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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.


­ncovering the Secrets of the 'Girl With a Pearl Earring'
From ACM News

­ncovering the Secrets of the 'Girl With a Pearl Earring'

"How did the 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' come to life? What steps did Vermeer take to make this painting?"

The Myth of the Hacker-Proof Voting Machine
From ACM News

The Myth of the Hacker-Proof Voting Machine

In 2011, the election board in Pennsylvania's Venango County—a largely rural county in the northwest part of the state—asked David A. Eckhardt, a computer science...

After Florida School Shooting, Russian 'Bot' Army Pounced
From ACM News

After Florida School Shooting, Russian 'Bot' Army Pounced

One hour after news broke about the school shooting in Florida last week, Twitter accounts suspected of having links to Russia released hundreds of posts taking...

Good News: A.I. Is Getting Cheaper. That’s Also Bad News.
From ACM News

Good News: A.I. Is Getting Cheaper. That’s Also Bad News.

A.I. experts and pundits have discussed the threats created by the technology for years, but this is among the first efforts to tackle the issue head-on.

Astronomers' Dark Energy Hopes Fade to Gray
From ACM News

Astronomers' Dark Energy Hopes Fade to Gray

A star-crossed mission nearly 20 years in the making that was intended to seek an answer to the most burning, baffling question in astronomy—and perhaps elucidate...

How Artificial Intelligence Is Edging Its Way Into Our Lives
From ACM News

How Artificial Intelligence Is Edging Its Way Into Our Lives

In Phoenix, Ariz., cars are self-navigating the streets. In many homes, people are barking commands at tiny machines, with the machines responding. On our smartphones...

­niversities Rush to Roll Out Computer Science Ethics Courses
From ACM TechNews

­niversities Rush to Roll Out Computer Science Ethics Courses

U.S. universities are starting to offer ethics courses relating to computer science.

As China Marches Forward on  A.I., the White House Is Silent
From ACM News

As China Marches Forward on A.I., the White House Is Silent

In July, China unveiled a plan to become the world leader in artificial intelligence and create an industry worth $150 billion to its economy by 2030.

Early Facebook, Google Employees Form Coalition to Fight What They Built
From ACM News

Early Facebook, Google Employees Form Coalition to Fight What They Built

The cohort is creating a union of concerned experts called the Center for Humane Technology.

Winter Olympics’ Security on Alert, but Hackers Have a Head Start
From ACM News

Winter Olympics’ Security on Alert, but Hackers Have a Head Start

More than 300 Olympics-related computer systems have already been hit, with many of them compromised.

Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is 'really Strange'
From ACM News

Newly Discovered Form of Water Ice Is 'really Strange'

Scientists have confirmed a form of water that is simultaneously solid and liquid. It is the latest advance in the study of water, a seemingly simple substance...

If Workers Slack Off, the Wristband Will Know. (and Amazon Has a Patent For It.)
From ACM News

If Workers Slack Off, the Wristband Will Know. (and Amazon Has a Patent For It.)

What if your employer made you wear a wristband that tracked your every move, and that even nudged you via vibrations when it judged that you were doing something...

Twitter Followers Vanish Amid Inquiries Into Fake Accounts
From ACM News

Twitter Followers Vanish Amid Inquiries Into Fake Accounts

More than a million followers have disappeared from the accounts of dozens of prominent Twitter users in recent days as the company faces growing criticism over...

Tech Giants Brace For Europe's New Data Privacy Rule
From ACM News

Tech Giants Brace For Europe's New Data Privacy Rule

Over the past two months, Google has started letting people around the world choose what data they want to share with its various products, including Gmail and...

Can Software Predict Crime? Maybe So, but No Better Than a Human
From ACM News

Can Software Predict Crime? Maybe So, but No Better Than a Human

Can you predict a crime?

Big Bets on A.i. Open a New Frontier For Chip Start-­ps, Too
From ACM Careers

Big Bets on A.i. Open a New Frontier For Chip Start-­ps, Too

For years, tech industry financiers showed little interest in start-up companies that made computer chips.

Scanning an Ancient Biblical Text That Humans Fear to Open
From ACM TechNews

Scanning an Ancient Biblical Text That Humans Fear to Open

Researchers hope to make a fragile ancient Coptic codex readable by scanning it with computerized tomography and then using software to extract legible text.

Russia and Venezuela's Plan to Sidestep Sanctions: Virtual Currencies
From ACM News

Russia and Venezuela's Plan to Sidestep Sanctions: Virtual Currencies

Russian and Venezuelan officials are hoping virtual currencies can help their countries make an end run around American sanctions.

How Do You Vote? 50 Million Google Images Give a Clue
From ACM News

How Do You Vote? 50 Million Google Images Give a Clue

What vehicle is most strongly associated with Republican voting districts? Extended-cab pickup trucks. For Democratic districts? Sedans.

How an AI 'cat-and-Mouse Game' Generates Believable Fake Photos
From ACM TechNews

How an AI 'cat-and-Mouse Game' Generates Believable Fake Photos

A new artificial intelligence system analyzes thousands of celebrity photos, infers common patterns, and generates new images that are similar.
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