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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.


Laser Flight Path Caught On Camera For the First Time
From ACM News

Laser Flight Path Caught On Camera For the First Time

Pew pew! Researchers have created the first video of a laser bouncing off a mirror.

What You 'like' on Facebook Gives Away Your Personality
From ACM News

What You 'like' on Facebook Gives Away Your Personality

Be careful what you "like" on Facebook. You're opening a small window on your soul.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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?

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.

Found: Closest Link to Eve, Our ­niversal Ancestor
From ACM News

Found: Closest Link to Eve, Our ­niversal Ancestor

A man who died in 315 BC in southern Africa is the closest relative yet known to humanity’s common female ancestor—mitochondrial Eve.

Real Holodeck Turns Your Living Room Into a Game
From ACM News

Real Holodeck Turns Your Living Room Into a Game

Good news, Star Trek fans: Microsoft has created a prototype Holodeck that transforms an entire room into a virtual gaming environment.

Snowflake-Shaped Networks Are Easiest to Mend
From ACM News

Snowflake-Shaped Networks Are Easiest to Mend

Networks shaped like delicate snowflakes are the ones that are easiest to fix when disaster strikes.
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