Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
August 2014
From ACM News
Brazilian Animator Visits Vancouver Siggraph Technology Conference via Robot
Bedridden Paulo Henrique Machado is given ‘the freedom I physically can’t have.’
From ACM News
nique Games Conjecture Results in Nevanlinna Prize
Theoretical computer scientist Subhash Khot is recognized for his "prescient definition of the ‘Unique Games’ problem" and for "leading the effort to understand its complexity and its pivotal role in the study of efficient approximation…
From ACM TechNews
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg on Tech's Diversity Gap
In an interview, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg says it is crucial for the technology industry to become more diverse.
From ACM TechNews
Diamonds Are a Quantum Computer's Best Friend
Researchers have proposed a new architecture for quantum computing based on microscopic defects in diamond.
From ACM TechNews
How Recycled Solar-Powered Phones Could Save Rainforests and Change How the Tech Industry Tackles Climate Change
Rainforest Connection installs smartphones on tree canopies to transmit real-time alerts in areas where illegal deforestation is taking place.
From ACM TechNews
Harvard nleashes a Swarm of Self-Organizing Robots
Harvard University researchers have developed a method enabling thousands of robots to coordinate their actions so they can complete a single task.
From ACM TechNews
Meet Monstermind, the Nsa Bot That Could Wage Cyberwar Autonomously
Whistleblower Edward Snowden claims the U.S. National Security Agency is developing an autonomous cyberdefense system.
From ACM News
Proof Confirmed of 400-Year-Old Fruit-Stacking Problem
A computer-verified proof of a 400-year-old problem could pave the way for a new era of mathematics.
From ACM News
Do quantum computers threaten global encryption systems?
The modern world is a house of cards built upon encryption.
From ACM News
Tall Boulder Rolls Down Martian Hill, Lands Upright
A track about one-third of a mile (500 meters) long on Mars shows where an irregularly shaped boulder careened downhill to its current upright position, seen in a July 3, 2014, image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment…
From ACM News
Only 10 Midges Needed to Make a Swarm
To most people, a cloud of midges is an annoyance.
From ACM News
Vast Majority of Hackers Believe They're Above the Law—survey
When most hackers are infiltrating computer systems, the last thing on their mind is getting caught, according to new data.
From ACM TechNews
Data Center Innovation: New Ways to Save Energy
The High Tech and Industrial Systems Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, recently designated the DoE Center of Expertise for energy efficiency in data centers, will help federal agencies improve their energy efficiency…
From ACM TechNews
Disney Research Leads Development of Tool to Design Inflatable Characters and Structures
Researchers at Columbia University, ETH Zurich, and Disney say they have developed an interactive computational tool that enables even non-experts to create intricate inflatable structures.
From ACM TechNews
The Internet's Vulnerable Backbone
A criminal redirected the online activities of bitcoin mining groups and stole at least $83,000 worth in bitcoins over four months, according to a new report, which says the thief relied on the inappropriate use of the Border…
From ACM News
The Best 'low-Tech' Spycraft Tricks
In the wake of Edward Snowden's revelations about the US National Security Agency’s activities around the globe, authorities in Russia and Germany declared they were investing in a foolproof counter-surveillance technology: mechanical…
From ACM TechNews
Multiple avs Perform Autonomous Formation Flight
Research conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology Research Institute could help improve the capabilities of autonomous systems collaborating as teams, thereby reducing the load on human operators.
From ACM News
Do Quantum Computers Threaten Global Encryption Systems?
Make a mobile phone call and encryption is there to stop eavesdroppers listening in.
From ACM News
'ambiguous' Warfare Buys Upgrade Time For Russia's Military
Unmarked Russian soldiers who seized Ukraine's Crimea region earlier this year gave every appearance of military professionals well equipped with modern body armor and weapons.
From ACM TechNews
As Data Overflows Online, Researchers Grapple With Ethics
Researchers say there needs to be ethical guidelines in place for social science studies that use personal data collected by various social media websites.
From ACM TechNews
Energy Harvested From Body, Environment Could Power Wearables, IoT Devices
Low-power wearable devices may soon stop using batteries and start drawing energy generated by body heat and movement, as well as ambient energy from the environment.
From ACM TechNews
No Boys Allowed: Girls Who Code Takes on Gender Gap
The nonprofit Girls Who Code's summer program has grown from 20 girls in one classroom in 2012 to 380 girls in classrooms at 16 companies across the country.
From ACM TechNews
It Jobs: Which States Show Most Growth?
Dice's August jobs report found Texas leads in technology job growth in 2014 based on new hiring data, followed by Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington.
From ACM TechNews
Pairing Old Technologies With New For Next Generation Electronic Devices
University College London researchers say they have discovered a new method to efficiently generate and control currents based on the magnetic nature of electrons in semiconducting materials.
From ACM TechNews
Face Recognition System Achieves 99.15 Percent Accuracy
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong say they have developed the most accurate facial-recognition system in the world, featuring an accuracy rating higher than what is achieved by humans.
From ACM News
The Most Wanted Man in the World
The message arrives on my "clean machine," a MacBook Air loaded only with a sophisticated encryption package.
From ACM News
As Data Overflows Online, Researchers Grapple With Ethics
Scholars are exhilarated by the prospect of tapping into the vast troves of personal data collected by Facebook, Google, Amazon, and a host of start-ups, which they say could transform social science research.
From ACM Opinion
Okcupid's Co-Founder on Experiments, Data Science and the Myth of the 'unicorn'
Christian Rudder, co-founder and president of the IAC/InterActiveCorp.'s OkCupid, caused a stir recently when he responded to Facebook's news feed controversy with some no-regrets commentsabout the dating website's own experiments…
From ACM News
Siri's Inventors Are Building a Radical New AI That Does Anything You Ask
When Apple announced the iPhone 4S on October 4, 2011, the headlines were not about its speedy A5 chip or improved camera.
From ACM Careers
Simplifying the Bull: How Picasso Helps to Teach Apple's Style
Apple may well be the only tech company on the planet that would dare compare itself to Picasso.