Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
May 2012
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Improve Fast-Moving Mobile Networks
A new method developed by researchers from North Carolina State University promises to improve the quality and efficiency of data transmission in mobile ad hoc networks.
From ACM News
Troves of Personal Data, Forbidden to Researchers
When scientists publish their research, they also make the underlying data available so the results can be verified by other scientists.
From ACM News
Gps Loss Kicked Off Fatal Drone Crash
Hopes that a new breed of commercial drones can be easily integrated into civilian airspace have been dashed after it was revealed that the loss of the technology likely to make it all possible—automatic GPS navigation between…
From ACM Careers
Defense Contractor Northrop Grumman Hiring For Offensive Cyber Ops
Defense giant Northrop Grumman is hiring software engineers to help it carry out "offensive cyberspace operations," according to a recent job posting.
From ACM TechNews
Snow Snaps Give You a Better Weather Picture
Photos taken of snowfall and posted online could help fill holes in satellite weather data caused by cloud cover, says Indiana University Ph.D. student Haipeng Zhang.
From ACM TechNews
DARPA Seeks Holy Grail: Quantum-Based Data Security System
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently launched the Quiness program, which aims to demonstrate that quantum communications can generate secure keys at sustainable rates of 1-10 Gbps at distances of up to…
From ACM TechNews
At Wsis Forum, Divisions Arise Over Future of Internet Governance
The recent World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2012 discussed the future of Internet governance.
From ACM News
Silicon Valley Tech Executive Nabbed in False Barcode Scheme Involving Lego Toys
Ever since smartphones got their own bar code scanners, it's become commonplace for store security officers—who carefully monitor surveillance cameras at big box chains such as Target—to witness shoppers taking an intense interest…
From ACM News
Adaptive Networks Aim to Thwart Cybercriminals
Cybercriminals who take aim at computer networks will find it more difficult to hit their mark if their target is a constantly moving one.
From ACM News
Welcome to the Multiverse
"What really interests me is whether God had any choice in creating the world." That's how Albert Einstein, in his characteristically poetic way, asked whether our universe is the only possible universe.
From ACM News
Closure in Disappearance of Computer Scientist
Just over five years ago, Jim Gray, a computer scientist then working for Microsoft, vanished with his sailboat somewhere in the waters beyond the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Because no trace of Dr. Gray or his boat,…
From ACM News
Beyond Kinect: Gestural Computer Spells Keyboard Death
The advent of multi-touch screens and novel gaming interfaces means the days of the traditional mouse and keyboard are well and truly numbered. With Humantenna and SoundWave, you won't even have to touch a computer to control…
From ACM News
In Cuba, Mystery Shrouds Fate of Internet Cable
It was all sunshine, smiles and celebratory speeches as officials marked the arrival of an undersea fiber-optic cable they promised would end Cuba's Internet isolation and boost web capacity 3,000-fold. Even a retired Fidel Castro…
From ACM TechNews
Mit Creates Amazing Ui From Levitating Orbs
Jinha Lee from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab's Tangible Media Group has been experimenting with developing a tactile user interface in which floating objects are manipulated in 3D space.
From ACM News
Leap Motion: 3D Hands-Free Motion Control, Unbound
Hands-free motion control, a technology pioneered by Nintendo's Wii and later improved upon by Microsoft's Kinect, just took a very big leap forward.
From ACM TechNews
University of Nevada, Reno Scientists Design Low-Cost Indoor Navigation System For Blind
University of Nevada, Reno researchers have developed Navatar, an indoor navigation system for people with visual impairments.
From ACM TechNews
Project Aims to Build Online Hub for Archival Materials
The Social Networks and Archival Context Project, developed by Daniel V. Pitti at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, seeks to build an online central clearinghouse for archival records…
From ACM News
'Adaptive Radio': The Next Big Thing in Wireless?
James Collier is loping in a broad circle on the Midsummer Common in Cambridge, England, holding aloft a two-foot fiberglass antenna.
From ACM Opinion
Meet the Man Who Invented the Instructions For the Internet
Steve Crocker was there when the Internet was born.
From ACM News
Onstar Files Patents For Minority Report-Style Billboards
Two weeks ago, a patent filing by General Motors was uncovered that proposed using data collected from its OnStar service to tailor public advertisements to individual drivers.
From ACM News
5 Transformative Uses For Disney's Touch-Sensitive Technology
Disney has a new technology, called Touche, that can turn any object, including the human body, into a touch-sensitive surface that recognizes not only when contact has been made, but what kind of contact it is.
From ACM TechNews
Individual Typing Style Gives Key to User Authentication
The unique typing styles of computer users could be used for authentication, according to Queensland University of Technology researcher Eesa Al Solami.
From ACM TechNews
Study: Facebook Relies on Good Design to Retain Users
University of Washington graduate student Parmit Chilana recently interviewed Facebook engineers and design specialists to learn how they develop and deploy new features for the service.
From ACM TechNews
New Research Could Mean Faster Computers and Better Smart Phones
University of Gothenburg researchers have found that graphene and carbon nanotubes could help reduce the size and power consumption of electronic circuits.
From ACM TechNews
Russian Whizzes Win Global Collegiate It Contest
The St. Petersburg State University of IT, Mechanics and Optics has won this year's ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, besting 111 other teams from around the world by solving nine of 12 problems in five hours.…
From ACM News
Remember Stuxnet? Why the U.s. Is Still Vulnerable
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security revealed a rash of cyber attacks on natural gas pipeline companies. Just as with previous cyber attacks on infrastructure, there was no known physical damage. But security experts…
From ACM News
Nasa Stresses New Mission
Putting U.S. astronauts aboard private spacecraft originally was intended to accelerate the pace and slash the cost of manned exploration. But now, National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials are debating whether…
From ACM News
Nine Things You Should Know About Facebook's Ipo
The social network priced its shares at $38 apiece, valuing the company at $104 billion.
From ACM News
The Average Person Alive During Wwii and Now on Facebook Has 42 Friends
People who are older than 75 have seen the world do some crazy things. They were born during or before Hitler's rise to power, lived through the deprivation and horrors of World War II, saw atomic weapons used in war, experienced…
From ACM News
Hot Trend in Computing: Chips That Sometimes Get It Wrong
Professor Krishna Palem of Rice University utilized a revolutionary form of computing known as "probablistic computing" to create a microchip that uses 30 times less electricity while running seven times faster than today's…