Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
December 2012
From ACM News
Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm Gets Closer Than Ever to Human Limb
Researchers in the United States have developed a robotic arm controlled directly by thought with a level of agility closer than ever to a normal human limb.
From ACM News
Hacking the Human Brain: The Next Domain of Warfare
It's been fashionable in military circles to talk about cyberspace as a "fifth domain" for warfare, along with land, space, air, and sea.
From ACM News
Google Gets a Second Brain, Changing Everything About Search
In the 1983 sci-fi/comedy flick The Man with Two Brains, Steve Martin played Michael Hfuhruhurr, a neurosurgeon who marries one of his patients but then falls in love with the disembodied brain of another woman, Anne.
From ACM News
A Brooklyn Protester Pleads Guilty After His Twitter Posts Sink His Case
In the end, the tweets told the tale.
From ACM TechNews
.S. Terrorism Agency to Tap a Vast Database of Citizens
The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center implemented a new program in March that allows the agency to copy entire government databases and examine information about U.S. citizens in order to detect possible terrorist activity…
From ACM TechNews
IBM Paves Way For Wearable Electronics, Folding Displays
IBM says it has developed a low-cost technique for manufacturing silicon-based electronics on a flexible plastic substrate.
From ACM TechNews
Science,technology Will Suffer If .s. Goes Over Fiscal Cliff
With the looming fiscal cliff, the big issue for the IT industry is that the sequestration cuts affect all aspects of the government, including the NSF and the NIH, which award grants and drive the IT industry in the United States…
From ACM Opinion
This Real-Life Pixar Lamp Cutely Refuses to Let You Turn It Off
Design-class projects have come a long way. That's the only conclusion I can draw from this brilliant video of a robotic desk lamp that squeaks, swivels, and mugs for attention like the Pixar mascot come to life.
From ACM TechNews
.s. Rejects Telecommunications Treaty
The United States, Canada, and several European countries formally rejected a treaty proposed by Russia, China, and several developing countries that would have altered how international communications are governed.
From ACM TechNews
.s. Sees Tech's 'center of Gravity' Shifting to Asia
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently released a report that outlines potential worldwide scenarios over the next 15 to 20 years. It predicts that by 2030 Asia will have surpassed North America and…
From ACM News
Has Apple Lost its Mojo?
Cracks have begun to appear on Apple's road to invincibility.
From ACM News
Robots Ride the Ocean Blue
When superstorm Sandy was rampaging across the Caribbean and mid-Atlantic, heralded by gale force winds, torrential rain, and surging tides, people rushed to get out of its way.
From ACM News
Microsoft Retools in Fight Against China Pirates
For pirates in China, where illegal software sales greatly outmatch legal ones, a new version of Windows typically means a new treasure ship to plunder.
From ACM News
China Looks to Lead the Internet of Things
When architect James Law looks in the mirror each morning his reflection is not all that greets him—he can also see the weather report, email messages, and his heart rate.
From ACM News
25-Gpu Cluster Cracks Every Standard Windows Password in <6 Hours
A password-cracking expert has unveiled a computer cluster that can cycle through as many as 350 billion guesses per second.
From ACM News
Can Disguises Fool Surveillance Technology?
Stick on a fake moustache. Add some glasses. Dye your hair. And perhaps pop on a hat.
From ACM TechNews
IEDM: Moore's Law Seen Hitting Big Bump at 14-nm Node
The lack of next-generation lithography could mean that chips made at the 14-nm process node will deliver as little as half the performance boost of a new node and still come with a significant cost premium, according to researchers…
From ACM TechNews
High-Tech Glasses Wow With New Advances
Researchers are making strides in developing wearable computer technology, particularly high-tech glasses that double as computer displays.
From ACM Opinion
Why Google Maps Is Better Than Apple Maps
There's a simple answer: people.
From ACM TechNews
Business Opportunities Come From Big Data
Big data offers vast potential to disrupt existing businesses and create new ones, but to realize its potential inexpensive storage, faster processing, smarter software, and larger and more diverse data sets are needed.
From ACM TechNews
Research Seeks to Refine Data Transmission for Medical Diagnoses
University of Texas at Dallas professor Xiaohu Guo is researching the theoretical foundations of a type of spectral transformations for 3-D models and is developing techniques to enable more efficient transmission of 3-D and…
From ACM News
7 Secret Ways America's Stealth Armada Stays Off the Radar
It's no secret how America's stealth warplanes primarily evade enemy radars.
From ACM News
More Radar, Less Radio for Safer Takeoffs And Landings
US Airways Flight 27 was roaring down Runway 15R at Boston's Logan Airport when a pickup truck suddenly pulled into its path.
From ACM News
Learning to Accept, and Master, a $110,000 Mechanical Arm
After the explosion, Cpl. Sebastian Gallegos awoke to see the October sun glinting through the water, an image so lovely he thought he was dreaming.
From ACM News
China Developing GPS-on-a-Shoestring Plan
When it comes to satellite navigation systems, everybody's gotta have one.
From ACM News
An Accelerometer So Good That Only Quantum Mechanics Limits It
We take it for granted now, but the fact that you can flip your phone from portrait to landscape mode depends on accelerometers. As everyone knows, though, the damn things often get it wrong, leaving you staring at a screen that…
From ACM TechNews
Is the Pixel About to Die?
University of Bath researchers say they have developed a vector-based video codec that could lead to the death of the pixel within five years.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Develop Featherweight Chips That Dissolve in Water
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed integrated circuits that can stick to the skin and in some cases dissolve in water when they are no longer needed.
From ACM TechNews
By 2020, There Will Be 5,200 Gbytes of Data For Every Person on Earth
Over the next eight years more than 40 zettabytes of digital data will be produced, which is equal to 5,200 gigabytes of data for every person on Earth, according to IDC's latest Digital Universe study.
From ACM TechNews
Study: Tech Job Growth Strong
Engine Advocacy and the Bay Area Council Economic Institute have released a report that details key findings on how technology sector jobs impact the overall U.S. economy.