Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
May 2021
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
Watch “The Artificial Intelligence Era: What will the future look like?”
Recently, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists — a media organization that “equips the public, policymakers, and scientists with the information needed to reduce man-made threats to our existence” and is famous for their Doomsday…
From Schneier on Security
AI Security Risk Assessment Tool
Microsoft researchers just released an open-source automation tool for security testing AI systems: “Counterfit.” Details on their blog.
From insideHPC
AI Demand Pushes against Skills Shortage, Lack of IT Infrastructure – IBM
As with other areas of the economy (chips, workforce), demand isn’t the problem in the AI market, it’s supply: supply of knowledge and skills, and supply of technology. IBM this morning released the results of its Global AI Adoption…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Bruce Schneier: Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival
Just now reading a review copy of Bruce Schneier's: "Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-Connected World" His latest security book. So far and as usual very usefully informative. Don't like the…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Ransomware on US Pipeline Infrastructure
Example of very large consequences for such an attack. Threats to such infrastructure must be prevented.
Ransomware Attack Leads to Shutdown of Major U.S. Pipeline System
The Washington Post Ellen Nakashima; Yeganeh Torbati…From The Eponymous Pickle
GE Work on COVID Virus Sensor
Considerable value if this works in practice.
GE Scientists Developing Technology to Add COVID-19 Virus Detector to Your Mobile Device
Sensing Materials in GE Research Press Release
Awarded National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant…From The Eponymous Pickle
Codenet AI Translating Computer Languages
Certainly interesting, but how good, secure is the resulting translation?
IBM's CodeNet dataset can teach AI to translate computer languages By A. Tarantola in Engadget
AI and machine learning systems have become increasinglyOver…From insideHPC
Winter Classic Student HPC Cluster Competition Closes with Awards and Rich Brueckner Scholarships
By Dan Olds The first annual Winter Classic Cluster came to a thrilling conclusion Friday afternoon with the Gala Awards Ceremony, hosted on Zoom. This was the culmination of a several months work by the students to learn how…
From insideHPC
Supermicro’s New Line of AMD EPYC-based Systems: Addressing HPC Needs across the Spectrum
Supermicro recently launched its A+ line of systems based on AMD’s new EPYC 7nm microprocessors – products that include servers, storage, GPU-optimized, SuperBlade, and Multi-Node Twin Solutions designed, according to Vik Malyala…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Detecting and Using Emotion in Language Interaction
Interesting ideas implied here, but not proven, We worked on two kinds of 'emotion' Detecting emotion in consumer reactions, then classifying and determining its strength. Also embedding it in bot style interactions with…
From The Eponymous Pickle
AI's for Art Forgery?
Some good points made here, in their current state these are not really even forgery-perfect. But they could be. And not to say they could not do other kinds of counterfeiting that don't require so much testing and identity…
From insideHPC
Altair One Cloud Platform Built for Collaborative Design & Development
Modeling-simulation software vendor Altair today announced GA of new features in Altair One, an integrated platform combining the company’s entire product suite and HPC capabilities. Designed to lower barriers between computer…
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
Seeking Nominations for the Inaugural IEEE Frances E. Allen Medal
Last year the IEEE announced the creation of the IEEE Frances E Allen medal, recognizing the contributions of Frances “Fran” E. Allen as an American computer scientist and pioneer in the field of optimizing compilers. Allen spent…
From insideHPC
Kao Data Hosts Civo’s OCP-Ready Kubernetes Cloud Platform
London, May 10, 2021 — Kao Data, operator of advanced, carrier neutral data centres for high performance colocation, today announced a new customer in Civo, a flexible, developer-first cloud platform based on K3s Kubernetes technology…
From Schneier on Security
Ransomware Shuts Down US Pipeline
