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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


NASA's Messenger Probe Ready for Final Tour of Mercury
From ACM News

NASA's Messenger Probe Ready for Final Tour of Mercury

The first spacecraft to orbit Mercury is almost out of gas.

The Search For Et: How Close Are We?
From ACM News

The Search For Et: How Close Are We?

In 1950, Nobel prizewinning physicist Enrico Fermi posed his famous paradox: if extraterrestrial intelligence exists, why haven't we found it?

Thought Control Makes Robot Arm Grab and Move Objects
From ACM News

Thought Control Makes Robot Arm Grab and Move Objects

A woman paralysed from the neck down can now grab a ball with a robotic arm—just by thinking about it.

Optical Illusions Fool Computers Into Seeing Things
From ACM TechNews

Optical Illusions Fool Computers Into Seeing Things

University of Wyoming researchers are studying algorithms working together that may resulting in a program that could generate creative pictures by itself.

The Sun and Jupiter Could Reveal Space-Time Ripples
From ACM News

The Sun and Jupiter Could Reveal Space-Time Ripples

Ripples in space-time could squeeze and stretch the sun and Jupiter, forming a gigantic gravitational-wave detector in our own celestial backyard.

Lassie Text Home: Pooches Get Technological
From ACM TechNews

Lassie Text Home: Pooches Get Technological

Projects are underway to enhance dogs' ability to interact with technology in new ways, in the hope "we'll be able to make them even better at their jobs." 

Haptic Holograms Let You Touch the Void in Vr
From ACM News

Haptic Holograms Let You Touch the Void in Vr

Feeling is believing. A system that uses sound waves to project "haptic holograms" into mid-air—letting you touch 3D virtual objects with your bare hands—is poised...

Cleaning Bot Operators Get Censored View of Your Home
From ACM TechNews

Cleaning Bot Operators Get Censored View of Your Home

In the near future, it may be possible for household cleaning robots to be remotely controlled via the Internet, with privacy ensured by blurring the video feed...

Google and Nasa Ride D-Wave to a Quantum Future
From ACM News

Google and Nasa Ride D-Wave to a Quantum Future

They could be the most powerful computers in the world—so perhaps it's no surprise that the biggest internet company on the planet is testing one out.

Time Cloak ­sed to Hide Messages in Laser Light
From ACM News

Time Cloak ­sed to Hide Messages in Laser Light

A "time cloak" that conceals events rather than objects can hide secret messages through a trick of light, making information invisible to all but the intended...

Polite Drones Do Awkward Dance to Avoid Crashing
From ACM News

Polite Drones Do Awkward Dance to Avoid Crashing

No, I insist, after you.

Hackathon Develops Tech Tools to Fight Ebola Epidemic
From ACM TechNews

Hackathon Develops Tech Tools to Fight Ebola Epidemic

The University of Oxford earlier this month hosted the Ebola Crisis Hackathon.

Human Thoughts ­sed to Switch on Genes
From ACM News

Human Thoughts ­sed to Switch on Genes

Could a futuristic society of humans with the power to control their own biological functions ever become reality? 

Ghost Universes Kill Schrödinger's Quantum Cat
From ACM News

Ghost Universes Kill Schrödinger's Quantum Cat

The wave function has collapsed—permanently.

Computers Are Learning to See the World Like We Do
From ACM TechNews

Computers Are Learning to See the World Like We Do

On the website Park or Bird on Flickr, a computer makes an educated guess as to whether a photograph was taken in a national park or shows a bird. 

Brain Decoder Can Eavesdrop on Your Inner Voice
From ACM News

Brain Decoder Can Eavesdrop on Your Inner Voice

Talking to yourself used to be a strictly private pastime.

Computers Are Learning to See the World Like We Do
From ACM News

Computers Are Learning to See the World Like We Do

What animal is in the picture above?

Quantum Internet Could Cross Seas By Container Ship
From ACM TechNews

Quantum Internet Could Cross Seas By Container Ship

Container ships could be used to create a kind of international quantum Internet.

Future Scenarios Show How Easily Ebola Could Explode
From ACM News

Future Scenarios Show How Easily Ebola Could Explode

Just how bad will the Ebola outbreak in West Africa get?

Wearable Tech Lets Boss Track Your Work, Rest and Play
From ACM News

Wearable Tech Lets Boss Track Your Work, Rest and Play

Some jobs come with a uniform. For an increasing number of employees, that uniform will soon include a badge that tracks everything they do.
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