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
Why Obama's Brain-Mapping Project Matters
Last week, President Obama officially announced $100 million in funding for arguably the most ambitious neuroscience initiative ever proposed.
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...
From ACM Opinion
A Leader of Obama's New Brain Initiative Explains Why We Need It
Neuroscientist William Newsome of Stanford University is one of two scientists tapped by President Obama to lead a new brain research initiative, which the administration...
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...
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.
From ACM Opinion
MOOCs Have Become a Straight Business Play
The distinctive feature of MOOC marketing in 2013 is the shift from being an exciting experiment to being offered as a working solution to budgetary and access...
From ACM Opinion
The Child, the Tablet, and the Developing Mind
I recently watched my sister perform an act of magic.
From ACM Opinion
Yahoo Buys News App from British Teenager For a Reported $30 Million
When Yahoo was founded in 1995, Nick D'Aloisio wasn't even born yet. He says he taught himself to program computers using books and video tutorials.
From Communications of the ACM
Are the Costs of 'Free' Too High in Online Education?
Considering the economic implications as educational institutions expand online learning initiatives.
From Communications of the ACM
Peacebuilding in a Networked World
Harnessing computing and communication technologies in fragile, conflict-stressed nations.
From Communications of the ACM
Cyber-Victimization and Cybersecurity in China
Seeking insights into cyberattacks associated with China. <!-- <em>To view a slide presentation with video commentary by the author, click here (xxx Mbytes)</em>...
From Communications of the ACM
The Problem with Hands-Free Dashboard Cellphones
Lawmakers misunderstand user experience of technology interface.
From ACM Opinion
Brogrammers Making Sex Jokes and Other Reasons Startups Need Hr Departments
When I worked at a startup, we jokingly referred to our "HR department"—a cardboard box that held resumes, NDAs, tax forms, whatever.
From ACM Opinion
The Touch-Screen Generation
On a chilly day last spring, a few dozen developers of children’s apps for phones and tablets gathered at an old beach resort in Monterey, California, to show off...
From ACM Careers
10 Companies Chasing Innovations That Really Matter
PayPal co-founder Max Levchin faced some flak recently when he announced he was starting a new company in the already crowded field of digital payments.
From ACM Opinion
Can Your Boss Read Your Email?
Harvard faculty members responded with shock after the Boston Globe revealed that theuniversity’s administration had searched 16 faculty deans’ email accounts to...
From ACM Opinion
The Best Books About Biotechnology
I've spent the last few weeks creating a syllabus for myself on the world—people, techniques, theory, history—of biotechnology. I've talked with some scholars,...
From ACM Opinion
Mobile Computing Is Just Getting Started
Mobile computers are spreading faster than any other consumer technology in history.
From ACM Opinion