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Communications of the ACM

Opinion Archive


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The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.

August 2018


From ACM Opinion

Programmers Need Ethics When Designing the Technologies that Influence People's Lives

Programmers Need Ethics When Designing the Technologies that Influence People's Lives

Computing professionals are on the front lines of almost every aspect of the modern world.


From ACM Opinion

Why Apple Is the Future of Capitalism

Why Apple Is the Future of Capitalism

With Apple Inc. now exceeding $1 trillion in market capitalization, it's tempting to understand this moment in terms of the dominance of all-too-large companies and technology in our lives.


From ACM Opinion

Google's Duplex AI Scares Some People, but I Can't Wait for It to Become a Thing

Google's Duplex AI Scares Some People, but I Can't Wait for It to Become a Thing

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," Arthur C. Clarke famously wrote. That line must have zoomed through 5,000 audience brains when, at Google's developer conference in May, CEO Sundar Pichai…


From ACM Opinion

Brains Keep Temporary Molecular Records Before Making a Lasting Memory 

Brains Keep Temporary Molecular Records Before Making a Lasting Memory 

The first dance at my wedding lasted exactly four minutes and 52 seconds, but I'll probably remember it for decades.


From ACM Opinion

3D-Printed (and CNC-Milled) Guns: Nine Questions You Were Too Afraid to Ask

3D-Printed (and CNC-Milled) Guns: Nine Questions You Were Too Afraid to Ask

By now, you've probably seen all the news regarding Defense Distributed, company founder Cody Wilson, and 3D-printed guns.


From ACM Opinion

Online Hate Is Rampant. Here's How to Keep It From Spreading

Online Hate Is Rampant. Here's How to Keep It From Spreading

Back in the last presidential campaign season, reporters on the tech and politics beats began noticing a rise in far-right memes that supported Trump. Memes being memes, these seemed initially like weird, off-color jokes.


From ACM Opinion

Startup JITX ­ses AI to Automate Complex Circuit Board Design

Startup JITX ­ses AI to Automate Complex Circuit Board Design

While anyone can learn how to design a circuit board, it takes a skilled engineer to design a circuit board that is both well optimized and unlikely to melt, explode, or cause whatever it's controlling to melt or explode.


From ACM Opinion

Mars Is Frigid, Rusty and Haunted. We Can’t Stop Looking at It.

Mars Is Frigid, Rusty and Haunted. We Can’t Stop Looking at It.

There it was: Glowering red on the dashboard of the sky like an astrological warning light next to the full Blood Moon Friday. Mars.


From ACM Opinion

China's Numbers Force Google to Recalculate Its Morals

China's Numbers Force Google to Recalculate Its Morals

In 2010, Google made a moral calculus. The company had been censoring search results in China at the behest of the Communist government since launching there in 2006.


From ACM Opinion

As Moore's Law Dies, the Chip Giants Seek Fresh Prey

As Moore's Law Dies, the Chip Giants Seek Fresh Prey

After a five-year, $240 billion acquisition spree, there's a suspicion that the nature of deal-making in the semiconductor industry may be starting to change.


From Communications of the ACM

Designing Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Through the Lens of OpenCellular

Designing Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Through the Lens of OpenCellular

Understanding the unique local context, as well as technical considerations, are essential components of successful project deployment.


From Communications of the ACM

Providing Equitable Access to Computing Education

Providing Equitable Access to Computing Education

Seeking the best measures to reach advantaged and less-advantaged students equally.


From Communications of the ACM

Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

Cache is king. And if your cache is cut, you are going to feel it.


From Communications of the ACM

Point: Foundations of E-Democracy

Point

Considering the possibility of achieving an e-democracy based on long-established foundations that strengthen both real-world democracies and virtual Internet communities.


From Communications of the ACM

Counterpoint: E-Democracy Won't Save Democracy. Democracy Will Save Democracy

Counterpoint

Increased technology is not the solution to the fundamental issue of declining democratic culture.

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