Communications of the ACM
The blog archive provides access to past blog postings from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
August 2015
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Drag and Drop Programming–Some Opinions
Seriously now! Just how many drag and drop programming languages/environments do we really need? Differences between them are small. The list I have (Drag and drop programming languages) is getting longer all the time. As I write…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Programming the Quantum Future
So what will this world look like, once it finally arrives? " ... Co-author Benoît Valiron discusses quantum computing and "Programming the Quantum Future" , a Contributed Article in the August 2015 Communications of the ACM…
From Schneier on Security
Another Salvo in the Second Crypto War (of Words)
Prosecutors from New York, London, Paris, and Madrid wrote an op-ed in yesterday's New York Times in favor of backdoors in cell phone encryption. There are a number of flaws in their argument, ranging from how easy it is to get…
From insideHPC
UberCloud Publishes 3rd Compendium of HPC Cloud Case Studies
The UberCloud has published their 3rd Compendium of HPC Cloud Case Studies. Like its predecessors in 2013 and 2014, this year’s edition draws from a select group of projects undertaken as part of the UberCloud Experiment. "Our…
From insideHPC
Video: An Intuitive Introduction to the Fourier Transform and FFT
"The fast fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is a powerful tool for looking at time-based measurements in an interesting way, but do you understand what it does? This talk will start from basic geometry and explain what the fourier…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Smartwatches with Templates for Business
In CWorld: Data and process focusing work? A wearable advisory system. How much different than an App on a smartphone? To what degree does someone see a notification on a Smartphone, handsfree, as different from that on"…
From insideHPC
Materials Imaging and Data Sciences Converge at Oak Ridge Workshop
Oak Ridge National Lab recently hosted a Materials Imaging Workshop. Entitled "Big, Deep and Smart Data Analytics in Materials Imaging," the workshop explored research opportunities and challenges arising as imaging and data…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Service Innovation Triangle Case Studies
Intriguing talk today that looks at a number of corporate examples. I was unaware of the ITIF organization." ... Stephen Ezell, the Vice President of Global Innovation Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation…
From Blog@Ubiquity
The Future of Tech is Regulation
The future of technology is government regulation—NOT unbridled technology.
The post The Future of Tech is Regulation appeared first on BLOG@UBIQUITY.
From The Computing Community Consortium Blog
2015 PCAST Review of NITRD released to White House and Congress
In December 2010 and then again in December 2012, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) conducted an extensive review of the Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development…
From insideHPC
NEDO in Japan Funds Solar Research at TACC
Thanks to $13 Million in research funding from NEDO in Japan, the University of Texas at Austin will begin using alternative energy sources to power some of its HPC Clusters.
The post NEDO in Japan Funds Solar Research at TACC…From The Eponymous Pickle
Rise of the Digital Assistant
Facebook's Moneypenny, Apple Siri, Google Now, Microsoft Cortana, etc. Jim SpohrerHere are interesting reads about human-powered personal assistant services versus digital-power intelligent personal assistants - both types…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Robotics Evolution
In the BBC: Pointing to research about adding evolving capabilities to robotics. Using learning to improve. This has not improved quite as far as it might imply. It does add some physical and sensory capabilities to what…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Prevedere on Economic Predictive Intelligence
In KDNuggets, an interview with ..."... Andrew Duguay is a Senior Economist & Data Scientist with Prevedere Software. Prevedere is a Big Data Predictive Analytics solution that helps companies increase profits and outperformvia…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Your Personal Information Architecture
Classic problem in the age of the internet, focusing your knowledge and data needs. In Sloan Review: In an era of information overload, getting the right information remains a challenge for time-pressed executives. Is it time…
From insideHPC
Adept Project Looks at Using Software to Conserve Energy
In this special guest feature, Tom Wilkie from Scientific Computing World writes that software approaches to energy efficiency in HPC may yield unexpected improvements in the hardware of next-generation mobile phone networks.…
From Schneier on Security
Intimidating Military Personnel by Targeting Their Families
This FBI alert is interesting: (U//FOUO) In May 2015, the wife of a US military member was approached in front of her home by two Middle-Eastern males. The men stated that she was the wife of a US interrogator. When she denied…
From Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information From Alfred Thompson
Projects and Recipes in Computer Science Classes
Chris Lehmann is principal of the Science Leadership Academy. “SLA is an inquiry-driven, project-based high school focused on 21st century learning “ So when I read something like this from him it makes me think.
A lot of students…From The Eponymous Pickle
3D Simulation for Product Development and Beyond
In EETimes: New developments. Possibilities for understanding product development linked to models of operation and interaction with consumers. A flight simulator for product development? For consumer understanding models"…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Doug Engelbart Institute
Doug Engelbart Institute: Brought to my attention, we worked with Doug a number of times through the Institute for the Future. Doug was the inventor of the computer mouse. Also of the system Demo. Lots more at the site.
From insideHPC
Supermicro Deploys Sango Supercomputer at OIST in Japan
Today Super Micro announced the deployment of a new supercomputer in Japan at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) supporting scientists and researchers focused on discovery and innovation…
From insideHPC
Slidecast: Seagate’s New Nytro Flash Products
"These new flash products greatly expand the range of our total product portfolio and demonstrate how Seagate’s acquisition of the LSI flash technologies is paying off. The Nytro XF1440/XM1440 SSDs deliver the highest performance…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Print v Digital Advertising
Print vs. Digital: Another Emotional Win for Paper - Neuromarketing. by Roger Dooley. "... The latest findings come from Temple University consumer neuroscience researchers. In a study conducted for the U.S. Post Office, I…
From insideHPC
Transtec to Build Petaflop Cluster for KIT in Germany
Today transtec in the UK announced that it will build a 1 Petaflop supercomputer for the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT). With more than 1,100 compute nodes, the solution is worth 6.9 million Euro and is the largest …
From insideHPC
Lead Agencies for President’s NSCI Initiative to Gather at HPC User Forum
As reported here, President Obama established the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) in July to ensure the United States continues leading high performance computing over the coming decades. Today, IDC announced what…
From insideHPC
Interview: Erich Strohmaier & Jack Dongarra on Latest TOP500
In this video from the ISC 2015 conference, Erich Strohmaier from NERSC and Jack Dongarra from University of Tennessee discuss the latest HPC trends reflected in the 45th TOP500 list. "Nine systems in the top 10 were installed…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Makerbase as an IMDB of the Internet of Things?
Had heard of Makerbase. Never thought about it in this way. It does not seem complete, or contain the right kinds of of information, and is likely fraught with disagreements over crediting who did what, Intellectual property…
From The Eponymous Pickle
IBM Buys Billions of Medical Images
A classic example of needing a wealth of training sets. We did similar things with the knowledge of our own enterprise. But found even that information to be far too small to establish enough to create very useful expressions…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Probing Free Will
In New Scientist. Brain implants will require a better understanding of what we really want.Imagine a world where you think of something and it happens. For instance, what if the moment you realise you want a cup of tea, the…
From The Eponymous Pickle
Your Ketchup is Messaging You
In Adage: Your Ketchup Is Sending You A Facebook Message ..... Heinz and BMW are experimenting with a new platform built with messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger in mind. ... " . New realms of interactions in daily…