acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

News


bg-corner

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


A Master Algorithm Lets Robots Teach Themselves to Perform Complex Tasks
From ACM News

A Master Algorithm Lets Robots Teach Themselves to Perform Complex Tasks

For all the talk of machines becoming intelligent, getting a sophisticated robot to do anything complex, like grabbing a heavy object and moving it from one place...

The First Person to Hack the Iphone Built a Self-Driving Car. In His Garage
From ACM Careers

The First Person to Hack the Iphone Built a Self-Driving Car. In His Garage

A few days before Thanksgiving, George Hotz, a 26-year-old hacker, invites me to his house in San Francisco to check out a project he’s been working on.

Rocks Rich in Silica Present Puzzles For Mars Rover Team
From ACM News

Rocks Rich in Silica Present Puzzles For Mars Rover Team

In detective stories, as the plot thickens, an unexpected clue often delivers more questions than answers.

Facewatch 'thief Recognition' Cctv on Trial in ­k Stores
From ACM News

Facewatch 'thief Recognition' Cctv on Trial in ­k Stores

Until now, Facewatch has provided local groups of businesses with a way to share their CCTV images of shoplifters and other potential offenders.

European Satellites: How Islamic State Takes Its Terror To the Web
From ACM News

European Satellites: How Islamic State Takes Its Terror To the Web

No terror organization uses the Internet as successfully when it comes to marketing itself and recruiting supporters as Islamic State (IS) does. But how is it able...

Cassini Closes in on Enceladus, One Last Time
From ACM News

Cassini Closes in on Enceladus, One Last Time

A thrilling chapter in the exploration of the solar system will soon conclude, as NASA's Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft makes its final close flyby of the ocean...

Physicists in Europe Find Tantalizing Hints of a Mysterious New Particle
From ACM News

Physicists in Europe Find Tantalizing Hints of a Mysterious New Particle

Does the Higgs boson have a cousin?

China's Internet Forum May Provide a Peek at Its Cyber-Ambitions
From ACM News

China's Internet Forum May Provide a Peek at Its Cyber-Ambitions

Heads of state, including the prime ministers of Pakistan and Russia, and major technology firms will gather Wednesday in Wuzhen, a picturesque little town of canals...

Two Atoms Make Quantum Memory, Processing Gate, and Test of Entanglement
From ACM News

Two Atoms Make Quantum Memory, Processing Gate, and Test of Entanglement

Quantum systems are inherently fragile as any interactions with the outside world can change their state.

Do Computers Need Pressure-Sensing Screens?
From ACM News

Do Computers Need Pressure-Sensing Screens?

The computer mouse, when it first went mainstream, was awkward to describe but easy to use.

The Secret History of World War Ii-Era Drones
From ACM News

The Secret History of World War Ii-Era Drones

Drones are the hallmark of tech-y modern warfare, but weapons piloted from afar have been around for more than a century.  

5 Amazing and Alarming Things That May Be Done with Your Dna
From ACM Opinion

5 Amazing and Alarming Things That May Be Done with Your Dna

"You're a male, you're 34-years-old and your 5-foot-10 1/2 inches tall." That's a prediction that Craig Venter, long a pioneer on the frontier of genomics, offered...

Nasa's Fermi Satellite Kicks Off a Blazar-Detecting Bonanza
From ACM News

Nasa's Fermi Satellite Kicks Off a Blazar-Detecting Bonanza

A long time ago in a galaxy half the universe away, a flood of high-energy gamma rays began its journey to Earth.

What Can—or Should—internet Companies Do to Fight Terrorism?
From ACM News

What Can—or Should—internet Companies Do to Fight Terrorism?

After the recent attacks in Paris and in San Bernardino, Calif., social media platforms are under pressure from politicians to do more to take down messages and...

Fact-Checking the Debate on Encryption
From ACM News

Fact-Checking the Debate on Encryption

As politicians and counter-terrorism officials search for lessons from the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, senior officials have called...

How the Science in 'star Wars’ Is Actually Real
From ACM Opinion

How the Science in 'star Wars’ Is Actually Real

For a story that takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" a great deal of the technology in the "Star Wars" series actually has parallels today on...

How Thermal Imaging Tech Is About to Become Hot Stuff
From ACM News

How Thermal Imaging Tech Is About to Become Hot Stuff

Although it's already been used by industry, the military and some emergency services, it was expensive and therefore had a limited market.

Silicon Valley Faces Showdown as Lawmakers Fume Over Encryption
From ACM News

Silicon Valley Faces Showdown as Lawmakers Fume Over Encryption

A number of lawmakers on Thursday expressed a growing frustration with technology companies and signaled Congress would consider either curbing encrypted communications...

Artificial-Intelligence Research Center Is Founded By Silicon Valley Investors
From ACM News

Artificial-Intelligence Research Center Is Founded By Silicon Valley Investors

A group of prominent Silicon Valley investors and technology companies said on Friday that they would establish an artificial-intelligence research center to develop...

Paradox at the Heart of Mathematics Makes Physics Problem ­nanswerable
From ACM News

Paradox at the Heart of Mathematics Makes Physics Problem ­nanswerable

A logical paradox at the heart of mathematics and computer science turns out to have implications for the real world, making a basic question about matter fundamentally...
Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account