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In China, 25 Million People ­se Only Their Cell Phones to Read Books
From ACM Opinion

In China, 25 Million People ­se Only Their Cell Phones to Read Books

On vacation in China earlier this month, I stopped by Shanghai's seven-story downtown "Book City," bustling with activity on a weekday afternoon that, as a publisher...

Moral Machines
From ACM Opinion

Moral Machines

Google's driver-less cars are already street-legal in three states, California, Florida, and Nevada, and some day similar devices may not just be possible but mandatory...

Jeff Bezos Wants Amazon in Every Pocket
From ACM Opinion

Jeff Bezos Wants Amazon in Every Pocket

"People don't want gadgets, they want services," Jeff Bezos has declared.

What Sinofsky's Departure Suggests About the Current State, and Likely Future, of Microsoft
From ACM Opinion

What Sinofsky's Departure Suggests About the Current State, and Likely Future, of Microsoft

Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows division, abruptly left the company on November 12, shortly after introducing the latest version of the company's...

How Far Away Is Mind-Machine Integration?
From ACM Opinion

How Far Away Is Mind-Machine Integration?

Okay, great: we can control our phones with speech recognition and our television sets with gesture recognition.

A Touch Literate World: The Global Tablet Craze
From ACM Opinion

A Touch Literate World: The Global Tablet Craze

I haven't been shy about expressing my belief that tablets represent the reinvention of the personal computer.

A Short To-Do List For Intel's Next Ceo
From ACM News

A Short To-Do List For Intel's Next Ceo

With Paul Otellini heading in May to the nearest 18-hole course, speculation is rampant about who will replace him.

Why Jakob Nielsen's Windows 8 Critique Is Old-School Thinking
From ACM Opinion

Why Jakob Nielsen's Windows 8 Critique Is Old-School Thinking

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was once asked what market research went into the creation of the iPad. 

Windows 8—Disappointing ­sability for Both Novice and Power ­sers
From ACM Opinion

Windows 8—Disappointing ­sability for Both Novice and Power ­sers

With the recent launch of Windows 8 and the Surface tablets, Microsoft has reversed its user interface strategy.

Siri Versus Google Voice Search: Fight!
From ACM Opinion

Siri Versus Google Voice Search: Fight!

Voice-controlled smartphone searches are slowly becoming all the rage, thanks to tools like Apple's Siri and Google's "enhanced" voice search.

Blue Waters Opts Out of Top500
From ACM News

Blue Waters Opts Out of Top500

The NCSA Blue Waters system is one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, but it won't appear on the TOP500 list—nor will it be taking part in the HPC Challenge...

From ACM Opinion

Clear Need to Define Cyberweapons and Cyberwar

The term cyberwar has become a catch-all used by politicians, talking heads and others to encompass just about any online threat, regardless of the attacker or...

This Is Your Brain on Neural Implants
From ACM Opinion

This Is Your Brain on Neural Implants

You are in the future with technologies more advanced than today's.

Otellini's Legacy of Intel Profit Marred By Arm Competition
From ACM Opinion

Otellini's Legacy of Intel Profit Marred By Arm Competition

When Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini retires in May, he'll leave a mixed record.

Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can't Protect ­S Anymore
From ACM Opinion

Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can't Protect ­S Anymore

You have a secret that can ruin your life.

From ACM Opinion

Was Petraeus Borked?

In 1987, when Judge Robert Bork was enmeshed in a partisan struggle over his Supreme Court nomination, a reporter for an alternative weekly in Washington, D.C.,...

Bluebrain: Noah Hutton's 10-Year Documentary About the Mission to Reverse Engineer the Human Brain
From ACM Opinion

Bluebrain: Noah Hutton's 10-Year Documentary About the Mission to Reverse Engineer the Human Brain

"Nothing quite like it exists yet, but we have begun building it," Henry Markram wrote in the June 2012 issue of Scientific American. He was referring to a "fantastic...

Instead of 'dead Dropping,' Petraeus and Broadwell Should Have ­sed These Email Security Tricks
From ACM Opinion

Instead of 'dead Dropping,' Petraeus and Broadwell Should Have ­sed These Email Security Tricks

Having an extramarital affair in 2012 is not an easy task if you’re the chief of the world’s most renowned spy agency.

Will We Ever ­nderstand How Our Brains Work?
From ACM News

Will We Ever ­nderstand How Our Brains Work?

When it comes to the human brain, many scientists believe that we are incapable of understanding how it works because we lack the tools and intelligence to measure...

The Greatest Bond Villain of All: Technology
From ACM Opinion

The Greatest Bond Villain of All: Technology

Tech has always played a prominent role in the Bond franchise; it's a key element of the plot formula: Bond opens with a chase scene, the core mission is revealed...
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