March 2021 - Vol. 64 No. 3

Features

Opinion Editor's letter Mar 1 2021

Around the World: (The First Time) with <i>Communications'</i> Regional Special Sections

In 2017, we made the strategic decision to launch Communications' Regional Special Sections. Next month (April 2021), we will publish the special section for Arabia, completing our circumnavigation of the world. The special sections have emerged as a "multicultured splendor."

Andrew A. Chien

Computing Profession

Opinion Departments Mar 1 2021

The People vs. Tech

Today, the top seven companies in the S&P 500 index are all tech companies. Large companies wield power, and that often leads to a clash between these companies and "The People," that is, with governments.

Moshe Y. Vardi

Computing Profession

Careers Career paths in computing Mar 1 2021

Enabling Renewable Energy Through Smarter Grids

We have enormous power to change the world through the systems we create. A world with clean air and water in which every person is respected seems like something we can all aspire to.

Graham Oakes

Architecture and Hardware

BLOG@CACM Mar 1 2021

Disputing Dijkstra, and Birthdays in Base 2

Mark Guzdial takes issue with Dijkstra's metaphors, while Joel C. Adams considers how birthdays might differ if based on binary numbers.

Mark Guzdial and Joel C. Adams

Data and Information

News Mar 1 2021

The Power of Quantum Complexity

A theorem about computations that exploit quantum mechanics challenges longstanding ideas in mathematics and physics.

Don Monroe

Architecture and Hardware

News Mar 1 2021

Fact-Finding Mission

Artificial intelligence provides automatic fact-checking and fake news detection, but with limits.

Neil Savage

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

dial gauge measures from 'true' to 'false'

News Mar 1 2021

Can the Biases in Facial Recognition Be Fixed; Also, Should They?

Many facial recognition systems used by law enforcement are shot through with biases. Can anything be done to make them fair and trustworthy?

Paul Marks

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

facial recognition data points on four faces

News Mar 1 2021

Edmund M. Clarke (1945–2020)

Edmund Melson Clarke, Jr., a celebrated American academic who developed methods for mathematically proving the correctness of computer systems, died on December 22, 2020 at the age of 75 from complications of COVID-19.

Simson Garfinkel and Eugene H. Spafford

Architecture and Hardware

A.M. Turing Award Laureate Edmund M. Clarke

Opinion Legally speaking Mar 1 2021

The Push for Stricter Rules for Internet Platforms

Considering the origins, interpretations, and possible changes to Communications Decency Act §230 amid an evolving online environment.

Pamela Samuelson

Architecture and Hardware

scissors and paper clips on text of Section 230

Opinion Privacy Mar 1 2021

Informing California Privacy Regulations with Evidence from Research

Designing and testing 'Do Not Sell My Personal Information' icons.

Lorrie Faith Cranor

Computing Applications

Opinion Computing ethics Mar 1 2021

What To Do About Deepfakes

Seeking to reap the positive uses of synthetic media while minimizing or preventing negative societal impact.

Deborah G. Johnson and Nicholas Diakopoulos

Computing Applications

Opinion The profession of IT Mar 1 2021

Science Is Not Another Opinion

The issue is not who has the "truth," but whose claims deserve more credence.

Peter J. Denning and Jeffrey Johnson

Computing Applications

clean face and bearded face on front and back of a bust

Opinion Viewpoint Mar 1 2021

50 Years of Pascal

The Pascal programming language creator Niklaus Wirth reflects on its origin, spread, and further development.

Niklaus Wirth

Computing Applications

Opinion Viewpoint Mar 1 2021

What Can the Maker Movement Teach Us About the Digitization of Creativity?

Experimenting with the creative process.

Sascha Friesike, Frédéric Thiesse, and George Kuk

Computing Applications

Opinion Viewpoint Mar 1 2021

The Transformation of Patient-Clinician Relationships with AI-based Medical Advice

A "bring your own algorithm" era in healthcare.

Computing Applications

Practice Mar 1 2021

A Second Conversation with Werner Vogels

The Amazon CTO sits with Tom Killalea to discuss designing for evolution at scale.

CACM Staff

Computing Applications

Amazon chief technology officer Werner Vogels

Practice Mar 1 2021

Out-of-This-World Additive Manufacturing

From thingamabobs to rockets, 3D printing takes many forms.

Jessie Frazelle

Architecture and Hardware

Research and Advances Contributed articles Mar 1 2021

The Decline of Computers as a General Purpose Technology

Technological and economic forces are now pushing computing away from being general purpose and toward specialization.

Neil C. Thompson and Svenja Spanuth

Architecture and Hardware

chip and circuit board melting, illustration

Research and Advances Contributed articles Mar 1 2021

Educational Interventions and Female Enrollment in IT Degrees

A study of female students enrolled in IT degrees in Australia traces how programs influenced decision making.

Andreea Molnar, Therese Keane, and Rosemary Stockdale

Computing Profession

Research and Advances Contributed articles Mar 1 2021

Gender Trends in Computer Science Authorship

Under optimistic projection models, gender parity is forecast to be reached after 2100.

Lucy Lu Wang, Gabriel Stanovsky, Luca Weihs, and Oren Etzioni

Computing Applications

girl sitting alone at desk in front of a large window

Research and Advances Review articles Mar 1 2021

Cyber Reconnaissance Techniques

The evolution of and countermeasures for existing reconnaissance techniques.

Wojciech Mazurczyk and Luca Caviglione

Computing Profession

Research and Advances Review articles Mar 1 2021

Knowledge Graphs

Tracking the historical events that lead to the interweaving of data and knowledge.

Claudio Gutierrez and Juan F. Sequeda

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Research and Advances Research highlights Mar 1 2021

Technical Perspective: Why Don’t Today’s Deep Nets Overfit to Their Training Data?

"Understanding Deep Learning (Still) Requires Rethinking Generalization," Chiyuan Zhang, et al., brings a fundamental new theoretical challenge: Why don't today's deep nets overfit to training data?

Sanjeev Arora

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Research and Advances Research highlights Mar 1 2021

Understanding Deep Learning (Still) Requires Rethinking Generalization

In this work, we presented a simple experimental framework for interrogating purported measures of generalization.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Research and Advances Research highlights Mar 1 2021

Technical Perspective: Localizing Insects Outdoors

"3D Localization for Subcentimeter-Sized Devices," by Iyer, et al., neatly separates and solves the problems of robotic locomotion, sensing, localization, and communications packaged into a tiny payload.

Prabal Dutta

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Research highlights Mar 1 2021

3D Localization for Subcentimeter-Sized Devices

We present the first localization system that consumes microwatts of power at a mobile device and can be localized across multiple rooms in settings such as homes and hospitals.

Rajalakshmi Nandakumar, Vikram Iyer, and Shyamnath Gollakota

Computing Applications

button cell battery and ?Locate prototype

Opinion Last byte Mar 1 2021

Awakening

Some technical support will never change.

Brian Clegg

Architecture and Hardware

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