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dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectComputers And Society
authorThe Atlantic
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Immortal But Damned to Hell on Earth
From ACM Opinion

Immortal But Damned to Hell on Earth

Imagine a supercomputer so advanced that it could hold the contents of a human brain.

Hacking the Brain
From ACM Opinion

Hacking the Brain

The perfectibility of the human mind is a theme that has captured our imagination for centuries—the notion that, with the right tools, the right approach, the right...

Facebook Is Eating the Internet
From ACM Careers

Facebook Is Eating the Internet

Facebook, it seems, is unstoppable. The social publishing site, just 11 years old, is now the dominant force in American media.

Even Computers Are ­nsure About Their March Madness Brackets
From ACM Opinion

Even Computers Are ­nsure About Their March Madness Brackets

By this point of March Madness, with three games left in the men's NCAA basketball tournament, most brackets are busted.

How Isis Succeeds on Social Media Where #stopkony Fails
From ACM Opinion

How Isis Succeeds on Social Media Where #stopkony Fails

Social networks offer an incredible tool for tapping into the collective unconscious, a virtual Jungian arena in which competition might be expected to amplify...

The Robot That Knows When to Swipe Right
From ACM Opinion

The Robot That Knows When to Swipe Right

I have come to think of Tinder as a sort algorithm for the mind.

Televised Football Is Looking More Like a Video Game—in Subtle Ways
From ACM Opinion

Televised Football Is Looking More Like a Video Game—in Subtle Ways

It is impossible to consider American football without considering television.

The Cathedral of Computation
From ACM Opinion

The Cathedral of Computation

Algorithms are everywhere, supposedly.

When Fitbit Is the Expert Witness
From ACM Opinion

When Fitbit Is the Expert Witness

Self-tracking using a wearable device can be fascinating. It can drive you to exercise more, make you reflect on how much (or little) you sleep, and help you...

The Adultery Arms Race
From ACM Opinion

The Adultery Arms Race

Jay's wife, Ann, was supposed to be out of town on business.

The Internet Is Losing Interest in Computers
From ACM Opinion

The Internet Is Losing Interest in Computers

You may know Google Trends.

Want to Reform the Nsa? Give Edward Snowden Immunity
From ACM Opinion

Want to Reform the Nsa? Give Edward Snowden Immunity

In 1970, Christopher Pyle disclosed in public writing that the U.S. Army was running a domestic intelligence program aimed at anti-war and civil-rights activists...

The Coming Age of the Internet Naturalist
From ACM Careers

The Coming Age of the Internet Naturalist

Three years ago, Shaun Winterton was looking at photos of bugs on Flickr.

The New Editors of the Internet
From ACM Opinion

The New Editors of the Internet

Bowing to their better civic natures, and the pleas of James Foley's family, Twitter and YouTube have pulled down videos and photos of his murder.

Email Is Still the Best Thing on the Internet
From ACM Opinion

Email Is Still the Best Thing on the Internet

All these people are trying to kill email.

How to Invent a Person Online
From ACM Opinion

How to Invent a Person Online

On April 8, 2013, I received an envelope in the mail from a nonexistent return address in Toledo, Ohio.

The Beautiful, Invisible Game
From ACM Opinion

The Beautiful, Invisible Game

The first goal of the 2014 World Cup was Brazilian, and it was an own goal.

The Eccentric Genius Whose Time May Have Finally Come (again)
From ACM Opinion

The Eccentric Genius Whose Time May Have Finally Come (again)

I've been preoccupied lately with thoughts of marauding broomsticks, genies in bottles, and monkey's paws.

How Darpa's Augmented Reality Software Works
From ACM Opinion

How Darpa's Augmented Reality Software Works

Six years ago, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) decided that they had a new dream. The agency wanted a system that would overlay digital tactical...

Should ­.s. Hackers Fix Cybersecurity Holes or Exploit Them?
From ACM Opinion

Should ­.s. Hackers Fix Cybersecurity Holes or Exploit Them?

There's a debate going on about whether the U.S. government—specifically, the NSA and United States Cyber Command—should stockpile Internet vulnerabilities or disclose...
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