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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.


Humans Out-Play an AI at Texas Hold 'em—for Now
From ACM Careers

Humans Out-Play an AI at Texas Hold 'em—for Now

In 1997 chess master Gary Kasparov went to battle against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in a landmark match. After six games Deep Blue prevailed, marking the...

Oculus Rift Hack Transfers Your Facial Expressions Onto Your Virtual Avatar
From ACM News

Oculus Rift Hack Transfers Your Facial Expressions Onto Your Virtual Avatar

When Facebook bought Oculus VR back in March of 2014, many wondered exactly what the social network was going to do with it; let's face it, many of us are still wondering...

Computing at the Speed of Light
From ACM TechNews

Computing at the Speed of Light

A new ultracompact beamsplitter for dividing light waves into separate channels could lead to computers that work millions of times faster than conventional machines...

Quantum Physics: What Is Really Real?
From ACM News

Quantum Physics: What Is Really Real?

Owen Maroney worries that physicists have spent the better part of a century engaging in fraud.

Nasa Soil Moisture Mission Begins Science Operations
From ACM News

Nasa Soil Moisture Mission Begins Science Operations

NASA's new Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission to map global soil moisture and detect whether soils are frozen or thawed has begun science operations.

To Handle Big Data, Shrink It
From ACM TechNews

To Handle Big Data, Shrink It

A new algorithm finds the smallest possible approximation of a matrix that guarantees reliable computations. 

A Nano-Transistor Assesses Your Health Via Sweat
From ACM TechNews

A Nano-Transistor Assesses Your Health Via Sweat

A new ultra-low-power sensor enables real-time scanning of the contents of liquids such as perspiration. 

The Machine Vision Algorithm Beating Art Historians at Their Own Game
From ACM TechNews

The Machine Vision Algorithm Beating Art Historians at Their Own Game

Recent advances in machine learning such as deep convolutional neural networks are enabling the development of machines that perform pattern-recognition tasks. 

Hacking the Brain
From ACM Opinion

Hacking the Brain

The perfectibility of the human mind is a theme that has captured our imagination for centuries—the notion that, with the right tools, the right approach, the right...

­.s. Science Academies Take On Human-Genome Editing
From ACM News

­.s. Science Academies Take On Human-Genome Editing

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) will launch a major initiative to develop guidelines for editing human genomes...

Predictive Analytics Provides Powerful Benefits to Healthcare
From ACM News

Predictive Analytics Provides Powerful Benefits to Healthcare

Medical treatment is on the verge of a "radical transformation" thanks to statistical data analysis techniques that predict future outcomes.

Technology Doesn't Explain the Philly Train Crash
From ACM News

Technology Doesn't Explain the Philly Train Crash

Cars can now drive by themselves. Automatic pilot systems can fly a jet airliner much of the time. Why is it so hard to make trains that can stop on their own?

Can We Identify Every Kind of Cell in the Body?
From ACM News

Can We Identify Every Kind of Cell in the Body?

How many types of cells are there in the human body? Textbooks say a couple of hundred. But the true number is undoubtedly far larger.

Computers Harness Language Translation
From ACM TechNews

Computers Harness Language Translation

Statistical machine-translation technologies developed at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have helped the Army become less reliant on human translators.

Attention White-Collar Workers: The Robots Are Coming For Your Jobs
From ACM Opinion

Attention White-Collar Workers: The Robots Are Coming For Your Jobs

From the self-checkout aisle of the grocery store to the sports section of the newspaper, robots and computer software are increasingly taking the place of humans...

Astronomers Take a New Kind of Pulse From the Sky
From ACM News

Astronomers Take a New Kind of Pulse From the Sky

Every night, our sky beats with the pulses of radio light waves, most of which go unseen.

How Maker Faires Are Inspiring Young 'makers' All Over the World
From ACM Careers

How Maker Faires Are Inspiring Young 'makers' All Over the World

One of the truly bright lights in tech education is the Maker Faire.

Blueprint For a Better Human Body
From ACM News

Blueprint For a Better Human Body

When Elizabeth Wright smacks her right leg on a table, she says "ow."

Feds Say That Banned Researcher Commandeered a Plane
From ACM News

Feds Say That Banned Researcher Commandeered a Plane

A security researcher kicked off a United Airlines flight last month after tweeting about security vulnerabilities in its system had previously taken control of...

Google's Vint Cerf Warns Against Fragmentation of Internet
From ACM Opinion

Google's Vint Cerf Warns Against Fragmentation of Internet

Internet pioneer Vinton G. Cerf warned Thursday that political and technological forces threaten universal access and integrity, which he described as the foundation...
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