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Technology and Academic Lives
From Communications of the ACM

Technology and Academic Lives

Considering the need to create new modes of interaction and approaches to assessment given a rapidly evolving academic realm.

Time to Reinspect the Foundations?
From Communications of the ACM

Time to Reinspect the Foundations?

Questioning if computer science is outgrowing its traditional foundations.

Growing Computer Science Education Into a STEM Education Discipline
From Communications of the ACM

Growing Computer Science Education Into a STEM Education Discipline

Seeking to make computing education as available as mathematics or science education.

Fair Use Prevails in <i>Oracle v. Google</i>
From Communications of the ACM

Fair Use Prevails in Oracle v. Google

Two software giants continue with legal sparring after an initial judicial decision.

Who Oversees Data Brokers Selling Your Personal Info? No One
From ACM Opinion

Who Oversees Data Brokers Selling Your Personal Info? No One

You probably already know that you have precious little privacy, and that shadowy data brokers have built the buying and selling of people’s personal information...

The Decline in Chinese Cyberattacks: The Story Behind the Numbers
From ACM Opinion

The Decline in Chinese Cyberattacks: The Story Behind the Numbers

Last summer, an audience of government officials, military personnel, and foreign ambassadors gathered in Aspen, Colorado, to hear John Carlin, then an assistant...

Vulnerability Is the Internet's Original Sin
From ACM Opinion

Vulnerability Is the Internet's Original Sin

On the day (perhaps not long from now) when the entire internet crashes, no one will be able to say that we didn’t see it coming.

A.i. Inspiration: The Science Fiction That Frames Discussion
From ACM Opinion

A.i. Inspiration: The Science Fiction That Frames Discussion

Science fiction comes up often in serious discussions about artificial intelligence and weapons.

If They Google You, Do You Win?
From ACM Opinion

If They Google You, Do You Win?

Are voters misleading pollsters? Are there hidden Donald Trump supporters who could throw the election his way?

AI Is Not Out to Get ­S
From ACM Opinion

AI Is Not Out to Get ­S

Elon Musk's new plan to go all-in on self-driving vehicles puts a lot of faith in the artificial intelligence needed to ensure his Teslas can read and react to...

Mark Zuckerberg's Long March to China
From ACM Opinion

Mark Zuckerberg's Long March to China

For U.S. Internet businesses, China is the land of moral defeat.

Incessant Consumer Surveillance Is Leaking Into Physical Stores
From ACM Opinion

Incessant Consumer Surveillance Is Leaking Into Physical Stores

You just wanted to shop for a birthday gift in peace—instead, you got ads that follow you around the internet, and coupons in your email that remember exactly which...

Could Obama's Threat of Retaliation Against Russia Lead to Cyberwar?
From ACM Opinion

Could Obama's Threat of Retaliation Against Russia Lead to Cyberwar?

Late last week Obama administration officials used NBC News to send Moscow a cryptic threat: The U.S. government is "contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert...

Whoever Wins the White House, This Year's Big Loser Is Email
From ACM Opinion

Whoever Wins the White House, This Year's Big Loser Is Email

Every four years, pundits race to anoint this or that newfangled tech trend as the next disruptive force to forever alter the mechanics of American democracy.

Hey Silicon Valley: President Obama Has a To-Do List For You
From ACM Opinion

Hey Silicon Valley: President Obama Has a To-Do List For You

Ask not what the government can do for Silicon Valley; ask what Silicon Valley can do for the government.

Where Do All the Old Programmers Go?
From ACM Opinion

Where Do All the Old Programmers Go?

In a recent editorial, Norman Matloff, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Davis, describes software engineering as a career dead end...

Algorithms Aren't Biased, But the People Who Write Them May Be
From ACM Opinion

Algorithms Aren't Biased, But the People Who Write Them May Be

A provocative new book called "Weapons of Math Destruction" has inspired some charged headlines. But author Cathy O'Neil's message is subtle: Math isn't biased....

Inside Nat Geo's Incredible Documentary Mission to Mars
From ACM Opinion

Inside Nat Geo's Incredible Documentary Mission to Mars

A spaceship is preparing to land on Mars when the crew notices that one of the thrusters isn’t firing.

Maths Becomes Biology's Magic Number
From ACM Opinion

Maths Becomes Biology's Magic Number

"If you want a career in medicine these days you're better off studying mathematics or computing than biology."

I Just Want Nate Silver to Tell Me It's All Going to Be Fine
From ACM Opinion

I Just Want Nate Silver to Tell Me It's All Going to Be Fine

Evan has a habit. He's not ashamed of it, but he doesn't want to reveal too much about himself, lest his colleagues learn how he’s spending so much of his time.
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