acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

Recent Opinion


bg-corner

Stephen Hawking Asks a Big Question of Mark Zuckerberg
From ACM Opinion

Stephen Hawking Asks a Big Question of Mark Zuckerberg

Stephen Hawking woke up Tuesday morning and immediately summoned his handlers.

Technology and The Evolution of Storytelling
From ACM Opinion

Technology and The Evolution of Storytelling

It is such an exciting time to be a filmmaker.

We Should Drop the Leap Second Before It Causes Real Damage
From ACM Opinion

We Should Drop the Leap Second Before It Causes Real Damage

The latest leap second couldn’t have come at a worse time.

How to Write About World War Iii
From ACM Opinion

How to Write About World War Iii

One of us first fought World War III from the backseat of a station wagon headed toward Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For the other, it was at an island cabin on...

Andre Geim: Graphene's Buzz Has Spread
From ACM Opinion

Andre Geim: Graphene's Buzz Has Spread

More than 600 physicists have descended on Manchester, UK in the past few days for Graphene Week 2015.

Does a Multiverse Fermi Paradox Disprove the Multiverse?
From ACM Opinion

Does a Multiverse Fermi Paradox Disprove the Multiverse?

Having just orbited our way through another summer solstice, it feels like time to let slip some more speculative ideas before the hot days of the northern hemisphere...

That Time the CIA Bugged a Cat to Spy on the Soviets
From ACM Opinion

That Time the CIA Bugged a Cat to Spy on the Soviets

My favorite story about American spying is one I've never been able to verify with the Central Intelligence Agency, and not for lack of trying.

6 Reasons Why We're ­nderhyping the Internet of Things
From ACM Opinion

6 Reasons Why We're ­nderhyping the Internet of Things

Just when you thought the Internet of Things couldn't possibly live up to its hype, along comes a blockbuster, 142-page report from McKinsey Global Institute ("The...

'minority Report' Interface Designer: Future Tech Needs a Better Dictionary
From ACM Opinion

'minority Report' Interface Designer: Future Tech Needs a Better Dictionary

There's this game I like to play when I'm out reporting. Whenever I’m doing an interview or attending a presentation about virtual or augmented reality, I count...

Should a Driverless Car Decide Who Lives or Dies?
From ACM News

Should a Driverless Car Decide Who Lives or Dies?

The gearheads in Detroit, Tokyo, and Stuttgart have mostly figured out how to build driverless vehicles. Even the Google guys seem to have solved the riddle.

An Updated Software Almanac
From Communications of the ACM

An Updated Software Almanac

Research into what makes software projects succeed.

Preserving the Digital Record of Computing History
From Communications of the ACM

Preserving the Digital Record of Computing History

Reflecting on the complexities associated with maintaining rapidly changing information technology.

What Is the Big Secret Surrounding Stingray Surveillance?
From ACM Opinion

What Is the Big Secret Surrounding Stingray Surveillance?

Given the amount of mobile phone traffic that cell phone towers transmit, it is no wonder law enforcement agencies target these devices as a rich source of data...

Humans Are Tech's Next Big Thing—and That Could Be Risky
From ACM Opinion

Humans Are Tech's Next Big Thing—and That Could Be Risky

Internet companies make billions of dollars by capturing one of the world's most precious commodities: your attention.

Will Millimeter Waves Maximize 5g Wireless?
From ACM Opinion

Will Millimeter Waves Maximize 5g Wireless?

Every decade or so since the first cellular networks appeared the companies that make mobile devices and the networks linking them have worked out new requirements...

A Social Network For Talkers
From ACM Opinion

A Social Network For Talkers

No group needs social network software more than the elderly.

Is Facial Recognition Tech Really a Threat to Privacy?
From ACM Opinion

Is Facial Recognition Tech Really a Threat to Privacy?

Facebook has decided not to offer its photo-sharing app Moments in Europe because of regulator concerns over its facial recognition technology.

The Moment I Decided Robots Were As Interesting As Humans
From ACM Opinion

The Moment I Decided Robots Were As Interesting As Humans

When I was little, I was enamored with the idea of being a pioneer; I was drawn to the thought that I could be the first to do something—be a trailblazer, the forerunner...

Intelligent Life in the ­niverse? Phone Home, Dammit!
From ACM Opinion

Intelligent Life in the ­niverse? Phone Home, Dammit!

We've been conditioned by television and movies to accept the likelihood of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.

Beware the Listening Machines
From ACM Opinion

Beware the Listening Machines

One of my great pleasures in life is attending conferences on fields I'm intrigued by, but know nothing about.
Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account