Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2014
From Geeking with Greg
Quick links
What caught my attention lately: Colorful description of Google's servers in 1999: "A thin layer of cork to protect the motherboards from the cookie trays on which they were mounted ... Rack switches were bungee corded to the…
From Schneier on Security
SOMBERKNAVE: NSA Exploit of the Day
Today's item from the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group implant catalog:
SOMBERKNAVE (TS//SI//REL) SOMBERKNAVE is Windows XP wireless software implant that provides covert internet connectivity for isolated targets…From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
DARPA announces Open Catalog
On February 4, 2014, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced the launch of the DARPA Open Catalog, a website that brings together source code and other data sets for public DARPA-funded projects. DARPA…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Remaking the Industrial Economy
From McKinsey: Had not heard of the concept defined here. " ... Remaking the industrial economy ... A regenerative economic model—the circular economy—is starting to help companies create more value while reducing their dependence…
From The Eponymous Pickle
More Privacy Implications of Google Glass
In Forbes. Creepier yet? Or just a natural extension of technology into many parts of or lives. The power of a single blink. " .... Google Glass is on a roll. … The newest update to Glass, however, includes…a photo app that…
From U.S. Public Policy Committee of the ACM
Congressional App Challenge 2014
The first annual Congressional App Challenge, established by the U.S. House of Representatives, invites high school students to use their programming and other computer science knowledge and skills to develop innovative software…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Self Washing Dishes
From Idea Connection. Another example of materials science advances. Still in early development. " .... The dishes, created in collaboration with researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, feature a coating made from…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Big Money in Open Source
There is big money in open source. " ... Data scientists that focus on open source technologies make more money than those dealing in proprietary technologies. ... "
From Schneier on Security
1971 Social Engineering Attack
From Betty Medsger's book on the 1971 FBI burglary (page 22):
As burglars, they used some unusual techniques, ones Davidon enjoyed recalling years later, such as what some of them did in 1970 at a draft board office in Delaware…From The Eponymous Pickle
Reinventing the in Store App
Good discussion. It could use some reinventing. And also some standardizing. " ... Why exactly does a retail store need a good mobile app? There are two reasons. First, smartphones are stealing attention from the in-store experience…
From U.S. Public Policy Committee of the ACM
Reports On Surveillance Programs Vary In Engagement With Technology
In January both the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) and the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies (Review Group) issued their reports on intelligence surveillance programs…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Motorola's Research Lab
Always interested in the concept of innovation and R&D labs, having been involved in several myself. Now I see that Google has kept Motorola's labs, why? Because it is hardware oriented? We worked with Motorola in our own…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Sandra Hughes Strategies
Just had an excellent consultation with Sandra Hughes, former P&G colleague and compliance and privacy executive. She has a strategies group. See also her Linkedin information.
From Schneier on Security
MAESTRO-II: NSA Exploit of the Day
Today's item from the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group implant catalog:
MAESTRO-II (TS//SI//REL) MAESTRO-II is a miniaturized digital core packaged in a Multi-Chip Module (MCM) to be used in implants with size constraining…From Computer Science Teachers Association
Lessons Learned While Implementing a Dual Credit Course.
I'd like to share with you some of the opportunities and barriers we encountered while implementing a dual credit CS course in high schools across New Mexico. New Mexico Computer Science for All, an NSF-CE21 funded CS10K program…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Why Innovation Programs Fail
In Innovation Excellence: Why Innovation programs fail. Good elements to consider. " ... Program managers who don’t establish clear goals, identify key stakeholders, keep their employees engaged, and allow the feedback loop…
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
Blue Sky Ideas Track Being Held at AAMAS 2014
This year the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is sponsoring a Blue Sky Ideas Track at AAMAS, the Thirteenth International Conference on Autonomous Agents and MutliAgent Systems. AAMAS is the largest and most prestigious …
From Schneier on Security
Hacking Airline Lounges for Free Meals
I think this is a great hack:
A man bought a first-class ticket and used it to have free meals and drinks at the airport's VIP lounge almost every day for nearly a year, Kwong Wah Yit Poh reported. The itinerary for the ticket…From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Software Is Empowering
Microsoft ran their first ever Super Bowl commercial over the weekend. While it is obviously a advertisement for Microsoft and Microsoft products I see it as an advertisement of the empowering and life changing potential of computer…
From The Eponymous Pickle
iTacit Compliance
Also brought to my attention in the area of employee engagement, training and compliance: iTacit." ... iTacit is a next-generation technology company that builds cost-effective products to connect and engage your team, making…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Rethinking Customer Conversion
A new look at the process of conversion. Good thoughts. " ... As Peter Drucker elegantly said, “the purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer”. ... By focusing on conversion rates, digital marketers risk losing…
From Daniel Lemire's Blog
Compression is never worth slowing down your code?
Should you ever compress your data to reduce memory usage? We are in 2050. Nobody uses tapes or disks anymore. The NSA has 1 billion servers. It needs so many to hold all of the data in memory. A contractor offers a marvellous…
From The Eponymous Pickle
More Chromecast Apps
A systems developer kit for the Chromecast. Had cause to look at devices like the Google Chromecast recently for potential retail display applications. This development opens up some opportunities. " ... The Chromecast is…
From The Eponymous Pickle
IARPA Explores Methods to Build Human Analytical Skills
A project to which I am connected started last week. Will continue to provide updates in this space as I can.Adam Russell: IARPA Explores Methods to Build Human Analytical Skills The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects…
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
NSF awards grants to US-Japan partnership projects for next-generation networking technologies
In May of 2013, we reported that the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) of Japan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), facilitating a partnership…
From Schneier on Security
JUNIORMINT: NSA Exploit of the Day
Today's item from the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group implant catalog:
JUNIORMINT (TS//SI//REL) JUNIORMINT is a digital core packaged in both a mini Printed circuit Board (PCB), to be used in typical concealments…From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
NSF Distinguished Lecture – Embedded Phenomena:Technologies for Making Believe and Building Understanding
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) is pleased to announce a Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at 12:00 pm (EST) titled Designing Embedded…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Beyond Data Science Tookits
In Data Science Central, a post by Peter Higdon about a number of resources for the beginning data scientist. Courses, videos, definitions, etc. Usefully done. In general the whole topic is an umbrella over many technologies…
From U.S. Public Policy Committee of the ACM
Hill Tech Happenings, Week of February 3
February 4 Hearing: The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on data breaches and cybercrime. 10:15 a.m., 226 Dirksen Building February 5 The Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Evaluating Product Pricing
On evaluating product pricing, a long time analytics methodology for retail and CPG. How can pricing be disruptive and what are the long term and short term implications? " ... Negotiation on pricing is never an easy conversation…