Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2012
From ACM TechNews
'nanoresonators' Might Improve Cell Phone Performance
Purdue University researchers have developed nanoelectromechanical resonators, which contain a small beam of silicon that vibrates when voltage is applied.
From ACM TechNews
Leading Global Standards Organizations Endorse 'openstand' Principles
The Internet Architecture Board, the Internet Engineering Task Force, the Internet Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the World Wide Web Consortium recently signed a statement affirming the importance…
From ACM News
Bae's Striker Helmet Gives Fighter Pilots 'x-Ray Vision'
When a pilot in a Eurofighter Typhoon jet glances down, he doesn't see a steel-grey floor. Instead he sees clouds, and maybe sheep and cows in green fields below.
From ACM TechNews
Visible Light Communication Could Simplify Car Electronics
Warwick University researchers are studying replacing the wiring inside cars with devices that communicate via light signals. The researchers have demonstrated how visible light communication could simplify and lighten the electronic…
From ACM News
Computational Social Science: Making the Links
Jon Kleinberg's early work was not for the mathematically faint of heart.
From ACM News
'degrade, Disrupt, Deceive': .s. Talks Openly About Hacking Foes
There was a time, not all that long ago, when the U.S. military wouldn't even whisper about its plans to hack into opponents' networks.
From ACM TechNews
Harnessing nused Smartphone Power For a Computing Boost
Technical University of Braunschweig researchers have found that smartphones can be joined together in a network, which when connected via Wi-Fi, can carry out increased numbers of calculations per second.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Chip Breakthrough to Be Unveiled
University of Bristol researchers say they have developed a quantum chip that will lead to the creation of completely secure mobile phones and super-fast computers that are much more powerful than today's devices.
From ACM TechNews
Austrian Programmers Build Free Bridge to Internet
Austrian researchers have developed FunkFeuer, a low-cost way of spreading Internet access across communities using the same open radio spectrum as Wi-Fi.
From ACM TechNews
Secrecy Surrounding 'zero-Day Exploits' Industry Spurs Calls For Government Oversight
A barely regulated industry for zero-day exploits sold by researchers has sprung up, and even certain insiders believe trade of these hacker or security tools should be subject to more stringent regulation, analysts say.
From ACM Opinion
Meet the Man Who's Rewiring Google From the Inside Out
It was a tweet that fired the imagination like few others. On May 10, 2011, at 1:35 in the afternoon, Eric Brewer told the world he was redesigning the most important operation on the Internet.
From ACM News
Making Web Applications More Efficient
Most major Websites these days maintain huge databases: Shopping sites have databases of inventory and customer ratings, travel sites have databases of seat availability on flights, and social-networking sites have databases…
From ACM News
The Digital Wallet Is Starting to Take Shape
Imagine if, in addition to all the things your smartphone does now, it could also act as your keys to the real world.
From ACM News
Take a Spin on the Moon and Mars
The death of first moonwalker Neil Armstrong and the success of NASA's Curiosity rover have reignited interest in the idea of taking a spin on the moon and Mars, at least virtually.
From ACM Opinion
The Jet Propulsion Lab Is Way Weirder (and Awesomer) Than You Even Imagined
For a center of cutting-edge scientific research, Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab seems to be a pretty wacky place. Luke Johnson, a graphic designer at the lab, set out to explore and map the campus on a dare, which became a much…
From ACM TechNews
The Security Skills Shortage Is Worse Than You Think
Enterprise employers and security specialists are increasingly growing concerned about what some see as a deepening skills shortage in the information technology security field.
From ACM News
Harness Unused Smartphone Power For a Computing Boost
Smarphone owners carry around more processing power in their pocket than a 1970s-era supercomputer, but most of the time it languishes unused.
From ACM TechNews
Helping Utilities Monitor For Network Security
Idaho National Laboratory researchers have developed Sophia, software designed to help network operators detect intruders and other anomalies.
From ACM News
The Dirtiest Word in Science
The "sequester," or a series of automatic federal spending cuts, are set to go into effect in January 2013, cutting science funding dramatically.
From ACM Careers
The Joys of rban Tech
For as long as many of us can remember, high-tech industries have flourished in the suburban office parks that are so ubiquitous in Silicon Valley, North Carolina's Research Triangle and other "nerdistans." But in recent years…
From Communications of the ACM
Chips Go Upscale
After decades in Flatland, the end of Moore's Law is pushing semiconductors into the third dimension.
From Communications of the ACM
In Honor of Alan Turing
Thirty-two of the 39 living A.M. Turing Award laureates gathered in San Francisco to pay tribute to "the father of CS" and discuss the past, present, and future of computing.
From Communications of the ACM
Atomic-Level Computing
Thanks to the University of New South Wales and IBM Research, scientists are moving closer to the junction of quantum and digital computing.
From Communications of the ACM
Garbage In, Info Out
Security researchers used malware to investigate large-scale Internet censorship in Egypt and Libya.