Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2013
From ACM TechNews
The Computer That Never Crashes
University College London researchers have created what they describe as a self-repairing computer that could keep mission-critical systems working.
From ACM TechNews
Nasa Plans Laser Communications in Space
NASA plans to invest in the use of laser communications technology in space over the next four years.
From ACM TechNews
Biological Connections in Microelectronics
Researchers have developed a potential solution for miniaturizing electronic components based on basic cell processes.
From ACM TechNews
Bill Gates Discusses It Evolution, Web Privacy During Reddit Ama
Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently providing insights into where he thinks the information technology industry is headed.
From ACM Careers
Pentagon Creates New Medal For Cyber, Drone Wars
They fight the war from computer consoles and video screens.
From ACM News
Nasa Satellites Find Freshwater Losses in Middle East
A new study using data from a pair of gravity-measuring NASA satellites finds that large parts of the arid Middle East region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade.
From ACM News
In Cyberwar, Software Flaws Are a Hot Commodity
There have been security flaws in software as long as there has been software, but they have become even more critically important in the context of cyberweapons development.
From ACM News
Nanoscale Chip Design Enables Future 'internet of Things'
With each passing day we are becoming more intertwined into the Internet of Things, where each and every object in the world—your clothes closet and every article of clothing in it, your dishwasher and every dish in it, and so…
From ACM TechNews
MIT Aids Human, Robot Cooperation With Cross-Training
MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that enables robots to learn from switching roles with humans.
From ACM TechNews
Virtual Vehicle Vibrations
New software that lets engineers predict how the posture of a driver will affect the transfer of stress from vehicle motion to bones and muscles.
From ACM TechNews
Cell Circuits Remember Their History
MIT researchers have developed genetic circuits in bacterial cells that perform logic functions and remember the results.
From ACM TechNews
How 'bullet Time' Will Revolutionize Exascale Computing
A new method for compressing output data without losing its essential features in exascale computing is based on a Hollywood special effects technique.
From ACM TechNews
A System That Improves the Precision of Gps in Cities By 90 Percent
Carlos III University of Madrid researchers have developed a system that improves GPS accuracy by up to 90 percent.
From ACM News
Obama Order Gives Firms Cyberthreat Information
President Obama signed an executive order on Tuesday that promotes increased information sharing about cyberthreats between the government and private companies that oversee the country’s critical infrastructure, offering a weakened…
From ACM TechNews
Carnegie Mellon Analysis Shows Online Songwriters Seek Collaborators With Complementary Skills, Status
Researchers have found a way to determine the unique balance of qualities that contribute to musical collaborations.
From ACM News
3d Software Key to Designing Many of Today's Consumer Products
While developing an electric bicycle for his San Rafael company, Marcus Hays had planned to insert a battery into one of the bike's supporting tubes. But then he did an analysis of his concept with three-dimensional computer-aided…
From ACM News
The Browser Wars Go Mobile
When surfing the Web on a smartphone, most of us stick with the browser that came with our handset.
From ACM News
Oscar Sci-Tech Awards Honor Ingenious Screen Science and Engineering
The goal of every movie is for the audience to suspend its collective disbelief and become immersed in the world created on screen.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Air Force Project Aims to Transform Supercomputing
Virginia Tech professor Wu Feng is working to increase simulation speeds of computational fluid dynamics for the U.S. Air Force's micro air vehicles (MAVs) project.
From ACM TechNews
Magnetoelectric Materials Promise Advances in Computing Technology
Argonne National Laboratory researchers have developed methods for controlling magnetic order in a specific class of materials called magnetoelectrics.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Inquisition Keeps Witnesses on the Right Track
Researchers are developing robots to help solve the misinformation effect, remembering events differently depending on how one is asked.
From ACM News
At Facebook, Zero-Day Exploits, Backdoor Code Bring War Games Drill to Life
Early on Halloween morning, members of Facebook's Computer Emergency Response Team received an urgent email from an FBI special agent who regularly briefs them on security matters.
From ACM News
Stand on Mars Next to the Curiosity Rover With This Incredible Panorama
Over the weekend, NASA's Curiosity rover successfully drilled into the surface of Mars and collected its first sample from the interior of a rock.
From ACM Opinion
Apple and Samsung, Frenemies For Life
It was the late Steve Jobs' worst nightmare. A powerful Asian manufacturer, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, uses Google Inc's Android software to create smartphones and tablets that closely resemble the iPhone and the iPad.
From ACM News
Navy's Next-Gen Binoculars Will Recognize Your Face
Take a close look, because the next generation of military binoculars could be doing more than just letting sailors and soldiers see from far away.
From ACM News
Sewing Machines Go High-Tech
The old-fashioned sewing machine is finally getting a modern makeover.
From ACM News
Nasa Curiosity Rover Collects First Martian Bedrock Sample
NASA's Curiosity rover has, for the first time, used a drill carried at the end of its robotic arm to bore into a flat, veiny rock on Mars and collect a sample from its interior.
From ACM News
'every New Car' Connected to Web By 2014
Five years ago mobile phones were at the forefront of technology, by 2010 the focus was on tablet computers and now billions of yen, dollars and pounds are being invested in what is seen as the next digital playground—the car…
From ACM TechNews
People in Disaster Areas Are Not Helpless Victims, but Useful Informants
A decentralized disaster management system would allow people in a disaster to guide each other to safety and share information about changing conditions.
From ACM TechNews
Ancient Board Game Offers Insight Into Military, Cyber Threats
Penn State University researchers are using the ancient Chinese game of Go to help students learn new methods for countering future cyber-attacks.