Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
March 2018
From ACM TechNews
The 5 Most Popular Programming Languages Among Female Developers
More women are majoring in computer science than in the past, according to HackerRank's 2018 Women in Tech Report.
From ACM TechNews
Basic Password Guidance Can Dramatically Improve Account Security, Study Shows
Researchers have found that technology users who receive basic password guidance are up to 40% more likely to make their password choices more secure.
From ACM TechNews
Paul Allen Wants to Teach Machines Common Sense
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen will pour another $125 million into the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence to fund a project to teach computers common sense.
From ACM TechNews
A New Data Trove Could Teach Computers to Tell Blind People What They Need to Know
Researchers are publishing a database of images and challenging the machine-vision community to use it to train machines as effective assistants for those with visual disabilities.
From ACM TechNews
Chipmakers Test Ferroelectrics as a Route to ltralow-Power Chips
Semiconductor companies are investigating ferroelectrics.
From ACM News
Enigma: Up Close with a Nazi Cipher Machine
A black metal mechanical device resembling a typewriter sits in a wooden box.
From ACM News
How Flashing Lights and Pink Noise Might Banish Alzheimer's, Improve Memory and More
In March 2015, Li-Huei Tsai set up a tiny disco for some of the mice in her laboratory. For an hour each day, she placed them in a box lit only by a flickering strobe.
From ACM News
Curiosity Tests a New Way to Drill on Mars
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has conducted the first test of a new drilling technique on the Red Planet since its drill stopped working reliably.
From ACM News
GitHub Hit With the Largest DDoS Attack Ever Seen
Distributed Denial of Service attackers have found a new way of magnifying their attacks, with experts warning that bigger attacks are likely.
From ACM News
Tribal Broadband
Some Native American nations are betting their futures on the construction of broadband networks.
From ACM TechNews
Purdue's NEW LIMITS Center to Advance Computer Chip Parts
Purdue University is using funding from the Semiconductor Research Corp. and the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology for its NEW LIMITS facility.
From ACM TechNews
'Memtransistor' Brings World Closer to Brain-Like Computing
Researchers say they have developed a "memtransistor" that can perform both memory and information processing while also using multiple terminals in a neural network-like architecture.
From ACM TechNews
Hacker-Resistant Power Plant Software Shows Real-World Results in Hawaii
Researchers have developed an open source, intrusion-tolerant control system designed to keep power flowing even if part of the grid is compromised.
From ACM TechNews
New Technique Allows Printing of Flexible, Stretchable Silver Nanowire Circuits
A new technique allows researchers to print circuits on flexible, stretchable substrates using silver nanowires.
From ACM News
China's Internet nderground Fights for Its Life
For years, thousands of virtual private networks (VPNs) have allowed people in China to circumvent restrictions on internet access and visit Facebook, Google, YouTube, Twitter, and other sites blacklisted by the government. That's…
From Communications of the ACM
The Construction Industry in the 21st Century
Three-dimensional printing and other new technologies are revitalizing the business of building buildings.
From Communications of the ACM
In Pursuit of Virtual Life
Scientists are simulating biological organisms and replicating evolution in the lab. How far can they expand the boundaries of virtual life?
From Communications of the ACM
The State of Fakery
How digital media could be authenticated, from computational, legal, and ethical points of view.