Communications of the ACM.

Includes bibliographical references.

Where have all the domestic graduate students gone? -- Lost in translation -- Teaching CS undergrads online to work with others effectively -- It's alive! -- AI on edge -- Virtual collaboration in the age of the coronavirus -- A recent renaissance in privacy law -- Autonomous vehicle safety: lessons from aviation -- Avalanches make us all innovators -- Integrating management science into the HPC research ecosystem -- 'Have you thought about...': talking about ethical implications of research -- Dark patterns: past, present, and future -- Is persistent memory persistent? -- Becoming an 'adaptive' expert -- Improving social alignment during digital transformation -- Keeping CALM: when distributed consistency is easy -- Technical perspective: Computing the value of location data -- Computing value of spatiotemporal information -- Technical perspective: Progress in spatial computing for flood prediction -- Flood-risk analysis on terrains -- Little green message: a different kind of first-contact scenario.

[Article Title: Where have all the domestic graduate students gone? / Moshe Y. Vardi, Page 5] ;[Article Title: Lost in translation / CACM Staff, p. Page 9-10] ;[Article Title: Teaching CS undergrads online to work with others effectively / Orit Hazzan, Page 12-13] Abstract: The Communications Web site, http://cacm.acm.org, features more than a dozen bloggers in the BLOG@CACM community. In each issue of Communications, we'll publish selected posts or excerpts.;[Article Title: It's alive! / Gregory Mone, Pages 15-17] Abstract: Scientists and engineers cross the reality gap, transferring simulated evolution into real machines.;[Article Title: AI on edge / Samuel Greengard, Pages 18-20] Abstract: Shifting artificial intelligence to the "edge" of the network could transform computing... and everyday life. ;[Article Title: Virtual collaboration in the age of the coronavirus / Paul Marks, Pages 21-23] Abstract: Videoconferencing apps took off during the COVID-19 lockdowns, but more efficient ways to collaborate virtually are waiting in the wings. ;[Article Title: A recent renaissance in privacy law / Margot Kaminski, Pages 24-27] Abstract: Considering the recent increased attention to privacy law issues amid the typically slow pace of legal change.;[Article Title: Autonomous vehicle safety: lessons from aviation / Jaynarayan H. Lala, Carl E. Landwehr, and John F. Meyer Pages 28-31] Abstract: How more than 25years of experience with aviation safety-critical systems can be applied to autonomous vehicle systems.;[Article Title: Avalanches make us all innovators, Peter J. Denning, Pages 32-34] Abstract: Avalanches generate enormous breakdowns. The practices of innovation adoption may be just what you need to resolve them.;[Article Title: Integrating management science into the HPC research ecosystem / Guido Schryen, Pages 35-37] Abstract: How management science benefits from High Performance Computing. ;[Article Title: 'Have you thought about...': talking about ethical implications of research / Amy Bruckman, Pages 38-40] Abstract: Considering the good and the bad effects of technology.;[Article Title: Dark patterns: past, present, and future / Arvind Narayanan, Arunesh Mathur, Marshini Chetty, and Mihir Kshirsagar, Pages 42-47] Abstract: The evolution of tricky user interfaces.;[Article Title: Is persistent memory persistent? / Terence Kelly, Pages 48-54] Abstract: A simple and inexpensive test of failure-atomic update mechanisms.;[Article Title: Becoming an 'adaptive' expert /Quinn Burke and Cinamon Sunrise Bailey, Pages 54-64] Abstract: Investigating student knowledge transfer and metacognitive activities at college CS departments and at coding bootcamps.;[Article Title: Improving social alignment during digital transformation / Andrew Burton-Jones, Alicia Gilchrist, Peter Green, and Michael Draheim, Pages 65-71] Abstract: Exploring what leaders can do to improve and sustain social alignment over time.;[Article Title: Keeping CALM: when distributed consistency is easy / Joseph M. Hellerstein and Peter Alvaro, Pages 72-81] Abstract: In distributed systems theory, CALM presents a result that delineates the frontier of the possible.;[Article Title: Technical perspective: Computing the value of location data / Cyrus Shahabi, Page 84] ;[Article Title: Computing value of spatiotemporal information / Heba Aly, John Krumm, Gireeja Ranade, and Eric Horvitz, Pages 85-92] Abstract: Location data from mobile devices is a sensitive yet valuable commodity for location-based services and advertising. We investigate the intrinsic value of location data in the context of strong privacy, where location information is only available from end users via purchase. We present an algorithm to compute the expected value of location data from a user, without access to the specific coordinates of the location data point. We use decision-theoretic techniques to provide a principled way for a potential buyer to make purchasing decisions about private user location data. We illustrate our approach in three scenarios: the delivery of targeted ads specific to a user's home location, the estimation of traffic speed, and the prediction of location. In all three cases, the methodology leads to quantifiably better purchasing decisions than competing approaches.;[Article Title: Technical perspective: Progress in spatial computing for flood prediction / Shashi Shekhar, Page 93] ;[Article Title: Flood-risk analysis on terrains / Aaron Lowe, Pankaj K. Agarwal, and Mathias Rav, Pages 94-102] Abstract: An important problem in terrain analysis is modeling how water flows across a terrain and creates floods by filling up depressions. In this paper, we study a number of flood-risk related problems: given a terrain Σ, represented as a triangulated xy-monotone surface with n vertices, a rain distribution R, and a volume of rain Ψ, determine which portions of Σ are flooded. We give an overview of efficient algorithms for these problems as well as explore the efficacy and efficiency of these algorithms on real terrains.;[Article Title: Little green message: a different kind of first-contact scenario / Brian Clegg, Pages 104-ff] Abstract: From the intersection of computational science and technological speculation, with boundaries limited only by our ability to imagine what could be.