What Does a Computer Scientist Do?
About a potentially radical redevelopment of the computing curriculum in Scotland
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Impact, Not Indicators or Artifacts
It is worth remembering that our field grew from the confluence of mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, psychology, information theory and management and a host of other disciplines. The founders were radicals and iconoclasts, eschewing the extant culture of their disciplines because this new notion of computing was so pregnant with possibilities that could transform society and the nature of discovery.
How We Make Decisions About CS1
How do we decide what to put in our introductory courses, and for who, and using what language? My experience suggests that we make our decisions more on the basis of history, fads, and social pressure, than on what we believe is best for the students.
A brief description of a UK project which attempts to predict what society will be like in 30 years time.
Progress in Internet Networking in La
Access to the Internet has always been a problem in South America and especially in some areas where there is no infrastructure, but this is slowly changing.
"Castilla la Nueva" Colombia
Reflections on the the Japanese railyway system as a modern marvel of efficiency and infrastructure.
Is it time to capture the magic that attracted us into computer science in an essential course called Computing?
Jeannette M. Wing writes about the need for a comprehensive research agenda, Daniel Reed discusses high-performance computing, and Mark Guzdial shares insights about women in computing.
Bridging Cultures For Collaboration
All too often, our technical curricula fail to focus on the human aspect of cross-domain collaboration. Technical skills are necessary, but not sufficient. One must also understand and meld the disparate motivations of the collaborative team in a positive and productive way to achieve success.
Computer Science Outreach: Meeting the Kids Half-Way
Some thoughts on how to interest young people in computer science, based on some recent workshops.
No, We’re Not Losing Our Ability to Think Critically
A response to the July 2009 CACM article: "Are We Losing Our Ability to Think Critically?" In short: nope! There isn't much evidence to support this, so relax.
Correction and Updates on Role of APCS in Undergraduate Enrollment
The number of students taking the Advanced Placement Exam in Computer Science (APCS) is distressingly low. My earlier data were wrong, but even with these data, the bottom line remains that most students have no access to the APCS at all.
As we consider how to explain the necessity of long-term investment in science and technology research and development, as we teach a new generation of students, and as we seek to broaden the base of participation in computing, it behooves us to remember the small child in each of us, the one who watched in open mouthed wonder, who felt the chill run down their spine and sensed the passion of others who were committed to discovery.
Real-world hyperlinks find their way into the most surprising places, and in the process become a staple of a Japanese mobile culture.
The Biggest Gains Come From Knowing Your Data
Throwing an off-the-shelf machine learning package at your data can get you started, but the biggest gains come when you learn about your data and your customers.
Are Latin American countries prepared enough to deal with the environmental and health risks caused by techno-garbage?
July 6 2009, is the starting date for the second edition of “campus party” which is one of the most important technological shows of the world.
Science fiction has long told of a Universe thick with real-time speech-to-speech translation devices, and recent experiences in the land of the rising sun suggest that this reality may not be that far away.
Sharing Ideas, Writing Apps, and Creating a Professional Web Presence
Greg Linden reveals his new approach to reading research papers, Mark Guzdial discusses how to encourage students to write computer programs, and Tessa Lau shares her ideas about the importance of Web visibility.
The End of a DBMS Era (Might Be Upon Us)
Relational database management systems (DBMSs) have been remarkably successful in capturing the DBMS marketplace. To a first approximation they are “the only game in town,” and the major vendors enjoy an overwhelming market share. They are selling “one size fits all”; i.e., a single relational engine appropriate for all DBMS needs. Moreover, the code line from all of the major vendors is quite elderly. Hence, the major vendors sell software that is a quarter century old, and has been extended and morphed to meet today’s needs. In my opinion, these legacy systems are at the end of their useful life.
Science and sake in equal parts at the National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute orientation.
Designing Effective Interfaces For Usable Privacy and Security
I often cringe when I hear highly technical engineers talk about people. I usually hear broad generalizations tossed about, like "people are lazy, that's why they can't use the system", or "people don't understand security". The worst is "people are just stupid". This lack of empathy is one of the main causes of poor user interface design today.
With this in mind, I explore issues of user interface design for usable privacy and security, looking at the bigger picture of how to design useful, usable, and desirable interfaces in this space.
The nudges of libertarian paternalism have insights for computing education.
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