Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
October 2014
From ACM TechNews
Printing Paper-Thin, Touch-Sensitive Displays
Computer scientists in Saarland University's Embodied Interaction research group say they have developed inexpensive technology that eventually could enable users to print paper-thin and touch-sensitive displays on all types…
From ACM TechNews
Tech Companies Hope to Introduce Coding to 100 Million Students
The CEOs of two dozen major tech companies, including Google and Microsoft, will announce their support on Wednesday for a project by nonprofit Code.org that seeks to introduce computer science to 100 million students worldwide…
From ACM TechNews
The Ethics of Hacking 101
Some of the U.S.'s most prestigious cybersecurity university programs make a point of teaching their students offensive skills, but in doing so also must address the thorny ethical issues surrounding the gray-hat world.
From ACM TechNews
A Peek Inside the Internet's Favorite File-Sharing Network
A new study takes a deep look at the behavior of users of the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Researchers were able to track what sorts of media users were downloading by noting that certain file sizes tended to…
From ACM TechNews
Women Talk Tech and Science at MIT Panel
MIT recently hosted a panel on women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, providing an opportunity for women to discuss their experiences in the tech industry.
From ACM News
Striking View of Saturn's Polar 'Hexagon'
Nature is often more complex and wonderful than it first appears. For example, although it looks like a simple hexagon, this feature surrounding Saturn's north pole is really a manifestation of a meandering polar jet stream.
From ACM TechNews
One in Three Jobs Will Be Taken By Software or Robots By 2025
By 2025, software, robots, or other "smart machines" will have replaced as many as one in three existing jobs, Gartner predicts.
From ACM Opinion
Your Phone Screen Just Won the Nobel Prize in Physics
You've probably got the fruits of this year’s Nobel laureates' handiwork in your pocket. In fact, if you're reading this on your phone or a relatively recent flat-screen monitor, you're more than likely staring at some of them…
From ACM News
Real Holodeck Turns Your Living Room Into a Game
Good news, Star Trek fans: Microsoft has created a prototype Holodeck that transforms an entire room into a virtual gaming environment.
From ACM Opinion
Can Virtual Reality Make You a Better Person?
"This is already so real, I don’t know if I even want to do this anymore," I say out loud.
From ACM News
Town Built For Driverless Cars
A mocked-up set of busy streets in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will provide the sternest test yet for self-driving cars.
From ACM TechNews
Supercomputing Upgrade Produces High-Resolution Storm Forecasts
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is running two new IBM supercomputers, each 213 teraflops, that enable researchers to increase the resolution or detail on weather prediction maps from eight miles to two…
From ACM TechNews
3-D Gaming Gear Gives Biologists an Eye-Opening Look at Cells in Action
Drexel University researchers are developing software and hardware that will enable scientists to better track and study cell movement and multiplication.
From ACM TechNews
Stanford Computer Scientist Selected to Join Ambitious Moore Foundation Program
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has named Stanford University professor Christopher Re a Moore Investigator as part of the Data-Driven Discovery Initiative.
From ACM News
Protesters in Hong Kong Must Weigh the Promise and Risks of Mesh Networking
In the heart of Hong Kong, where the largest pro-Democracy protest to challenge Beijing since the 1989 Tiananmen Square gathering has been brewing, some protesters are reportedly turning to a mobile app that lets users create…
From ACM News
Snowflake-Shaped Networks Are Easiest to Mend
Networks shaped like delicate snowflakes are the ones that are easiest to fix when disaster strikes.
From ACM Careers
Neuroscience: Brains of Norway
The fact that Edvard and May-Britt Moser have collaborated for 30 years—and been married for 28—has done nothing to dull their passion for the brain.
From ACM TechNews
Online Crowd Can Guess What You Want to Watch or Buy
Crowds of online workers can be used to guess human preferences where there is little data to work with, according to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Peter Organisciak and colleagues.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Create Software For Google Glass That Provides Captions For Hard-of-Hearing sers
Researchers have developed speech-to-text software for Google Glass to help people with hearing loss conduct conversations more easily.
From ACM TechNews
New Web Privacy System Could Revolutionize the Safety of Surfing
Researchers at University College London, Google, Stanford University, Chalmers, and Mozilla Research say they have developed an open source system that protects Internet users' privacy while increasing the flexibility for Web…
From ACM Opinion
Intel Meets its 'makers,' with Chips For Diy Set and the Firms They'll Found
Intel's Edison chip has been launched in a rocket, floated in a weather balloon, fitted into a futuristic light-emitting dress and used to power a dancing robot spider.
From ACM TechNews
Google Lets Connected Devices Commune Without Specialized Apps
A new initiative by Google seeks to form an open standard for the Internet of Things, dubbed the Physical Web by the company's Chrome team.
From ACM TechNews
Advances in Computer Mobility, Connectivity, and Networks
Researchers are developing programs and platforms that will ensure systems work despite power outages and other issues associated with mobility and connectivity.
From ACM TechNews
Google Working on Large-Scale Video Displays
Google's advanced-projects lab, Google X, is developing a giant display consisting of smaller screens that fit together to create a seamless image.
From ACM TechNews
Carnegie Mellon's Mary Shaw Will Receive National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Mary Shaw is one of eight winners of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
From ACM Careers
School Bets Video Game Scholarship Can Draw Talent
As a teenager, holed up in his bedroom, illuminated by the glow of his laptop, Youngbin Chung became addicted to video games. Ten-hours-a-day addicted.
From ACM News
Technology Takes the Wheel
Google's driverless car may still be a work in progress, but the potential for semiautonomous vehicles on American roads is no longer the stuff of science fiction.
From ACM News
How Scammers Trick Your Mind
None of us likes being scammed, and David Modic is no different.
From ACM Opinion
Cyber Spy High: Meet the Nsa's Hacker Recruiter
The National Security Agency has a recruiting problem.
From ACM News
The Physics of Fake Videos
Was that awesome video real or fake? How could you tell?