Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
October 2011
From ACM News
Patent Lawyer Demand Rises Following .s. Legislative Overhaul
Patent attorneys, who typically have degrees in fields such as engineering as well as law, are in such demand that their specialty may account for more than 15% of law firm job openings while representing just 3% of U.S. lawyers…
From ACM News
Coming Soon: The Drone Arms Race
At the Zhuhai air show in southeastern China last November, Chinese companies startled some Americans by unveiling 25 different models of remotely controlled aircraft and showing video animation of a missile-armed drone taking…
From ACM News
Computer Virus Hits U.s. Drone Fleet
A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots' every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.
From ACM TechNews
Timing Is Right For Sdsc Cloud
Due to a new U.S. NSF policy requiring researchers to submit a data management plan as part of their funding requests, managing data has become an economic challenge in addition to a technical one, says Michael Norman, director…
From ACM TechNews
Reverse Brain Drain
A reverse brain drain is occurring in the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields as U.S. immigration laws discourage foreign nationals who have earned advanced degrees at U.S. universities from staying…
From ACM TechNews
Nsf Seeks Cyber Infrastructure to Make Sense of Scientific Data
The National Science Foundation recently called on University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill researchers to develop a national data infrastructure that will help scientists and researchers manage data, share information, and drive…
From ACM TechNews
Advances in Reliable Computing Draw Recognition For Doctoral Student
Arizona State University doctoral student Reiley Jeyapaul's research focuses on finding solutions to the problems that cause computers to crash, lose data, or behave erratically.
From ACM TechNews
Texas Computer Scientist Outflanks Next-Generation Computer Viruses
University of Texas at Dallas researchers have developed a method for anticipating the actions of computer viruses, which could lead to a new generation of tools and strategies for fighting malware that attacks networks, servers…
From ACM News
How Many Security Clearances Have Been Issued?
More than 4.2 million people have security clearances for access to classified information, a number that vastly outstrips previous estimates and nearly rivals the population of metropolitan Washington.
From ACM News
White House Orders New Computer Security Rules
The White House plans to issue an executive order on Friday to replace a flawed patchwork of computer security safeguards exposed by the disclosure of hundreds of thousands of classified government documents to WikiLeaks last…
From ACM News
Light Is Not Fast Enough For High-Speed Stock Trading
Every microsecond counts in stock trading. The New York Stock Exchange handles a third of the world's stock trading—around 22 billion messages a day. But NYSE Euronext, which operates the exchange, wants it to get even faster…
From ACM TechNews
Homework Program Catches on in Metrowest
Hundreds of teachers are using the ASSISTments educational software, developed by a computer science teacher in Massachusetts, and a series of recent grants could soon make the free program available to teachers and students…
From ACM TechNews
Uvm Scientist Wins Highest National Award
U.S. President Barack Obama has recognized University of Vermont researcher Joshua Bongard with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his work in evolutionary robotics.
From ACM TechNews
Caltech Engineers Build Smart Petri Dish
California Institute of Technology researchers have developed ePetri, a device that can streamline and improve cell culture experiments by reducing human labor and contamination risks.
From ACM TechNews
Xss Web Attacks Could Live Forever, Researcher Warns
If browsers do not provide a mechanism for Web sites to securely recover from certain cross-site scripting attacks, the attacks could become invincible and the site at the origin of the attack could remain compromised forever…
From ACM News
Playboy Interview: Steven Jobs (1985)
If anyone can be said to represent the spirit of an entrepreneurial generation, the man to beat for now is the charismatic cofounder and chairman of Apple Computer, Inc., Steven Jobs. He transformed a small business begun…
From ACM News
10 Ways Steve Jobs Changed the World
Fortune looks back at how Steve Jobs changed the way we think about and use technology forever, putting his own stamp on everything from the personal computer to the music industry.
From ACM News
From Doom to Rage: 20 Years of Id Development
Both Tim Willits and Matt Hooper got their start in game design as fans, creating maps for id Software games like Doom and Quake. Now, as the studio celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, both are working on the studio's…
From ACM TechNews
Students Building Satellite That's Seen as Future of Space Research
University of California, Berkeley students and researchers are developing CubeSat for Ions, Neutrals, Electrons & MAgnetic fields, a small satellite that could be launched into space next June.
From ACM TechNews
With Big Data Comes Big Responsibilities
Researchers at the University of New South Wales and Microsoft presented a paper at the Symposium on the Dynamics of the Internet and Society that illustrates the ways in which big data sets can fail scientists, especially when…
From ACM TechNews
Low-Cost Electronic Tablet Proves Worth in Indian Classroom
Researchers at Rice and Nanyang Technological universities, working at the Institute for Sustainable and Applied Infodynamics, are preparing for full-scale production of the low-cost I-slate electronic tablet.
From ACM TechNews
Secure Updates For Navigation Systems & Co
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Applied and Integrated Security (AISEC) have developed a way to enable a vehicle navigation system to automatically download updates of map material after receiving instructions…
From ACM TechNews
Wales' Rugby World Cup Team sing Swansea ni App
The Wales national rugby team is using MatchPad, a Swansea University-developed iPad application, to simplify match information and help understand the team's performance at the Rugby World Cup.
From ACM News
Nissan's Cars Will Read Your Mind
The Japanese automaker is teaming up with Swiss researchers to build a car that will predict its driver's intentions.
From ACM News
Idaho Lab in a Race to Shore Up Critical Infrastructure Systems
All it took was one click of a mouse from the CEO of the ACME Chemical company.
From ACM News
Decoding Our Chatter
Want to monitor an earthquake, track political activity or predict the ups and downs of the stock market? Researchers have found a bonanza of real-time data in the torrential flow of Twitter feeds.
From ACM News
Steve Jobs, Apple's Visionary, Dies at 56
Steven P. Jobs, the visionary co-founder of Apple who helped usher in the era of personal computers and then led a cultural transformation in the way music, movies and mobile communications were experienced in the digital age…
From ACM News
Army Tracking Plan: Drones That Never Forget a Face
Perhaps the idea of spy drones already makes your nervous. Maybe you’re uncomfortable with the notion of an unblinking, robotic eye in the sky that can watch your every move. If so, you may want to click away now.
From ACM TechNews
It's All About the Hair
Recent University of California, San Diego computer science Ph.D. graduate Iman Sadeghi developed a new way to light and animate characters' hair, and his method is now part of Disney's production pipeline to be used in upcoming…
From ACM TechNews
Salaries Rise For Engineers Despite Higher Unemployment
Despite a higher-than-normal rate of unemployment and a weak economy, salaries for engineers are on the upswing.