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'total Noise,' Only Louder
From ACM Opinion

'total Noise,' Only Louder

Kids used to ask each other: If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears, does it make a sound? Now there's a microphone in every tree and a loudspeaker on every...

How Pixar ­sed Moore's Law to Predict the Future
From ACM Opinion

How Pixar ­sed Moore's Law to Predict the Future

Whether you call it a data-driven prediction or think of it as a self-fulfilling prophecy, Moore's Law has been going strong.

Proceed with Caution Toward the Self-Driving Car
From ACM Opinion

Proceed with Caution Toward the Self-Driving Car

Driving on Interstate 495 toward Boston in a Ford Fusion one chilly afternoon in March, I did something that would've made even my laid-back long-ago driving instructor...

A Talk With Computer Graphics Pioneer Ivan Sutherland
From ACM Opinion

A Talk With Computer Graphics Pioneer Ivan Sutherland

Dr. Ivan Sutherland is the 2012 winner of the Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology. The award, created by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder of not one but two major Japanese...

More Cracks ­ndermine the Citadel of Tv Profits
From ACM Opinion

More Cracks ­ndermine the Citadel of Tv Profits

For the longest time in the media business, the concept of the bundle has been foundational.

The Coming Golden Age For Mobile-Game Developers
From ACM Opinion

The Coming Golden Age For Mobile-Game Developers

Do you like video games? More to the point, do you like developing games and making money? Then here's some great news: The gaming boom that's been underway for...

Intel Cooks ­p Future of TV—A Potential Mess for Cable
From ACM Opinion

Intel Cooks ­p Future of TV—A Potential Mess for Cable

Visualize the TV service you've always wanted: a gorgeous interface that does away with clunky (and often ad-strewn) programming grids; a simple remote that isn't...

Why Retina Displays and 4k Tvs May Not Be Worth the Trouble
From ACM Opinion

Why Retina Displays and 4k Tvs May Not Be Worth the Trouble

When Apple unveiled its Retina screen on the iPhone 4, the world gasped.

The Creator
From ACM Opinion

The Creator

When Markus Persson visited Las Vegas in 2011, for the first international convention held in honor of Minecraft, the video game he designed and built, a young...

17 of Apple's Favorite Apps
From ACM Opinion

17 of Apple's Favorite Apps

Steve Jobs was a stickler for detail, requiring final approval on everything from ads to wording on his Keynote presentations. It's no surprise then that the company...

Twitter, Hate Speech, and the Costs of Keeping Quiet
From ACM Opinion

Twitter, Hate Speech, and the Costs of Keeping Quiet

Last month was a bittersweet seventh birthday for Twitter.

Mark Pincus Thinks Angry Birds Won't Hurt Your Kids
From ACM Opinion

Mark Pincus Thinks Angry Birds Won't Hurt Your Kids

You are the founder and C.E.O. of Zynga, a company responsible for addictive games like FarmVille and the forthcoming Draw Something 2. You know, every time I see...

Five Years And Nothing To Show: How Doom 4 Got Off Track
From ACM Opinion

Five Years And Nothing To Show: How Doom 4 Got Off Track

Doom 4 is in trouble, and has been for quite some time now, according to multiple sources.

From Touch Displays to the Surface: A Brief History of Touchscreen Technology
From ACM Opinion

From Touch Displays to the Surface: A Brief History of Touchscreen Technology

It's hard to believe that just a few decades ago, touchscreen technology could only be found in science fiction books and film. These days, it's almost unfathomable...

Save a Soccer Referee. Hire a Machine to Rule on Goals.
From ACM Opinion

Save a Soccer Referee. Hire a Machine to Rule on Goals.

Referees are the worst. Anyone who plays, coaches, or watches sports will agree. They call either too little or too much. They're blind, stupid, paid off, or just...

Interview with Computing Pioneer Alan Kay
From ACM Opinion

Interview with Computing Pioneer Alan Kay

Born in 1940, computer scientist Alan Curtis Kay is one of a handful of visionaries most responsible for the concepts which have propelled personal computing forward...

Apple and the Mysterious Case of the Missing Moonshot
From ACM Opinion

Apple and the Mysterious Case of the Missing Moonshot

When John Morrell left his post at Yale University last year and decamped to Apple, some members of the robotics community were perplexed.

The Child, the Tablet, and the Developing Mind
From ACM Opinion

The Child, the Tablet, and the Developing Mind

I recently watched my sister perform an act of magic.

The Chilling Effects of the Dmca
From ACM Opinion

The Chilling Effects of the Dmca

It was hard to believe, but the student insisted it was true.

Nolan Bushnell: 'steve Was Difficult,' Says Man Who First Hired Steve Jobs
From ACM Opinion

Nolan Bushnell: 'steve Was Difficult,' Says Man Who First Hired Steve Jobs

Somehow even when he's sitting still, Nolan Bushnell seems to be in constant motion.
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