acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

Recent Opinion


bg-corner

What It's Like to Get a National-Security Letter
From ACM Opinion

What It's Like to Get a National-Security Letter

In the summer of 2011, while he was fighting an indictment for alleged computer crimes, Aaron Swartz, an information activist, read Kafka’s "The Trial" and ...

Social Media Images Form a New Language Online
From ACM Opinion

Social Media Images Form a New Language Online

Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, had an epiphany about the simplicity of communication through images while wearing Google Glass, the company’s controversial high...

The 12 Best Designs from the Past 100 Years
From ACM Opinion

The 12 Best Designs from the Past 100 Years

Is the much-loved Piaggio Vespa more iconic than the floppy disk? Is the iPod more of a design classic than the Airbus A380?

Apple's Power Over Design, in 4 Words
From ACM Opinion

Apple's Power Over Design, in 4 Words

"Apple just permeates everything."

The Taming of the Spook
From ACM Opinion

The Taming of the Spook

On March 24, 2009, the National Security Agency’s inspector general issued a 51-page draft report on the President’s Surveillance Program, the warrantless authority...

A Eulogy For Altavista, the Google of Its Time
From ACM Opinion

A Eulogy For Altavista, the Google of Its Time

Goodbye AltaVista. You deserved better than this. Better than the one-sentence send-off Yahoo gave you today, when announcing your July 8 closure date.

Will Facebook's Robot Censors Know Porn When They See It?
From ACM Opinion

Will Facebook's Robot Censors Know Porn When They See It?

The old trope about pornography is that you’ll know it when you see it. Facebook is betting that not only will it know it, but that the social network will be able...

'maker Movement' Taps Deep and Rich Tradition
From ACM Opinion

'maker Movement' Taps Deep and Rich Tradition

Sometimes I worry we're becoming a culture of technology consumers, instead of creators.

Software Recognition Technology Is Amazing, but Not Amazing Enough
From ACM Opinion

Software Recognition Technology Is Amazing, but Not Amazing Enough

The gadget blogs may work themselves into a frenzy over megapixels and processor speed. But if you want to know what really dazzles the masses, consider a feature...

From ACM Opinion

Snowden, Through the Eyes of a Spy Novelist

For a spy novelist like me, the Edward J. Snowden story has everything. A man driven by ego and idealism—can anyone ever distinguish the two?—leaves his job and...

Connecting the Dots, Missing the Story
From ACM Opinion

Connecting the Dots, Missing the Story

Could Big Data have prevented 9/11? Perhaps—Dick Cheney, for one, seems to think so.

Mathematicians Think Like Machines For Perfect Proofs
From ACM News

Mathematicians Think Like Machines For Perfect Proofs


Ways to Make Your Online Tracks Harder to Follow
From ACM Opinion

Ways to Make Your Online Tracks Harder to Follow


Could Artificial Intelligence Create an Unemployment Crisis?
From Communications of the ACM

Could Artificial Intelligence Create an Unemployment Crisis?

Advances in artificial intelligence and robotics will have significant implications for evolving economic systems.

Toward Culturally Responsive Computing Education
From Communications of the ACM

Toward Culturally Responsive Computing Education

Improving academic success and social development by merging computational thinking with cultural practices.

The Business of Professionals
From Communications of the ACM

The Business of Professionals

Expertise and service ethics are just two of the many components comprising a modern professional.

Information and Communication Technology For Managing Supply Chain Risks
From Communications of the ACM

Information and Communication Technology For Managing Supply Chain Risks

How to encourage ethical behavior among all links in a global supply chain.

Statutory Damages As a Threat to Innovation
From Communications of the ACM

Statutory Damages As a Threat to Innovation

Considering the negative influence of U.S. statutory damage rules on technology innovation.

The Quantum Company
From ACM Careers

The Quantum Company

"I've been doing combative stuff since I was born," says Geordie Rose, leaning back in a chair in his small, windowless office in Burnaby, Canada, as he describes...

The Most Amazing Map You'll See Today (no Matter What Day It Is)
From ACM News

The Most Amazing Map You'll See Today (no Matter What Day It Is)

There are many way to celebrate your 70th birthday.
Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account