Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
March 2010
From ACM TechNews
Developing Web Technologies to Share Secure Information
Semantic Web technology will be a key tool in the development of a standard policy language for sharing information between agencies, countries, and organizations.
From ACM TechNews
Assessing the State of .s. Science and Engineering
Physicist Louis Lanzerotti, chairman of the National Science Board's Science and Engineering Indicators committee, says the board's recent report to the White House on the state of science and engineering is generally positive…
From ACM TechNews
Could This Be The Robot Servant Who Will Serve You Breakfast In Bed?
Tokyo University researchers have created Kojiro, a humanoid robot that is learning to mimic how people walk.
From ACM TechNews
Context Is Ev . . . Well, Something, Anyway
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have developed a way to improve object recognition systems by using information about their context.
From ACM News
Nsf Selects Theoretical Computer Scientist For its Highest Honor
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced Tuesday (March 9) the selection of New York University's Subhash Khot, an associate professor at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, to receive the 2010 Alan T. Waterman…
From ACM News
A Little Black Box to Jog Failing Memory
On a cold, wet afternoon not long ago, Aron Reznick sat in the lounge of a home for the elderly here, his silver hair neatly combed, his memory a fog. He could not remember Thanksgiving dinner with his family, though when he …
From ACM News
Wide Web of Diversions Gets Laptops Evicted from Lecture Halls
On a windy morning in downtown Washington, a hundred Georgetown Law students gathered in a hall for David Cole's lecture on democracy and coercion. The desks were cluttered with books, Thermoses, and half-eaten muffins.
Another…From ACM News
In a meeting at Google in 2004, the discussion turned to an e-mail message the company had received from a fan in South Korea. Sergey Brin, a Google founder, ran the message through an automatic translation service that the company…
From ACM News
Cyber Crooks Leave Traditional Bank Robbers in the Dust
Organized cyber criminals stole more than $25 million from small to mid-sized businesses in brazen e-banking heists in the third quarter of 2009 alone, federal regulators said last week. In contrast, traditional stick-up artists…
From ACM TechNews
Silicon-on-Silk Electronics Developed For Potential Biomedical Applications
University of Illinois researcher John Rogers has collaborated with a team at Tufts University to develop silicon-on-silk electronics, which could one day function as medical devices.
From ACM TechNews
Domain Name Czar Seeks .online nity
ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom continues to work toward net neutrality, but ICANN now faces new challenges as countries such as China seek more control over what Internet users are allowed to view within their borders.
From ACM News
Annual Science Festival to Host 'excite Your Mind' Events
The San Diego Science Festival , the largest celebration of science on the West Coast, will be held March 20-27 to raise awareness of the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and to…
From ACM News
ACM Turing Award Goes to Creator of First Modern Personal Computer
ACM has named Charles P. Thacker the winner of the 2009 ACM A.M. Turing Award for his pioneering design and realization of the Alto, the first modern personal computer, and the prototype for networked personal computers.
From ACM News
IT Spending Will Rise - But Not Rebound - in 2010
Global IT expenditure is expected to rise slightly this year for the first time since the onset of the global economic downturn, according to industry analyst Ovum. Despite this cautious optimism, there are signs that 2010 will…
From ICT Results
Machine-Learning Revolutionizes Software Development
Automation technology has revolutionized the fine-tuning needed to maximize software performance on devices such as mobile phones.
From ACM News
Australia Substantially Increases Research Collaboration With China
A study from Thomson Reuters shows broadening international collaboration in the research of Australia and, to a lesser degree, New Zealand, over the past 10 years. Of special interest is a sizable increase of Australia's collaboration…
From ACM News
Quantum Dots Could Lead to Faster Computers
An international team of scientists has developed a new type of semiconductor that could lead to faster and more efficient computers.The new research centers on a class of semiconductor called magnetic quantum dots, crystals…
From ACM News
Getting More from Location Data
Thanks to smart phones and other mobile devices, the number of applications that make use of geolocation data is exploding. But developers and device makers face new challenges that include determining physical location accurately…
From ACM TechNews
Robot Bred in Wales to Seek Life on Red Planet
Aberystwyth University researcher Stephen Pugh has developed a picture-taking robot designed to look for signs of life on Mars. Pugh is fine-tuning the robot's onboard panoramic cameras and teaching it to point and shoot at…
From ACM CareerNews
It Adds 25,000-Plus Jobs in 2010
A new survey from the TechServe Alliance says IT employment grew by 14,000 jobs from January to February 2010, representing one of the strongest month-to-month gains since 2008. The numbers show that the employment outlook is…
From ACM TechNews
Survey: Educators Aren't Discussing STEM Careers With Students
Science and math educators are keeping classes knowledgeable and interesting, but they are not promoting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers, according to most students surveyed by Harris Interactive for…
From ACM TechNews
The Next Secure Hash Algorithm Had Better Be a Good One
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven professor Bart Preneel says the SHA-3 hash algorithm selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology will need to be sophisticated enough to withstand hacker attempts for the next…
From ACM TechNews
Printable Sensors to Detect Fingers Without Touching
The European Union 3Plast research consortium plans to develop sensors that can be printed onto plastic film and attached to everyday objects. The sensors are being designed to respond to changes in temperature and pressure,…
From ACM TechNews
Quantum on Quantum
Researchers at Harvard University and Australia's University of Queensland have designed and constructed a quantum computer capable of simulating and calculating the behavior of a molecular quantum system.
From ACM TechNews
Aerial Surveillance Technology Could Keep Soldiers Safer
Cranfield University researchers have developed an autonomous computer framework that enables one operator to control multiple unmanned aerial vehicles from a safe position on the ground, making surveillance missions significantly…
From ACM TechNews
'micro-Rings' Could Nix Wires For Communications in Homes, Offices
Purdue University researchers have developed a device that uses micro-ring resonators to convert laser pulses into bursts of pulsating radio-frequency signals that avoid interference. The technology could eliminate the need…
From ACM TechNews
3D Graphics & Reality Fuse on the Fly
Oxford University researchers have developed the Parallel Tracking and Mapping program, a camera-tracking system for fusing real and three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated visuals.
From ACM News
The Life and Death of Online Communities
A collaborative study by researchers of the University of Haifa and the New Jersey Institute of Technology reveals what factors can predict the survival or demise of online communities.
From ACM News
A High-Tech Handrest For Surgeons, Machinists, Artists
University of Utah engineers developed a computer-controlled, motorized hand and arm support that will let doctors, artists and others precisely control scalpels, brushes and tools over a wider area than otherwise possible, and…
From ACM News
Cyberwar Declared as China Hunts for the West's Intelligence Secrets
Urgent warnings have been circulated throughout NATO and the European Union for secret intelligence material to be protected from a recent surge in cyberwar attacks originating in China. Sources said that the number of attacks…