Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
April 2013
From ACM TechNews
c San Diego Team Achieves Petaflop-Level Earthquake Simulations on Gpu-Powered Supercomputers
A new highly scalable software can dramatically cut both research times and energy costs in simulating seismic hazards.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Expose the Human Side of Cybercrime
Researchers are focusing their study of cybercrime on how end users' susceptibility to be victimized is shaped by their online routines.
From ACM TechNews
Cool It: Is the Internet Too Hot for Data Centers to Handle?
Internet traffic volume doubles every three years, yet this increase in usage has not been matched by a similar increase in network energy efficiency.
From ACM TechNews
Race to Build Driverless Cars Is in Full Throttle
Researchers claim they are just five years away from having all of the tools and the knowledge needed to market a fully autonomous vehicle.
From ACM TechNews
This Material Will Power the Future--If Somebody Can Profit From It
Researchers are working to prove that graphene will enable significant advances in material science, although skeptics question its commercial potential.
From ACM TechNews
Software Uses Linkedin Network to Guide Your Career
New software provides career guidance based on the profiles of LinkedIn users.
From ACM Careers
Tech pstarts Threaten Tv Broadcast Model
Two fledgling technologies could dramatically reshape the $60 billion-a-year television broadcast industry as they challenge the business model that has helped keep broadcasters on the lucrative end of the media spectrum.
From ACM News
Planning For Digital Death
Researchers suggest a framework for dealing with gracefully retiring someone's digital identities when they pass on.
From ACM Opinion
Mark Pincus Thinks Angry Birds Won't Hurt Your Kids
You are the founder and C.E.O. of Zynga, a company responsible for addictive games like FarmVille and the forthcoming Draw Something 2. You know, every time I see my 4-year-old son playing Angry Birds on my phone, I imagine that…
From ACM News
Feathers Fly as New Rules Loom For Kids' Apps
Kids love Angry Birds, but will Angry Birds love them back?
From ACM News
How Google Remade the Computer Science Researcher
John Wilkes spent a year negotiating his move to Google, and when he finally agreed to join the company, he still didn’t know what he’d be working on.
From ACM News
Scientists Figure Out What You See While You're Dreaming
In today's science-so-weird-it-absolutely-must-be-science-fiction contest, we have a clear winner: a new study in which a team of scientists use an MRI machine, a computer model, and thousands of images from the Internet to figure…
From ACM News
Mechanical Computer Flexes Its Muscle
If we go way back to the 18th century, we find ourselves in the heyday of mechanics.
From ACM TechNews
Bet You're a Liam--Software Puts Names to Faces
Researchers are investigating whether it is possible to take an educated guess at someone's name with just one look at their face.
From ACM TechNews
Physicists Nudge Electrons, Move Toward Crazy-Fast Computers
Researchers have nudged electrons to change their spin in just quadrillionths of a second, a breakthrough that could lead to faster computers.
From ACM TechNews
The Rise of the Bitcoin: Virtual Gold or Cyber-Bubble?
Bitcoin virtual currency is booming as it is used to pay for goods and services directly over the Internet without requiring intermediaries such as banks.
From ACM TechNews
As Web Search Goes Mobile, Competitors Chip at Google’s Lead
Google and others are developing smarter search apps designed to generate more customized and relevant results.
From ACM TechNews
World’s Most Detailed 3D Computer Model of Heart Chambers
Researchers say they have developed the world's most detailed 3D computer models of the heart's upper chambers.
From ACM Opinion
Paul Mockapetris, Inventor of the Domain Name System, Wants to Filter the Web
Before the Internet, there was the ARPANet, a closed computer network that pretty much shut down on weekends and over holidays.
From ACM News
New Test For Computers: Grading Essays at College Level
Imagine taking a college exam, and, instead of handing in a blue book and getting a grade from a professor a few weeks later, clicking the "send" button when you are done and receiving a grade back instantly, your essay scored…
From ACM News
Gravity-Bending Find Leads to Kepler Meeting Einstein
NASA's Kepler space telescope has witnessed the effects of a dead star bending the light of its companion star. The findings are among the first detections of this phenomenon—a result of Einstein's general theory of relativity—in…
From ACM News
Electronic Warfare: The Ethereal Future of Battle
The voice of the foreign military commander is sinister and gloating.
From ACM News
Barons of Bitcoin: The Tokyo-Based Powerhouse that Controls the World's Virtual Money
The virtual currency Bitcoin isn't backed by any assets or central authority.
From ACM TechNews
Hackers Compete to Create the Most Insidious Code
The Underhanded C Conference calls on developers to create software that performs some kind of malicious activity but looks innocuous even under scrutiny.
From ACM TechNews
Sorting Out the Structure of a Parkinson’s Protein
A new model of the structure of the protein most commonly associated with Parkinson's disease could lead to a new way to treat the disease.
From ACM TechNews
Another Step Toward Quantum Computers: sing Photons for Memory
A new method of manipulating microwave signals could aid in the development of a quantum computer.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Model Provides Important Clues for the Production of Tightly Packed Electronic Components
Researchers have developed a computer model that predicts how a silicon wafer deforms when computer chips are crowded together too closely.
From ACM Opinion
From Touch Displays to the Surface: A Brief History of Touchscreen Technology
It's hard to believe that just a few decades ago, touchscreen technology could only be found in science fiction books and film. These days, it's almost unfathomable how we once got through our daily tasks without a trusty tablet…
From ACM Opinion
A Leader of Obama's New Brain Initiative Explains Why We Need It
Neuroscientist William Newsome of Stanford University is one of two scientists tapped by President Obama to lead a new brain research initiative, which the administration hopes to launch with $100 million of public funding and…
From ACM Opinion
Yes, You Should Care About Bitcoin, and Here's Why
Everybody's talking about Bitcoin these days, which is quite remarkable given the highly technical nature of the crypto-currency. So why is it such a big deal?