Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2014
From Schneier on Security
NIGHTSTAND: NSA Exploit of the Day
Today's device from the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group implant catalog:
NIGHTSTAND (TS//SI//REL) An active 802.11 wireless exploitation and injection tool for payload /exploit delivery into otherwise denied target…From Schneier on Security
Refrigerator Sending Spam Messages?
Coming barely weeks after my essay on the security risks from embedded systems, the Proofpoint report of a span-sending refrigerator was just too good to be true. I was skeptical, so I didn't blog it. Now Ars Technica has a…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Automobiles and Information Technology
In Knowledge@Wharton: After the home and office, the automobile is the next place to deal with data and decision. It will include many challenges ..." ... The Promise – and Challenge – of Integrating IT into the Auto Industry…
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Webinar on Solicitations
On Monday, January 27, 2014, the Division of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (ACI) in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be holding a webinar to …
From The Eponymous Pickle
AcuPoll for Tracking Ideas and Decisions
Spoke last week to Jeff Goldstein of AcuPoll. We had used some of their in-conference technologies to understand how people decide. The also do online polling. Better decisions based on understanding strength of ideas. …
From Gödel's Lost Letter and P=NP
Anti-Social Networks
Applications of social networks to arbitrary graphs Tim Roughgarden is a faculty member at Stanford, with interests in modern algorithms—my term. So his research is all about auctions, game theory, microeconomics, and social…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Following Through
I rarely read beginning of the year top ten or efficiency hints, but this is deserves a look. I am in the midst of several decision processes that need people to follow through. How do we ensure that, for ourselves and for…
From The Eponymous Pickle
An Anatomist of Crimes, Decisions
In the Penn Gazette. About an anatomist of crimes. Could we do something similar when we look at decisions? After Action Reviews are one approach we tested, but now with more data could we better link decisions to outcomes?
From Schneier on Security
Questioning the Efficacy of NSA's Bulk-Collection Programs
Two reports have recently been published questioning the efficacy of the NSA's bulk-collection programs. The first one is from the left-leaning New American Foundation (report
From The Eponymous Pickle
Home Telepresence Robotics
In IEEE Spectrum. I recall seeing these proposed for conferences, but never saw one in operation. We examined something similar for warehouse inventory. Appears very cheap ... but would it work well?" .... At the ConsumerSuitable…
From Schneier on Security
LOUDAUTO: NSA Exploit of the Day
Today's item from the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group implant catalog:
LOUDAUTO (TS//SI//REL TO USA,FVEY) Audio-based RF retro-reflector. Provides room audio from targeted space using radar and basic post-processing…From The Eponymous Pickle
Twitter and other Social Connections
I actively use Twitter and Google+. On Twitter I am @FranzD. Have been on Twitter since almost its conception. Selectively, some of the posts in this blog are pointed to on my active social feeds. Sometimes they result…
From Computer Science Teachers Association
Aligning Our Program with the CSTA Standards
Increasing the availability of Computer Science offerings for all students, especially those who are members of underrepresented groups, is going to require an "all hands on deck" approach. Ensuring all students are exposed …
From The Eponymous Pickle
Playing the Varied Games of Life
I had heard of the startup Knack. The HBR discusses the process of evaluating the game of life. And evaluate how you play this game. Is this useful mostly for HR, or for self evaluation during your career? Can it be adapted…
From Daniel Lemire's Blog
Are C++ and Java declining?
In a recent Dr. Dobb’s article, Binstock announced the decline of Java and C++: By all measures, C++ use declined last year, demonstrating that C++11 was not enough to reanimate the language’s fortunes (…) Part of C++’s decline…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Augmented Reality for Wearable Computing
Integrate your contexts, both on you and around you. I like the idea of having an all over aumentation as required. This blog covers related topics. Via Metaio.
From The Eponymous Pickle
Internet of Industrial Things
Have had a number of interesting communications from academics working the industrial edge recently. Here on the Industrial net of things. Via GE, includes a number of good videos on the topic.
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Using The Technology We Preach
Habits die hard. I printed out some end of year surveys for my students to fill out about me (as teacher) and the courses they were finishing last week. Because, you know, that is the way we've always done it. How often do we…
From Schneier on Security
Adware Vendors Buy and Abuse Chrome Extensions
This is not a good development:
To make matters worse, ownership of a Chrome extension can be transferred to another party, and users are never informed when an ownership change happens. Malware and adware vendors have caught…From Putting People First
How should we analyse our lives?
Alex “Sandy” Pentland, a professor of computational social sciences at MIT Media Lab and others like him are now convinced that the great academic divide between “hard” and “soft” sciences is set to disappear, since researchers…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Data Mining Day
I am planning to attend:The Center for Business Analytics in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati is pleased to announceData Mining DayWednesday, February 12, 2014Tangeman University CenterUniversity…
From The Eponymous Pickle
View of Gamification Around the World
A survey from the gamification summit. Some interesting, but not detailed examples. I would not have expected the examples to be very different by region. I had the impression that the industry had quieted down, but . " ..…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Visualizing Growth in Emerging Markets
In Tableau Public: An example of using interactive data visualization to understand expanding markets. Nicely and simply done. Would be interesting to further add a number of narrower industry specific measures. We used simulations…
From The Eponymous Pickle
NantMobile and Macy's
A former colleague of mine now runs NantMobile. In the press it is reported that they are working with Macy's Its interesting too that the company is owned by major Chinese retailer BJ Hualian. ( NantMobile, A NantWorks…
From Schneier on Security
CTX4000: NSA Exploit of the Day
Today's device -- this one isn't an implant -- from the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group implant catalog:
CTX4000 (TS//SI//REL TO USA,FVEY) The CTX4000 is a portable continuous wave (CW) radar unit. It can be used…From The Eponymous Pickle
Amazon Anticipatory Shipping
In TechCrunch, a quick look at Amazon's patent, and implementation of what is being called 'anticipatory sales'. Or shipping before you choose to buy. While this seen as madness in the press, in a general sense it is used…
From Computational Complexity
We don't care about Ballroom Dancing. Should we?
YOU got into your undergrad school because not only were you good at Math but you were on the Fencing Team and in the Latin Club (so you could taunt your opponents in Latin: ouyah allcay athay an alestrabay!). Also you had a …
From The Eponymous Pickle
Experience Design
New book just brought to my attention. " ... Experience Design also serves as a reference tool for both designers and business leaders to help teams collaborate more effectively and to help keep focus on the quality of the…
From Schneier on Security
DDOS Attacks Using NTP
This is new:
The NTP method first began to appear late last year. To bring down a server such as one running "League of Legends," the attackers trick NTP servers into thinking they've been queried by the "League of Legends"The…From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Interesting Links 20 January 2014
It’s the calm before the storm for me. Tomorrow starts semester exams at my school and I’ll be busy this week grading semester projects. I’m a huge fan of end of semester projects over exams. Today though is a school holidayMartin…