Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
May 2009
From ACM TechNews
Software: The Eternal Battlefield in the Unending Cyberwars
Cybercriminals still have the upper hand on the Internet despite nearly two decades of technological advancement, and Carnegie Mellon University professor William Scherlis (pictured) says the cybercrime problem is being exacerbated…
From ACM TechNews
Software to Improve the Design of Aircraft Wings
TECNALIA is working with AERNNOVA on the ICARO project, which is developing multidisciplinary optimization software that would help design the most effective aircraft wings. The use of software would help designers address issues…
From ACM TechNews
In Major Shift, Apple Builds Its Own Chip Design Team
In a major strategy shift, Apple reportedly has begun boosting its capability to design its own computer chips in an effort to create exclusive features for its products. Apple has been hiring people from different areas of…
From ACM TechNews
Iranians and Others Outwit Net Censors
People around the world are circumventing their governments' censorship of Web content using tools developed and provided by a diverse coalition of political and religious activists, civil libertarians, Internet entrepreneurs…
From ACM TechNews
Doe Opens Petascale Supercomputing Power
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has committed to releasing a record amount of supercomputing time--1.3 billion processor hours--starting in 2010, giving scientific researchers the opportunity to run the biggest and most intricate…
From ACM TechNews
Google Begins Tracking Swine Flu in Mexico
Google is attempting map how the swine flu is spreading through Mexico by compiling information from swine flu-related searches in Mexico. The mapping effort is based on Google Flu Trends, which Google launched last November…
From ACM TechNews
Panel Advises Clarifying U.S. Plans on Cyberwar
A report based on a three-year study by a panel assembled by the National Academy of Sciences says the United States does not have a clear military policy on how to respond to a cyberattack. The report, "Technology, Policy, Law…
From ACM News
Where It's Hip to Count Flops
Last summer the U.S. Department of Energy's $120 million IBM Roadrunner supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory was declared the fastest computer in the world, churning out an incredible 1.026 petaflops, the first system…
From ACM News
Conference Encourages Young Women to Pursue Technical Careers
The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory held its 21st annual Science Careers in Search of Women conference last month, welcoming approximately 350 high school students from across the Chicago area to experience…
From ICT Results
Consortium Lights the Way for Photonics Research Community
An umbrella group set up to give direction to Europe's emerging photonics community has proposed a program of strategic research and is calling for action to address a looming skills shortage. The reality of photonics as a distinct…