This is a major story: a probably Russian cybercrime group called DarkSide shut down the Colonial Pipeline in a ransomware attack. The pipeline supplies much of the East Coast. This is the new and improved ransomware attack:stole…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Decision Trees and Random forests
This is fundamental stuff, that every practitioner should know well. Its the simplest way that machines can be made to learn. And provides a good way to deliver real results. Nice description... most is quite non-technical.…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Swarm Robotics
A space we touched on very early ... even before many robots were involved! But you could see the sensors and 'actors' were needed very quickly. Had an element of crowdsourcing to it too. Think goals tasks and data gathering…
From insideHPC
Lustre User Group Virtual Event Hosted by OpenSFS and the Univ. of Florida May 19-20
BEAVERTON, Ore., — Open Scalable File Systems (OpenSFS), the non-profit advancing the Lustre file system community, has announced plans for the virtual 2021 Lustre User Group (LUG) conference, May 19-20, 2021, hosted by OpenSFS…
From Yoshua Bengio
When Maximizing Individual Interests Can Make Us All Lose (usually some losing more than others)
Many experts, but not enough people, are well aware that markets can fail to achieve the goal of maximizing long-term wealth, and indeed they do…
L’article When Maximizing Individual Interests Can Make Us All Lose (usually some…From Schneier on Security
Newly Unclassified NSA Document on Cryptography in the 1970s
This is a newly unclassified NSA history of its reaction to academic cryptography in the 1970s: “New Comes Out of the Closet: The Debate over Public Cryptography in the Inman Era,” Cryptographic Quarterly, Spring 1996, author…
From Computational Complexity
Trump, Facebook, and ComplexityBlog
I care about the Facebook decision to ban Trump, but I do not have a strong opinion about it. I have heard arguments on both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow... I don't know how I feel. So instead of posting my…
From The Eponymous Pickle
On Clearer Communications in Unclear times
Well done piece in HBR on implied rules of communications. Have they changed? Been made more important in hybrid times? Now that we have a dozen more ways to communicate. Below link to the broader article in Quester.
Did…From The Eponymous Pickle
Using AI for Contract Negotiations
Nothing mentioned about 'smart contracts', but surely you can see the possibilities linking from this. ? They say that Walmart has been a user of the idea.
How Companies Use AI for Contract Negotiations
For foodies traveling…From The Eponymous Pickle
Examining 3D Customer Experiences
Nicely put short piece in Customer Think about how customers will be attracted and engagedwith 3D experiences. And some notable examples like IKEA Place, which I have worked with. My current look at LiDAR also edges onReimagining…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Google Pushes 2-Factor Authentication
Am a long time proponent of the idea. Its not perfect security, but is a big step forward.
Google Gets Serious About Two-Factor Authentication. Good! in Wired
The tech giant wants to push its billions of users—and the rest of…From The Eponymous Pickle
Nokia and Claro Chile deploy Private Wireless Network for Minera Gold Fields
Ultimately how to get security, build private networks. makes sense for gold mining, and most every other business.
Nokia and Claro Chile deploy private wireless network for Minera Gold Fields
Press Release GlobeNewswire
Nokia…From The Eponymous Pickle
Kroger Drone Delivery Experiment
Had not heard much of this, but Kroger is apparently testing at a Centerville Ohio Kroger not far from us. Can someone from there provide some observations? Some interesting details in the article below. Given the limitations…
From The Eponymous Pickle
McKinsey: How to Get Re-Skilling Right
Might be just the thing we need post pandemic.
Monthly Highlights, May 2021
Dear Franz,
We know that demands on your time are intense and information overload is a real challenge as all of us inch our way out of this pandemic.We…From The Eponymous Pickle
Wolfram Physics: On Year Update: How’s It Going?
With a physics background, always found this somewhat ungraspable, but on it goes. And now an update. I have yet to hear that traditional physics is applauding this, so I guess that is still my main objection. And I don't…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Accenture: Get a Secure, Trustworthy Internet
Good, considerable piece by Accenture, pointed to below. Who we worked with in the past. Have been of late become involved in related efforts and find some their points key. As has been reported here. How do we secureSecuring…