Communications of the ACM
Innovation Is Overrated: A Provocation
Digital innovation is not working in the interest of the whole of society. It is time to radically rethink its purpose without…
From ACM Opinion
Assange on Secrecy, China, and Wikileaks' Growth
"Secrecy is important for many things," said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in an interview with Time over Skype on Monday. Managing editor Richard Stengel...
From ACM Opinion
New 'story of Stuff' Video Reminds S to Think Twice Before Buying New Gadgets
In the opening moments of the new Web video "The Story of Electronics," I found myself nodding in recognition as host Annie Leonard held up a tangled mess of...
From ACM Opinion
The Lessons of 10 Years of Talking Tech
It’s a special week in America. All over the country, families are gathering in warmly lighted homes. They’re sitting down to fancy feasts at decorated tables...
From ACM Opinion
Long Live the Web: A Call For Continued Open Standards and Neutrality
The Web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity—and even our liberty. Like democracy itself, it needs defending.
From Communications of the ACM
We Need a Research Data Census
The increasing volume of research data highlights the need for reliable, cost-effective data storage and preservation at the national scale.
From Communications of the ACM
The Role of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Contributing to an Educated Work Force
In order to thrive and even survive in the worldwide marketplace of ideas and innovation, the U.S. must aggressively...
From Communications of the ACM
IBM's Single-Processor Supercomputer Efforts
Imagine a CPU designed to issue and execute up to seven instructions per clock cycle, with a clock rate 10 times faster than the reigning supercomputer. This is...
From Communications of the ACM
The Coming African Tsunami of Information Insecurity
As the affordability and use of mobile phones in Africa increase, so too will security vulnerabilities.
From ACM Opinion
A Business Creator Sees Big Returns From Social Media
Asked to name the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, few people would think of Eric Lefkofsky, who is 40 and keeps a deliberately low profile in his hometown of...
From ACM Opinion
A Business Creator Sees Big Returns From Social Media
Asked to name the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, few people would think of Eric Lefkofsky, who is 40 and keeps a deliberately low profile in his hometown of...
From ACM Opinion
In the Grip of the New Monopolists
Do away with Google? Break up Facebook? We can't imagine life without them—and that's the problem.
From ACM Opinion
Why America Must Win the Supercomputing Race
Four decades ago, NASA put a man on the moon using a computer system less powerful than the electronics in many modern-day toasters. With that audacious act of...
From ACM Opinion
On Tech Issues, Obama Falls Short of High Expectations
Barack Obama was the embodiment of the modern, high-tech president when he took office. However, halfway through his first term, he has yet to deliver on much...
From ACM Opinion
Atari Co-Founder Nolan Bushnell on the Future of Software
Whether you know him by name, you almost certainly have firsthand experience with some of Nolan Bushnell's work. He's known by many as the father of video games...
From ACM Opinion
Atari Co-Founder Nolan Bushnell on the Future of Software
Whether you know him by name, you almost certainly have firsthand experience with some of Nolan Bushnell's work. He's known by many as the father of video games...
From ACM Opinion
Web
The origins of our Webified age were hardly auspicious. Two decades ago, Tim Berners-Lee, a British software programmer at the CERN physics-research laboratory...
From ACM Opinion
I'm Not a Real Scientist, and That's Okay
What kind of discipline is computer science? I thought it was a science when I received my bachelor's degree. I believed its subdiscipline software engineering...
From ACM Opinion
Could Terrorists Launch America's Nuclear Missiles?
The Air Force calls the situation "Launch Facilities Down." On Oct. 23, a Wyoming-based squadron of 50 nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)—enough...
From ACM News
The Speed Camera that Doesn't Just Check Your Speed
Everyone knows that speed cameras work. They create the discipline of a lissom lady in leather and make sure everyone understands just what the rules are. In fact...
From ACM Opinion