Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2014
From ACM TechNews
New Smartphone App Helps Blind Find Their Way Inside Buildings
A news smartphone app would allow the visually impaired to navigate independently inside buildings where the global positioning system does not work .
From ACM News
The Best Time to Wage Cyberwar
If you discover a way to hack into your enemy's computers, do you strike while the iron is hot, or patiently wait for a better opportunity to arise?
From ACM News
Irs Under Pressure to Clarify Bitcoin Rules
The Internal Revenue Service is under mounting pressure to issue guidance clarifying how taxpayers should handle transactions involving bitcoin and other digital currencie
From ACM News
What the Heck Is a Ram Scraper?
As the mystery around the credit card hacking at retail giants Target and Nieman Marcus continues to unfold, you’re going to start hearing a lot about something called a "RAM scraper."
From ACM TechNews
Ua-Developed Avatar Is Helping to Screen New Arrivals at Bucharest Airport
Researchers have developed a virtual border agent to identify and question suspicious international travelers.
From ACM TechNews
'Superlens' Extends Range of Wireless Power Transfer
Researchers have used metamaterials to create a superlens that focuses magnetic fields.
From ACM TechNews
Techperts Predict Virtual Reality in Near Future
Virtual environments and virtual reality will transform education, entertainment, and scientific exploration.
From ACM Opinion
This Company Sold Google a Quantum Computer. Here's How It Works.
I thought it would be interesting to hear from D-Wave, a start-up that has raised more than $130 million in venture capital and employs over 100 people.
From ACM Opinion
Confused About the Nsa's Quantum Computing Project? This MIT Computer Scientist Can Explain.
My Washington Post colleagues have reported on a National Security Agency program to to build a quantum computer.
From ACM News
Hubble Telescope Sees Star That May Explode Soon
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a striking new photo of a doomed star poised to explode in a devastating supernova event.
From ACM News
The Next Data Privacy Battle May Be Waged Inside Your Car
Cars are becoming smarter than ever, with global positioning systems, Internet connections, data recorders and high-definition cameras.
From ACM TechNews
Eureka! New Tech Shrinks Cloud Computing's Carbon Footprint
New algorithms designed to simulate a worldwide network of connected data centers can predict how to best limit carbon emissions from cloud computing.
From ACM TechNews
Emory, Georgia Tech Team Up on High-Performance Computing Cluster
Researchers at Emory University and Georgia Tech will share the computing power of TARDIS, a new high-performance computing cluster.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Science: The Learning Machines
Deep-learning computers are advancing toward true artificial intelligence that will enable them to think as humans do.
From ACM TechNews
Using Psychology to Create a Better Malware Warning
A new report on the psychology of malware warnings suggests that using different language could make the messages more effective.
From ACM TechNews
Nasa Robots Blaze the Trail For Humans on Mars
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Mars rovers "are our eyes, our feet, our hands on the ground that inform us before we get there."
From ACM TechNews
Eye-Catching Electronics
Electronic components thinner and more flexible than previous technologies open up new possibilities for ultra-thin, transparent sensors.
From ACM TechNews
Designing the Next Wave of Computer Chips
A new class of nanomaterials that can self-assemble might enable the creation of nearly molecule-scale circuits.
From ACM News
The Bitcoin-Mining Arms Race Heats Up
Joel Flickinger's two-bedroom home in the hills above Oakland, Calif., hums with custom-built computing gear.
From ACM Opinion
Lifelogging: What It's Like to Record Your Whole Life
Gordon Bell, one of the first people to chronicle his existence digitally, explains how it has changed his life and the potential pitfalls.
From ACM News
Designing the Next Wave of Computer Chips
Not long after Gordon E. Moore proposed in 1965 that the number of transistors that could be etched on a silicon chip would continue to double approximately every 18 months, critics began predicting that the era of "Moore’s Law…
From ACM TechNews
Engineers Make World's Fastest Organic Transistor, Heralding New Generation of See-Through Electronics
Researchers say their development of the world's fastest thin-film organic transistors proves the technology could be used in high-resolution TVs and other electronics.
From ACM TechNews
Robotics Expert Warns Future 'is Coming Much Faster Than We Think'
Robotic technology itself may not be as challenging as the emerging social, ethical, and economic issues, says one robotics expert.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Find Ways for More Efficient Control of Wind Power
Researchers have written algorithms to help optimize power grids after discovering that wind power plants at strategic locations can make grids more resilient to disruption.
From ACM TechNews
Motorola Patents E-Tattoo That Can Read Your Thoughts By Listening to nvocalized Words in Your Throat
Motorola Mobility has filed a patent application for an electronic smart tattoo that can intercept subtle voice commands, subvocal commands, and subconscious thoughts.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Women Are Busy Building Their Own Networks
Despite their under-representation in technology careers, women are present in the field and increasingly network with one another to expand their opportunities.
From ACM News
The Hottest Technology Not on Display at CES: Smart Radio Chips
Beyond the glitz of the International Consumer Electronics Show, the wireless industry faces a fundamental problem: more features and faster data transmission are draining phones' batteries faster than ever.
From ACM News
Hubble Telescope Reveals Deepest View of the Universe Yet
The Hubble Space Telescope has glimpsed farther into the universe than any observatory before, producing the first of six new "deep field" images that show objects from the first billion years after the big bang.
From ACM TechNews
Findings From Data Management Pilot Announced
The Southeastern Universities Research Association recently announced the findings of the collaborative Dataverse Network project.
From ACM TechNews
One In, One Out: Oxford Study Shows People Limit Social Networks
People who use social media tend to communicate primarily with small numbers of close friends or relatives, according to a study from the University of Oxford.