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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


From Touch Displays to the Surface: A Brief History of Touchscreen Technology
From ACM Opinion

From Touch Displays to the Surface: A Brief History of Touchscreen Technology

It's hard to believe that just a few decades ago, touchscreen technology could only be found in science fiction books and film. These days, it's almost unfathomable...

A Leader of Obama's New Brain Initiative Explains Why We Need It
From ACM Opinion

A Leader of Obama's New Brain Initiative Explains Why We Need It

Neuroscientist William Newsome of Stanford University is one of two scientists tapped by President Obama to lead a new brain research initiative, which the administration...

Yes, You Should Care About Bitcoin, and Here's Why
From ACM Opinion

Yes, You Should Care About Bitcoin, and Here's Why

Everybody's talking about Bitcoin these days, which is quite remarkable given the highly technical nature of the crypto-currency. So why is it such a big deal?

Apple's iMessage Encryption Trips Up Feds' Surveillance
From ACM News

Apple's iMessage Encryption Trips Up Feds' Surveillance

Encryption used in Apple's iMessage chat service has stymied attempts by federal drug enforcement agents to eavesdrop on suspects' conversations, an internal government...

Digital Shrinks Find Depressed Faces and Body Language
From ACM TechNews

Digital Shrinks Find Depressed Faces and Body Language

Automated systems that analyze gestures and facial expressions could make the challenging task of diagnosing depression somewhat easier. 

It’s in the Algorithm: Tight Races in Major League Baseball Chase This Year
From ACM TechNews

It’s in the Algorithm: Tight Races in Major League Baseball Chase This Year

Researchers have used a mathematical analysis to compute the number of regular season games each Major League Baseball team should win in 2013. 

Obama to ­nveil Initiative to Map the Human Brain
From ACM TechNews

Obama to ­nveil Initiative to Map the Human Brain

President Barack Obama is launching a research initiative to record and map the brain's circuitry. 

Visa Demand Jumps
From ACM Careers

Visa Demand Jumps

For the first time since the financial crisis, U.S. employers are expected within days to reach a limit on the yearly allotment of applications for coveted skilled...

No More Robocalls: New Tech Automatically Hangs ­p On Robots
From ACM News

No More Robocalls: New Tech Automatically Hangs ­p On Robots

Every month, the Federal Trade Commission receives 200,000 complaints about illegal robocalls, making it the most common problem reported to the FTC.

Top Brain Scientist Is 'philosopher at Heart'
From ACM News

Top Brain Scientist Is 'philosopher at Heart'

d Boyden tilts his head downward, remaining still except for his eyes, which dart back and forth between blinks for a full 10 seconds. Then, as if coming up for...

Obama to ­nveil Initiative to Map the Human Brain
From ACM News

Obama to ­nveil Initiative to Map the Human Brain

President Obama on Tuesday will announce a broad new research initiative, starting with $100 million in 2014, to invent and refine new technologies to understand...

Researchers ­nveil Large Robotic Jellyfish That One Day Could Patrol Oceans
From ACM TechNews

Researchers ­nveil Large Robotic Jellyfish That One Day Could Patrol Oceans

A 170-lb. autonomous robotic jellyfish is part of a multi-university project funded by the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Office of Naval Research. 

Biological Transistor Enables Computing Within Living Cells, Study Says
From ACM TechNews

Biological Transistor Enables Computing Within Living Cells, Study Says

Bioengineers have created a biological transistor they call a transcriptor, which is made from genetic material instead of gears or electrons.

You'll Never Believe the Data 'wiped' Smartphones Store
From ACM Opinion

You'll Never Believe the Data 'wiped' Smartphones Store

Few things are more precious, intimate, and personal than the data on your smartphone.

Vcs Bet Big Bucks on Hadoop
From ACM Careers

Vcs Bet Big Bucks on Hadoop

Venture capitalists are pouring millions of dollars into startups that are betting their futures on the powerful data tool called Hadoop. The tool holds promise...

The Child, the Tablet, and the Developing Mind
From ACM Opinion

The Child, the Tablet, and the Developing Mind

I recently watched my sister perform an act of magic.

How the Science of Swarms Can Help ­s Fight Cancer and Predict the Future
From ACM News

How the Science of Swarms Can Help ­s Fight Cancer and Predict the Future

The first thing to hit Iain Couzin when he walked into the Oxford lab where he kept his locusts was the smell, like a stale barn full of old hay.

Bitcoin May Be the Global Economy's Last Safe Haven
From ACM News

Bitcoin May Be the Global Economy's Last Safe Haven

One of the oddest bits of news to emerge from the economic collapse of Cyprus is a corresponding rise in the value of Bitcoin, the Internet’s favorite, media-friendly...

Little-Known Surveillance Tool Raises Concerns By Judges, Privacy Activists
From ACM News

Little-Known Surveillance Tool Raises Concerns By Judges, Privacy Activists

Federal investigators in Northern California routinely used a sophisticated surveillance system to scoop up data from cellphones and other wireless devices in an...

Nsf-Funded Superhero Supercomputer Helps Battle Autism
From ACM TechNews

Nsf-Funded Superhero Supercomputer Helps Battle Autism

Researchers are using the Gordon supercomputer to develop techniques that can be used to guide the development of treatments for mental disorders. 
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