BLOG@CACM – Page 27 – Communications of the ACM

Apr 29 2017

Is a comparison between operating systems, which are analyzed by software engineers for conditional execution paths, and possible worlds, which are analyzed by philosophers for consequences under assumptions, rich enough to shed philosophical light on either one?

Robin K. Hill

Computing Profession

Apr 24 2017

Fact Over Fiction

Given a choice between the right to mass-disinform and democracy, I choose democracy.

John Langford

Computing Profession

Apr 23 2017

Evaluating Computer Science Undergraduate Teaching: Why Student Evaluations Are Likely Biased

Unconscious bias is pervasive in computing, and training is our best remedy, how can untrained students evaluate their CS teachers without bias?

Mark Guzdial

Computing Profession

Apr 14 2017

Cyber Insecurity and Cyber Libertarianism

Here we are, 70 years into the computer age and we still do not seem to know how to build secure information systems. And yet, our community marches forward with no special sense of urgency.

Moshe Y. Vardi

Security and Privacy

Apr 1 2017

Crafting a National Cyberdefense, and Preparing to Support Computational Literacy

John Arquilla considers how we should interpret the alleged Russian cyberattack on the U.S. Presidential election; Mark Guzdial describes the potential benefits of a 'computing lab.'

John Arquilla and Mark Guzdial

Computing Applications

Mar 28 2017

Generation CS: When Undergraduates Realized They Needed Computing

A new Computing Research Association report describes the dramatic influx of undergraduates into computer science classes.

Mark Guzdial

Computing Profession

Mar 27 2017

Cybersecurity in the Trump Era

Deterrence is simply the wrong way to think about cybersecurity.

John Arquilla

Computing Profession

Mar 16 2017

Ethical Theories Spotted in Silicon Valley

Some of the prevailing theories of ethics surface in modern high tech. We take a quick and rather superficial look at their tracks on the ground, noting especially the prominence of virtue ethics in predictions and mission statements. But what ethical guidance technology companies actually follow, or should actually follow, remains open to question.

Robin K. Hill

Society

Mar 13 2017

Just Press Reboot

Why does the press continue to talk about "computer problems"?

Bertrand Meyer

Computing Applications

Mar 1 2017

The Slow Evolution of CS For All, The Beauty of Programs

Mark Guzdial considers the steps needed to reach the goal of CS for All, while Robin K. Hill ponders the aesthetics of programming.

Mark Guzdial and Robin K. Hill

Computing Applications

Feb 26 2017

Fact Versus Frivolity in Facebook

Facebook, for the sake of its own business integrity and for the sake of the public, should give up any attempt to guarantee veracity in items posted by users.

Robin K. Hill

Computing Profession

Feb 1 2017

Liberal Arts Academia Wants You!

Janet Davis makes a plea to CS practitioners to consider even a short teaching stint.

Janet Davis

Computing Applications

Jan 31 2017

ACM’s Open-Conference Principle and Political Reality

The Open-Conference Principle is aimed at benefiting society.

Moshe Y. Vardi

Computing Profession

Jan 28 2017

The Work and Inspiration of the Commission on the History and Philosophy of Computing

The international organization HaPoC promotes and sponsors research that brings together the history and the philosophy of computing.

Robin K. Hill

Computing Profession

Jan 9 2017

‘Figure It Out’ Isn’t Enough: Striking a New Balance Between Understanding, Problem-Solving, and Design in Introductory CS Classes

Intro CS courses should help students understand programs more and problem-solve less.

Mark Guzdial

Education

Jan 1 2017

How We Teach CS2All, and What to Do About Database Decay

Valerie Barr considers how to make computer science education meaningful and relevant to all, while a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory offers strategies to counter database decay.

Computing Applications

Dec 30 2016

Fiction as Model Theory

Like model theory, fiction deploys a theory and an interpretation. An interpretation that makes the statements of the theory true demonstrates consistency, in both realms.

Robin K. Hill

Computing Profession

Dec 20 2016

Null-Pointer Crashes, No More

Void safety is a guarantee that no code will ever catch a reference with its pants down.

Bertrand Meyer

Computing Applications

Dec 19 2016

The Real Lesson of the Alleged Russian Hack

Despite more than two decades of consistent public warnings that have reached the highest levels of government, cybersecurity throughout much of the world is in a shameful state of unpreparedness.

John Arquilla

Computing Profession

Dec 2 2016

What Happened?

As forecasters attempt to understand exactly what happened in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the data itself may hold vital clues.

Sheldon H. Jacobson, Jason J. Sauppe, and Steven E. Rigdon

Computing Profession

Seal of the President of the United States.

Dec 1 2016

ICER 2016, and Star Trek at 50

Mark Guzdial reports on promising papers, and Daniel Reed recalls a television show that continues to inspire innovation.

Mark Guzdial and Daniel Reed

Education

Nov 29 2016

The Work and Inspiration of the APA Newsletter on Philosophy and Computers

The Newsletter of the Committee on Computing and Philosophy of the American Philosophical Association offers a wide range of scholarly work in the philosophy of computer science, affording entry to this field for practitioners and academics in a variety of ways.

Robin K. Hill

Computing Profession

Nov 28 2016

Taking Incremental Steps Towards CS For All

U.S. states are developing novel, incremental approaches to CS for All.

Mark Guzdial

Computing Profession

Nov 1 2016

Is Academia Guilty of Intellectual Colonization of Practice?

Researchers should not treat practitioners as mere objects of their studies or simple sources of data, but work towards creating research partnerships with practitioners.

Zeljko Obrenovic

Education

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