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Should We Synthesise a Human Genome?
From ACM Opinion

Should We Synthesise a Human Genome?

At Harvard today, an invitation-only group of about 150 scientists, lawyers, and entrepreneurs, met to discuss if and how to construct from scratch an entire human...

IBM Researcher: Fears Over Artificial Intelligence Are 'overblown'
From ACM Opinion

IBM Researcher: Fears Over Artificial Intelligence Are 'overblown'

The debate over artificial intelligence has divided some of Silicon Valley's brightest minds.

After Three Weeks in China, It's Clear Beijing Is Silicon Valley's Only True Competitor
From ACM Opinion

After Three Weeks in China, It's Clear Beijing Is Silicon Valley's Only True Competitor

After selling my startup, Shopkick, to SK Planet in 2014, and handing over my CEO role a year later, I packed up my 1- and 3-year-old sons and my wife Angel, and...

Huawei Prepares For Robot Overlords and Communication with the Dead
From ACM Opinion

Huawei Prepares For Robot Overlords and Communication with the Dead

Chinese technology giant Huawei is preparing for a world where people live forever, dead relatives linger on in computers and robots try to kill humans.

The Seven Deadly Social Networks
From ACM Opinion

The Seven Deadly Social Networks

Almost five years ago, in a soliloquy transcribed by The Wall Street Journal, Reid Hoffman suggested a comprehensive theory of social-network success.

Like It or Not, Facebook Has the Right to Choose Your News
From ACM Opinion

Like It or Not, Facebook Has the Right to Choose Your News

There's an old saying that you shouldn't pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.

What Would Happen If G.p.s. Failed?
From ACM Opinion

What Would Happen If G.p.s. Failed?

The radio signal that is the lifeblood of the Global Positioning System originates from a constellation of twenty-four satellites, orbiting more than twelve thousand...

After Moore's Law: Predicting The Future Beyond Silicon Chips
From ACM Opinion

After Moore's Law: Predicting The Future Beyond Silicon Chips

For several decades now, Georgia Tech professor Tom Conte has been studying how to improve computers: "How do we make them faster and more efficient next time around...

The Future of Encryption Is in These Politicians' Hands
From ACM Opinion

The Future of Encryption Is in These Politicians' Hands

Encryption is complicated. Legislating for it, even more so.

Promoting Women in Science
From ACM TechNews

Promoting Women in Science

Utrecht University professor Lynda Hardman discusses the pressing need to promote participation of women in science in the Netherlands. 

Is the Tech Bubble Popping? Ping Pong Offers an Answer
From ACM Careers

Is the Tech Bubble Popping? Ping Pong Offers an Answer

Twitter's gloomy quarterly report last week unsettled investors. They might have anticipated trouble more than a year ago had they noticed one key indicator.

An Ipad Misplaced at the Airport Takes Its Own Vacation
From ACM Opinion

An Ipad Misplaced at the Airport Takes Its Own Vacation

Last month, Shelby Bonnie's iPad vanished from his carry-on bag somewhere at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a red-eye flight from San Francisco...

Left Behind in the Mobile Revolution, Intel Struggles to Innovate
From ACM Opinion

Left Behind in the Mobile Revolution, Intel Struggles to Innovate

Intel was once known for its success in branding personal computers with microprocessors, a technology that fueled the digital revolution. But the Silicon Valley...

You Can't Escape Data Surveillance In America
From ACM Opinion

You Can't Escape Data Surveillance In America

In America, surveillance has always played an outsized role in the relationship between creditors and debtors.

Is Predictive Policing the Law-Enforcement Tactic of the Future?
From ACM Opinion

Is Predictive Policing the Law-Enforcement Tactic of the Future?

As big data transforms industries ranging from retailing to health care, it’s also becoming a more important tool for police departments, which are turning to data...

This Top Scientist Offers a Solution For the Havoc Driverless Cars May Wreck on Workers
From ACM Opinion

This Top Scientist Offers a Solution For the Havoc Driverless Cars May Wreck on Workers

Proponents of autonomous vehicles are in a sticky situation.

Who's Downloading Pirated Papers? Everyone
From ACM Opinion

Who's Downloading Pirated Papers? Everyone

In increasing numbers, researchers around the world are turning to Sci-Hub, the world's largest pirate website for scholarly literature, to access research papers...

The Secret Signals That Rule Transport Networks
From ACM Opinion

The Secret Signals That Rule Transport Networks

It is early morning on Brighton beach, and we are sitting on a slope of pebbles, looking out to sea.

One Easy Way to Make Wikipedia Better
From ACM Opinion

One Easy Way to Make Wikipedia Better

The Pacific Northwest tree octopus existed years before Wikipedia was founded. I’m using "existed" loosely here, of course, because there's no such thing as a Pacific...

Preserving Hybrid Objects
From Communications of the ACM

Preserving Hybrid Objects

Brutal lessons from contemporary art.
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