Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
March 2011
From ACM News
Browser Communication Boost Back on Track
After a security problem derailed it last year, a technology to open a high-speed browser communications link is getting back on track again.
From ACM News
Quantum Computing Device Hints at Powerful Future
One of the most complex efforts toward a quantum computer has been shown off at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas in the U.S. It uses the strange "quantum states" of matter to perform calculations in a way that…
From ACM News
How Cruise Missiles Would Beat Gps Jammers in Libya
Now that jammers are cheap and potentially ubiquitous, how do Tomahawk missiles stay on course?
From ACM News
Japan
After more than than a week of gathering anecdotal reports about shortages here and there, the research firm IHS iSuppli has concluded that 25 percent of the world's supply of silicon wafers used to make chips has been been…
From ACM TechNews
In Japan, Rescue Robots Are Poised to Go From Lab to Quake Scene
Japanese researchers working at Texas A&M University's Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue have developed robots that will soon be put into use to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
From ACM TechNews
Itu Worries Over Declining Female Presence in Ict
The International Telecommunication Union commemorated the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day by addressing the declining presence of women in the information and communication technology industry.
From ACM TechNews
Software to Predict 'march Madness' Basketball Winner
The goal of the March Madness Predictive Analysis Challenge, now in its second year, is to build software that can select winning basketball teams with greater accuracy than humans.
From ACM TechNews
Gesture Control: Touching the Future of Computing
University of Essex bionics researcher James Cannan is building a bracelet that records every finger stroke, capturing the motion and position of each digit and using the information to determine which key has been struck.
From ACM News
Why At&t Bought T-Mobile
AT&T, criticized and even despised for its inability to keep up with growing mobile data usage, thinks it has found the solution to its network woes. And all it will cost the telecom giant is $39 billion and months (or even…
From ACM News
Security Firm Is Vague on Its Compromised Devices
More than a day after RSA security posted an "urgent" alert warning that a sophisticated intruder might be able to initiate a "broad attack" on a password device used by millions of customers, the announcement and its meaning…
From ACM TechNews
The Psychology of Collaboration
IBM fellow Irene Greif, the director of collaborative user experience at IBM Research, says that some of the toughest collaboration problems have little to do with technology.
From ACM TechNews
Digital Gaming Goes Academic
Digital gaming is being tapped to cultivate academic skills, and part of the appeal is that the games offer personalized, real-time feedback.
From ACM TechNews
New Linux Kernel Gets a Speed Boost
Linux has announced an update to the Linux OS kernel, which includes deep changes that will enhance performance, especially for running databases and other programs that demand maximum resources from servers.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Simulations Illustrate Scope of Japanese Disaster
Computer simulation technology has aided in the tracking and analysis of the devastation wrought by the March 11 earthquake off Japan's east coast.
From ACM News
Nasa's Messenger Spacecraft Begins Historic Orbit Around Mercury
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft successfully achieved orbit around Mercury at approximately 9 p.m. EDT Thursday. This marks the first time a spacecraft has accomplished this engineering and scientific milestone at our solar system's…
From ACM News
Dissecting the Physics of Basketball Bank Shots
Here’s the scenario: You’re a college basketball player and your team is down by one. You’ve got a trip to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament on the line, but the clock shows less than three seconds.
From ACM TechNews
Spotting Insider Threats on the Front Lines
U.S. Military Academy at West Point cadets are researching ways of using network monitoring tools to automate frontline security.
From ACM TechNews
Miniature Lasers Could Help Launch New Age of Internet
University of Central Florida researchers have developed a miniature laser device that could make high-speed computing faster and more reliable.
From ACM News
Japan Has Shifted 13 Feet!
What does Japan's earthquake mean for GPS? Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake was so powerful that it actually widened Japan. While parts of the country barely moved, other regions are now 13 feet closer to the United States…
From ACM TechNews
Gca: Female Developers Crashing the Boys Club
Gail Carmichael is one of the few women to enter the Great Canadian Appathon, a 48-hour video game coding competition taking place at college and university campuses across Canada.
From ACM TechNews
Robotic Arms
Barrett Technologies is working with the U.S. National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research program to develop a Whole Arm Manipulator and a computerized robotic control device that looks like a hockey puck…
From ACM News
Keeping Tabs on the Infrastructure, Wirelessly
Engineers routinely inspect bridges and other structures for cracks and corrosion. But because they can’t always be there in person, one highly intelligent bridge knows what to do when trouble arises: send them an email.
From ACM News
'we Need to See Ahead'
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano emphasized the importance of science and technology research as a means of keeping the nation safe in an address at MIT this past Monday, while outlining a series of ways…
From ACM News
Japan Disaster Recovery Efforts Get Help From Satellites
In the aftermath of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, satellite maps have been a vital part of search and rescue efforts by providing clear pictures of how the land has changed, and where buildings and roads once…
From ACM TechNews
U.s. Supercomputer Experts Assess Radiation Risks Amid Crisis at Japanese Nuclear Facility
The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration has enlisted a team of supercomputer experts to measure the radiation risks caused by the Japanese nuclear crisis.
From ACM News
Quake Moved Japan Closer to U.S. and Altered Earth's Spin
The magnitude-8.9 earthquake that struck northern Japan on Friday not only violently shook the ground and generated a devastating tsunami, it also moved the coastline and changed the balance of the planet.
From ACM News
Planetary Exploration 2013
On Monday March 7th, NASA and NSF received the results of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey, which recommended planetary exploration priorities to NASA and the NSF for the 2013–2022 decade. The highlights of the recommendations…
From ACM News
A Declaration of Cyber-War
All over Europe, smartphones rang in the middle of the night. Rolling over in bed, blinking open their eyes, civilians reached for the little devices and, in the moment of answering, were effectively drafted as soldiers. They…
From ACM TechNews
The Psychiatrist in the Machine
McMaster University professor Gary Hasey is trying to devise more effective patient treatment strategies by interpreting physiological signals collected from patients' brains through electroencephalogram and magnetic resonance…
From ACM TechNews
Crickets Inspire Stealthy Robots to Fire Rings of Air
Monash University's Andy Russell used the African cave cricket, Phaeophilacris spectrum, as inspiration for creating stealth communication between robots.