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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.


'Weaponized Ad Technology': Facebook's Moneymaker Gets a Critical Eye
From ACM News

'Weaponized Ad Technology': Facebook's Moneymaker Gets a Critical Eye

Facebook has made a mint by enabling advertisers to identify and reach the very people most likely to react to their messages.

This Military Tech Could Finally Help Self-Driving Cars Master Snow
From ACM News

This Military Tech Could Finally Help Self-Driving Cars Master Snow

The research conducted at the country's National Laboratories is usually highly classified and specifically aimed at solving national security problems. But sometimes...

As Cars Collect More Data, Companies Try to Move It All Faster
From ACM Careers

As Cars Collect More Data, Companies Try to Move It All Faster

Cars need to get faster—not on the road, but on the inside.

How to Make a Robot ­se Theory of Mind
From ACM News

How to Make a Robot ­se Theory of Mind

Imagine standing in an elevator as the doors begin to close and suddenly seeing a couple at the end of the corridor running toward you.

Six Things About Opportunity's Recovery Efforts
From ACM News

Six Things About Opportunity's Recovery Efforts

NASA's Opportunity rover has been silent since June 10, when a planet-encircling dust storm cut off solar power for the nearly-15-year-old rover.

The 'Neuropolitics' Consultants Who Hack Voters' Brains
From ACM Careers

The 'Neuropolitics' Consultants Who Hack Voters' Brains

Maria Pocovi slides her laptop over to me with the webcam switched on.

How ­npaywall Is Transforming Open Science
From ACM News

How ­npaywall Is Transforming Open Science

After being kicked out of a hotel conference room where they had participated in a three-day open-science workshop and hackathon, a group of computer scientists...

Settling Arguments About Hydrogen With 168 Giant Lasers
From ACM News

Settling Arguments About Hydrogen With 168 Giant Lasers

With gentle pulses from gigantic lasers, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California transformed hydrogen into droplets of shiny liquid metal...

To Get Ready for Robot Driving, Some Want to Reprogram Pedestrians
From ACM News

To Get Ready for Robot Driving, Some Want to Reprogram Pedestrians

You're crossing the street wrong.

LHC Physicists Embrace Brute-Force Approach to Particle Hunt
From ACM News

LHC Physicists Embrace Brute-Force Approach to Particle Hunt

A once-controversial approach to particle physics has entered the mainstream at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

Wi-Fi Could Be ­sed to Detect Weapons and Bombs
From ACM News

Wi-Fi Could Be ­sed to Detect Weapons and Bombs

Wireless signals can penetrate bags to measure the dimensions of metal objects or estimate the volume of liquids, researchers claim.

How Hacked Water Heaters Could Trigger Mass Blackouts
From ACM News

How Hacked Water Heaters Could Trigger Mass Blackouts

When the cybersecurity industry warns about the nightmare of hackers causing blackouts, the scenario they describe typically entails an elite team of hackers ...

Banks and Retailers Are Tracking How You Type, Swipe and Tap
From ACM News

Banks and Retailers Are Tracking How You Type, Swipe and Tap

When you're browsing a website and the mouse cursor disappears, it might be a computer glitch—or it might be a deliberate test to find out who you are.

Zen and the Art of Data Structures: From Self-Tuning to Self-Designing Data Systems
From ACM TechNews

Zen and the Art of Data Structures: From Self-Tuning to Self-Designing Data Systems

Harvard University's Stratos Idreos is using what he calls a periodic table of data structures to map those structures and their characteristics and to probe their...

The Flourishing Business of Fake YouTube Views
From ACM News

The Flourishing Business of Fake YouTube Views

Martin Vassilev makes a good living selling fake views on YouTube videos. Working from home in Ottawa, he has sold about 15 million views so far this year, putting...

Campaigns and Candidates Still Easy Prey for Hackers
From ACM News

Campaigns and Candidates Still Easy Prey for Hackers

Some bathrooms have signs urging people to wash their hands. But at the Democratic National Committee, reminders hanging in the men's and women's restrooms address...

The Sensors That Power Smart Cities Are a Hacker's Dream
From ACM News

The Sensors That Power Smart Cities Are a Hacker's Dream

At this point, it seems like every so-called consumer smart device—from routers and baby monitors to connected thermostats and garage door openers—has been shown ...

CRISPR 'Barcodes' Map Mammalian Development in Exquisite Detail
From ACM News

CRISPR 'Barcodes' Map Mammalian Development in Exquisite Detail

For the first time, scientists have wielded CRISPR to track a mammal's development from a single egg into an embryo with millions of cells.

Watch a Sporty AI Teach Itself to Dribble Better Than You
From ACM News

Watch a Sporty AI Teach Itself to Dribble Better Than You

I'm not what you'd call a coordinated man, so basketball horrifies me. All the dribbling, all the shooting—all while running and dodging people trying to smack...

Robots Are Getting More Social. Are Humans Ready?
From ACM News

Robots Are Getting More Social. Are Humans Ready?

Personal home robots that can socialize with people are starting to roll out of the laboratory and into our living rooms and kitchens. But are humans ready to invite...
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