Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2013
From ACM TechNews
Artificial-Intelligence Research Revives Its Old Ambitions
Artificial intelligence research has advanced significantly, but much work remains before computers can truly replicate or surpass human intelligence.
From ACM TechNews
Helping Students Crack Computer Science Code
Massachusetts' Beaver Country Day School wants to integrate software programming into all of its subjects.
From ACM TechNews
Breakthrough in Cryptography Could Result in More Secure Computing
Researchers have developed the SPDZ protocol, which they say is the fastest known protocol to implement Multi-Party Computation.
From ACM TechNews
Nsa Expands Academic Cyber Initiative
The U.S. National Security Agency has added several universities to its National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations program.
From ACM News
The Maps Transforming How We Interact With the World
The modern map is no longer an unwieldy printed publication we wrestle with on some blustery peak, but digital, data-rich, and dynamic.
From ACM News
Mars Rover Camera Invention Could Help Nasa Robots Explore Solo
Every second that a NASA rover roams across the surface of Mars is extremely expensive.
From ACM News
NASA Spacecraft Embarks on Historic Journey Into Interstellar Space
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft officially is the first human-made object to venture into interstellar space. The 36-year-old probe is about 12 billion miles (19 billion kilometers) from our sun.
From ACM Opinion
Trigger Finger: Apple Fires Biometrics Into the Mainstream
By adding a fingerprint scanner to its newest mobile phone, Apple Inc. is offering a tantalizing glimpse of a future where your favorite gadget might become a biometric pass to the workplace, mobile commerce or real-world shopping…
From ACM Opinion
The Real Reasons Apple's 64-Bit A7 Chip Makes Sense
Apple injected a lot of marketing hyperbole into its claims about the wonders of 64-bit computing when it showed off the A7 processor at the heart of the new iPhone 5S. But there are real long-term reasons that Apple is smart…
From ACM TechNews
Tackling Enterprise Threats From the Internet of Things
Security experts warn that a dire threat is posed by the poor security of the Internet of Things.
From ACM TechNews
Stanford Scientists Use Dna to Assemble a Transistor From Graphene
Researchers are trying to use DNA as a template for creating a new generation of computer chips based on graphene.
From ACM TechNews
Readying Iris Recognition For Prime Time
A U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology team says iris scans remain highly reliable over time.
From ACM TechNews
Google Gives Online Class on Making Websites Accessible to the Blind
Google is offering a free online course to teach Web developers and designers how to make their websites more friendly for blind and visually-impaired users.
From ACM News
New Approach to Making Graphene Could Lead to Workable Transistors
Researchers at Stanford have used DNA as a template to synthesize ultra-thin ribbons of graphene directly on silicon wafers. This new approach could ultimately lead to graphene transistors that leak less current and are thus…
From ACM Careers
Intel's Extensive Makeover
While Apple talked about a couple of new products on Tuesday, Intel, with much less fanfare, talked about the transformation of a world, and itself.
From ACM Opinion
How Facebook Makes s nhappy
No one joins Facebook to be sad and lonely.
From ACM News
Proposals Sought to Foster Best Practices for Supporting Postdocs
The Computing Research Association's Computing Community Consortium seeks proposals for ways to develop best practices in support of postdoctoral scholars.
From ACM News
Fingerprints As Passwords: New Iphone Touch Id Gets Mixed Security Verdict
Of all the new features of Apple's new iPhone 5S, few have drawn more attention than the built-in fingerprint scanner known as Touch ID.
From ACM TechNews
Appeals Court Voices Concern About FCC Rule
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has concerns about the legality of FCC rules requiring equal treatment for all Internet traffic.
From ACM TechNews
Calling For Proposals: Creating Visions For Computing Research
The Computing Research Association's Computing Community Consortium has issued a call for proposals for workshops on research at the frontiers of computing.
From ACM News
The Nsa Sponsors 'cyber Operations' Training at niversities. Here's What Students Learn.
Last week, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh became one of the latest—and most prestigious—schools to partner with the National Security Agency on a program designed to recruit young cyberspies.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Developing New Systems to Improve Voice Recognition
A new system can identify speaking voices even while whispering, speaking through various emotions, or talking with a stuffy nose.
From ACM TechNews
Precomputing Speeds Up Cloth Imaging
Cornell University researchers say they have extended the idea of repetition to make calculation of computer graphic models much simpler and faster.
From ACM TechNews
Mapping the Bitcoin Economy Could Reveal Users' Identities
An analysis of the public log of Bitcoin digital currency transactions could enable law enforcement to pinpoint user identities.
From ACM News
Team Attempts to Restore Communications
Ground controllers have been unable to communicate with NASA's long-lived Deep Impact spacecraft.
From ACM TechNews
National Movement Targets Lack of Women, Minorities in Computing
A nationwide movement is under way in the U.S. to encourage women and minorities to enter the field of computer science.
From ACM Opinion
Imagining a Cyberattack on the Power Grid
It's electrifying.
From ACM News
Artificial-Intelligence Research Revives Its Old Ambitions
The birth of artificial-intelligence research as an autonomous discipline is generally thought to have been the monthlong Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence in 1956, which convened 10 leading electrical…
From ACM News
Grassroots Groups Work to Inspire Women To Code
New organizations aim to introduce women to computing at the local level.
From ACM News
iSpy: How the NSA Accesses Smartphone Data
Michael Hayden has an interesting story to tell about the iPhone.