communications of the ACM

Building Castles in the Air

Reflections on recruiting and training programmers during the early period of computing.

Berners-Lee Warns Isps on Net Neutrality
From ACM Opinion

Berners-Lee Warns Isps on Net Neutrality

The inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has warned internet service providers (ISPs) that plans for a "two-speed" Internet go against the principles...

Japan Has Shifted 13 Feet!
From ACM News

Japan Has Shifted 13 Feet!

What does Japan's earthquake mean for GPS? Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake was so powerful that it actually widened Japan. While parts of the country barely...

The Future of Mobile Gadgets
From ACM Opinion

The Future of Mobile Gadgets

I got my first cell phone a little more than a decade ago, just as I was finishing college and looking for my first job. I didn't need a mobile phone; none of...

Cell Phones Are 'stalin's Dream,' Says Free Software Movement Founder
From ACM Opinion

Cell Phones Are 'stalin's Dream,' Says Free Software Movement Founder

Nearly three decades into his quest to rid the world of proprietary software, Richard Stallman sees a new threat to user freedom: smartphones.

The Future of Things "cyber"
From ACM Opinion

The Future of Things "cyber"

Years ago, when I was an ROTC instructor, the first unit of instruction for rising juniors dealt with communication skills. Near the beginning of the unit, I...

Al Franken: 'they're Coming After the Internet'
From ACM Opinion

Al Franken: 'they're Coming After the Internet'

Sen. Al Franken claimed Monday that big corporations are "hoping to destroy" the Internet and issued a call to arms to several hundred tech-savvy South by Southwest...

New Ceo Wants Faster, More Relevant W3c
From ACM Opinion

New Ceo Wants Faster, More Relevant W3c

Jeff Jaffe's job requires both patience and impatience. Patience, because the World Wide Web Consortium—of which he's been chief executive for nearly a year—is...
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