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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.


Will Bitcoins Make Me Rich?
From ACM Opinion

Will Bitcoins Make Me Rich?

Let me begin this column with a lengthy disclosure. One morning last week, I stopped at my bank, filled out a withdrawal slip for $1,027.51, and walked away with...

Fighting Cancer With the Google Pagerank Algorithm. Sort Of.
From ACM News

Fighting Cancer With the Google Pagerank Algorithm. Sort Of.

In cancer parlance, metastasize is a four-letter word.

It's Like They’re Reading My Mind
From ACM News

It's Like They’re Reading My Mind

Whether it's our location, contact lists, calendars, photo albums, or search requests, app developers, advertising companies, and other tech firms are scrambling...

The Sensitive Robot: How Haptic Technology Is Closing the Mechanical Gap
From ACM TechNews

The Sensitive Robot: How Haptic Technology Is Closing the Mechanical Gap

As haptic technology advances with new sensors and feedback systems, robots might soon gain a sense of touch, further closing the gap between humans and machines...

Mind Plus Machine
From ACM News

Mind Plus Machine

Behind a locked door in a white-walled basement in a research building in Tempe, Ariz., a monkey sits stone-still in a chair, eyes locked on a computer screen.

On Today's Battlefield, Is Information More Important Than Firepower?
From ACM Opinion

On Today's Battlefield, Is Information More Important Than Firepower?

Halo, Borderlands, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Battlefield, Metal Gear Solid—these kinds of games taught a generation to see enemies as red dots on a mini-map...

The Art of Cyberwar
From ACM Opinion

The Art of Cyberwar

The New York Times’ front-page report last week that the Chinese army is hacking into America's most sensitive computer networks from a 12-story building outside...

Why Didn't We Know the Russian Meteor Was Coming?
From ACM News

Why Didn't We Know the Russian Meteor Was Coming?

Thomas Pynchon said it best, years before: "A screaming comes across the sky." Midmorning today, near the city of Chelyabinsk in western Siberia, a meteor came...

Phreaks and Geeks
From ACM Opinion

Phreaks and Geeks

One of the most heartfelt—and unexpected—remembrances of Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide last month at the age of 26, came from Yale professor Edward Tufte.

How Google's Jeff Dean Became the Chuck Norris of the Internet
From ACM News

How Google's Jeff Dean Became the Chuck Norris of the Internet

"The speed of light in a vacuum used to be about 35 mph. Then Jeff Dean spent a weekend optimizing physics."—Jeff Dean Facts

Military Moves Closer to Truly Autonomous Drones
From ACM News

Military Moves Closer to Truly Autonomous Drones

Imagine a flying machine equipped with bombs and missiles, navigating the skies stealthily without human control.

Cyberwar's Gray Market
From ACM News

Cyberwar's Gray Market

Behind computer screens from France to Fort Worth, Texas, elite hackers hunt for security vulnerabilities worth thousands of dollars on a secretive unregulated...

Can This Man Save Pinball?
From ACM Careers

Can This Man Save Pinball?

The last guys who tried to save pinball bet all their quarters on a bunch of 3D aliens.

How To Charge Your Laptop
From ACM Opinion

How To Charge Your Laptop

Whether they're in our computers, cell phones, or cars, the only time we think about batteries is when they're almost dead and we need to find some place to charge...

This Real-Life Pixar Lamp Cutely Refuses to Let You Turn It Off
From ACM Opinion

This Real-Life Pixar Lamp Cutely Refuses to Let You Turn It Off

Design-class projects have come a long way. That's the only conclusion I can draw from this brilliant video of a robotic desk lamp that squeaks, swivels, and mugs...

Michael Bloomberg Wants to Do Something Cool with New York's Phone Booths
From ACM Careers

Michael Bloomberg Wants to Do Something Cool with New York's Phone Booths

Just 15 years ago, New York City had 35,000 phone booths. Thanks to cell phones it now has just 11,000, most of which serve little purpose for anyone but Clark...

A Missile-Defense System That Actually Works?
From ACM News

A Missile-Defense System That Actually Works?

The fighting between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza strip over the last few days is the latest round of violence in a region that has been torn apart by a...

Watch Your Tongue: Law Enforcement Speech Recognition System Stores Millions of Voices
From ACM News

Watch Your Tongue: Law Enforcement Speech Recognition System Stores Millions of Voices

Intercepting thousands of phone calls is easy for government agencies. But quickly analyzing the calls and identifying the callers can prove a difficult task.

How Apple Really Invented the Iphone
From ACM News

How Apple Really Invented the Iphone

Like many of Apple's inventions, the iPhone began not with a vision, but with a problem.

How Governments and Telecom Companies Work Together on Surveillance Laws
From ACM News

How Governments and Telecom Companies Work Together on Surveillance Laws

When Americans are displeased with their politicians, they like to threaten to move to Canada. But if you're tempted to move north—or even further afield—to get...
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