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Frax App Brings Fractal-Exploration Glory to iOS
From ACM Opinion

Frax App Brings Fractal-Exploration Glory to iOS

In 1983, intrigued by an article on fractals, I wrote a program to display the Mandelbrot set on my family's TRS-80 Color Computer.

Why Free Software Is More Important Now Than Ever Before
From ACM Opinion

Why Free Software Is More Important Now Than Ever Before

It is now 30 years since I launched the campaign for freedom in computing, that is, for software to be free or "libre" (we use that word to emphasize that we're...

Privacy Entrepreneur Turns Nsa Snooping Into Profit (q&a)
From ACM Opinion

Privacy Entrepreneur Turns Nsa Snooping Into Profit (q&a)

In a double dose of irony, the National Security Agency's prying has given a big helping hand to Phil Zimmermann's business, Silent Circle.

Nsa Chief Defends Collecting Americans' Data
From ACM Opinion

Nsa Chief Defends Collecting Americans' Data

The head of the National Security Agency delivered a vigorous defense Wednesday of his agency's collection of Americans' phone records for counterterrorism purposes...

Forget Foreign Languages and Music. Teach Our Kids to Code
From ACM Opinion

Forget Foreign Languages and Music. Teach Our Kids to Code

J. Paul Gibson began to teach programming classes for teens out of frustration.

At 15, Google's Ambitions Remain ­nbridled
From ACM Opinion

At 15, Google's Ambitions Remain ­nbridled

Google turned 15 on Friday, smack in the middle of its adolescence.

Finally: Bill Gates Admits Control-Alt-Delete Was a Mistake
From ACM Opinion

Finally: Bill Gates Admits Control-Alt-Delete Was a Mistake

Bill Gates made many exceptional decisions while he was leading Microsoft to immense success. He did, however, make a few errors.

Large Patent Holders Hate This Reform Proposal. That’s a Good Sign.
From ACM Opinion

Large Patent Holders Hate This Reform Proposal. That’s a Good Sign.

The fight over patent reform has turned into a two-front war.

The Fatal Mistake That Doomed Blackberry
From ACM Opinion

The Fatal Mistake That Doomed Blackberry

Beleaguered gadgetmaker BlackBerry said on Monday that it's signed a tentative agreement to be purchased by a group led by Canadian holding company Fairfax Financial...

Why We're Shutting Off Our Comments
From ACM Opinion

Why We're Shutting Off Our Comments

Comments can be bad for science. That's why, here at PopularScience.com, we're shutting them off.

Many Questions For Michael Dell on Going Private, and What's Next
From ACM Opinion

Many Questions For Michael Dell on Going Private, and What's Next

Michael Dell is feeling aggressive.

Lost to the Ages
From ACM Opinion

Lost to the Ages

You are standing on a dock beside the jutting masts and crow's nest of a sunken ship, water lapping calmly under your feet.

Does Digital Age Overcomplicate Design?
From ACM Opinion

Does Digital Age Overcomplicate Design?

There is a scene in the television series "Boss" in which the mayor of Chicago, played by Kelsey Grammer, is discovered by his wife washing bed sheets by hand at...

Apple: The 64-Bit Question
From ACM News

Apple: The 64-Bit Question

There's been an interesting sideshow in tech land since Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S last week: Does having the first 64-bitmicroprocessor in a phone mean anything...

Apple Chiefs Discuss Strategy, Market Share—and the New iPhones
From ACM Opinion

Apple Chiefs Discuss Strategy, Market Share—and the New iPhones

Apple's doomed.

Civics For a Digital Age
From ACM Opinion

Civics For a Digital Age

Over half of the world’s population lives in urban environments, and that number is rapidly growing according to the World Health Organization.

The New National Identity Is What Smartphone You Prefer, and Nobody's Quite Sure Why
From ACM Opinion

The New National Identity Is What Smartphone You Prefer, and Nobody's Quite Sure Why

In a fascinating note at Asymco, mobile analyst and ex-Nokian Horace Dediu details how people's taste in smartphones varies from place to place:

Behold! Jonathan Ive's Apple
From ACM Opinion

Behold! Jonathan Ive's Apple

Apple is today releasing the much-anticipated iOS 7, and with it, the biggest overhaul of its mobile operating system since it debuted in 2007 with the original...

Ios 7, Thoroughly Reviewed
From ACM Opinion

Ios 7, Thoroughly Reviewed

When we reviewed iOS 6 a year ago, we called it a "spit-and-polish" release and stand by that assessment today.

Forget Moocs
From ACM Opinion

Forget Moocs

For a year or two there, free online classes seemed like they just might be the future of higher education.
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