Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2010
From ACM News
Why the Stuxnet Worm Is Like Nothing Seen Before
Stuxnet is the first worm of its type capable of attacking critical infrastructure like power stations and electricity grids: those in the know have been expecting it for years.
From ACM News
Four Organizations Join Open Cirrus Cloud Computing Test Bed
HP, Intel Corp. and Yahoo! Inc. announced on Monday (Sept. 27) that four new organizations will join Open Cirrus, a global, multiple data center, open source test bed for the advancement of cloud computing research.
From ACM News
Fujitsu Begins Shipping 'k' Computer, Japan's Next-Generation Supercomputer
Fujitsu has begun shipping the computing units for Japan's Next-Generation Supercomputer, nicknamed the "K" computer. The "K" computer is a central part of the HPCI initiative, and is being jointly developed with the RIKEN research…
From ACM News
Developers See Google's Android Operating System Surpassing Apple's
A majority of developers believe Google's Android operating system—not Apple's iOS—will be the dominant platform in the future to power everything from smartphones to touch-screen refrigerators, according to a survey released…
From ACM TechNews
Cyber Attacks Test Pentagon, Allies and Foes
Adversarial nations worldwide have adopted cyberespionage and cyberattacks as staples of modern warfare, and U.S. defense officials estimate that more than 100 countries are currently attempting to penetrate U.S. networks.
From ACM TechNews
Google Researching Real-Time Frustration Detection
Google researchers are studying how people behave when their search is unsuccessful. Frustrated searchers may frown, move closer to the computer monitor, sigh, start biting their nails, stare at the results page, or completely…
From ACM News
China's 'Big Hole' Marks Scale of Supercomputing Race
1,000 U.S. scientists are involved in exascale development, but China and Europe have stepped up their investment, IBM warns.
From ACM TechNews
The Density of Innovation
A map showing the density of innovation based on the number of patents in the high-tech industry reveals that the median density of innovation is .008 patents per square kilometer and that the densest metros have more than .4…
From ACM TechNews
Hp-Sponsored Consortium Developing News Ways of Measuring Learning
The Measuring Learning Consortium, a global consortium led by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, will develop new technologies for measuring students' competency in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
From ACM TechNews
ga Researchers Apply Artificial Intelligence to the Study of Gothic Cathedrals
University of Georgia professors are using artificial intelligence to study gothic cathedrals with the aim of developing an ontology that will make it possible to apply AI methods to historic descriptions of architecture.
From ACM TechNews
Cars as Traffic Sensors
Researchers working on MIT's CarTel project are studying how cars could be used as ubiquitous mobile sensors. The researchers developed an algorithm that optimizes the dissemination of data through a network of cars with wireless…
From ACM News
A Silent Attack, but Not a Subtle One
As in real warfare, even the most carefully aimed weapon in computer warfare leaves collateral damage. The Stuxnet worm was no different.
From ACM News
First Improvement of Fundamental Algorithm in 10 Years
The max-flow problem, which is ubiquitous in network analysis, scheduling, and logistics, can now be solved more efficiently than ever.
From ACM News
.s. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet
Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is "going dark" as people increasingly…
From ACM News
Cyber Attacks Test Pentagon, Allies and Foes
Cyber espionage has surged against governments and companies around the world in the past year, and cyber attacks have become a staple of conflict among states.
From ACM News
Web Science: The New Frontier
To Chris Baker, the World Wide Web's existence has been "like the birth of a new planet." Baker, a University of New Brunswick researcher, is asking himself, "What now?"
From ACM News
Malware Hits Computerized Industrial Equipment
The technology industry is being rattled by a quiet and sophisticated malicious software program that has infiltrated factory computers.
From ACM TechNews
Study: Servers Run Well Around Zero Degrees
Researchers in Finland are studying the use of outdoor air to cool data centers in northern climates. They have been running servers in a tent on a roof terrace for six months, which enabled them to cover a wide range of temperatures…
From ACM TechNews
Report: Poor Science Education Impairs .s. Economy
"Rising Above the Gathering Storm," a new report released before a U.S. Congressional committee, found little improvement in K-12 technical education in the United States since 2005, when an earlier report spurred moves to double…
From ACM TechNews
Turning Thoughts Into Words
University of Utah researchers are developing a brain-computer interface that provides a way to communicate for people who are unable to talk or move but are awake and aware.
From ACM TechNews
FCC Opens Unused TV Airwaves to Broadband
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has passed a proposal to make vast swaths of idle TV broadcast airwaves available for high-speed wireless broadband networks and other unlicensed applications.
From ACM TechNews
Black Computer Scientists in Academe: An Endangered Species?
African-Americans account for just 1.3 percent of computer science faculty at U.S. colleges and universities, and only 1.6 percent of computer science doctorate degrees went to blacks in 2008-2009.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Work Together to Move Robotics Forward
Arizona State University researchers are developing next-generation robotic devices with greater intelligence and autonomy.
From ACM News
An Army of Tech-Savvy Warriors Has Been Fighting Its Battles in Cyberspace
They were Air Force fighter pilots, Army rangers and Marine tank commanders. There was even a Navy fighter jet radar officer who had been taken prisoner during the Persian Gulf War.
From ACM News
PARC, Which Laid Foundation for PC Revolution, Turns 40
PARC—the Xerox-backed research institution that laid the foundation for the personal computing revolution—is celebrating its 40th anniversary, but the fabled organization's leaders and researchers are determined to show that…
From ACM News
Researchers Design Tool to Improve Wikipedia Accuracy
A team of University of Iowa researchers has developed a new tool that detects potential vandalism on Wikipedia and can help improve the accuracy of the online encyclopedia's entries.
From ACM News
PRoViScout: ESA and NASA Develop an Independent Mars Exploration System
Researchers from across Europe—with a little help from experts at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory—are working on a new, robotic exploration system that could enable future Mars rovers to independently explore the planet's…
From ACM News
Researchers Provide Insight Into the Impacts of Too Much Communication
Individuals within a networked system coordinate their activities by communicating their position, speed, or intention. This communication will pnly increase the network's efficiency if the communication and its subsequent…
From ACM News
Is 4G Wireless Enough to Sate Consumers?
As data traffic explodes on wireless networks thanks to smartphones and other connected mobile devices, 4G wireless technology is expected to solve mobile operators' network congestion problems. But is 4G really the savior…
From ACM News
Software Forensics Tools Enter the Courtroom
As litigation over software in the United States and elsewhere has skyrocketed, automatic software forensics tools that can quickly and accurately uncover illicit software copying are becoming key to copyright infringement…