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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.


Almost Time For Pluto's Close-Up
From ACM News

Almost Time For Pluto's Close-Up

The pictures coming back from Pluto are still a bit fuzzy. But just wait.

Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Government Access to Encrypted Communication
From ACM News

Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Government Access to Encrypted Communication

An elite group of code makers and code breakers is taking American and British intelligence and law enforcement agencies to task in a new paper that evaluates government...

Seahorse Tails Could Inspire New Generation of Robots
From ACM TechNews

Seahorse Tails Could Inspire New Generation of Robots

Clemson University researchers have developed a 3-D printed model based on the square prism of a seahorse tail, as well as a hypothetical cylindrical version. They...

Leap Motion's Augmented-Reality Computing Looks Stupid Cool
From ACM News

Leap Motion's Augmented-Reality Computing Looks Stupid Cool

We have a habit of filling new technologies with old ideas.

Car Dashboards That Act Like Smart Phones Raise Safety Issues
From ACM News

Car Dashboards That Act Like Smart Phones Raise Safety Issues

When it comes to dashboard displays that are more like smart phones, two things are clear: Customers want them, and automakers are intent on supplying them.

Google's Deep Learning Machine Learns to Synthesize Real World Images
From ACM News

Google's Deep Learning Machine Learns to Synthesize Real World Images

Google Street View offers panoramic views of more or less any city street in much of the developed world, as well as views along countless footpaths, inside shopping...

DARPA Challenge Greatly Propelled Humanoid Robotics
From ACM TechNews

DARPA Challenge Greatly Propelled Humanoid Robotics

The DARPA Robotics Challenge has significantly advanced the field of humanoid robotics thanks to contributions from academia, including the Worcester Polytechnic...

Pluto Spacecraft Temporarily Loses Contact with Earth
From ACM News

Pluto Spacecraft Temporarily Loses Contact with Earth

Ten days before its historic flyby of Pluto, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft lost contact with mission control, for unknown reasons, for an hour and 21 minutes on...

Machine Ethics: The Robot's Dilemma
From ACM News

Machine Ethics: The Robot's Dilemma

In his 1942 short story 'Runaround', science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov introduced the Three Laws of Robotics—engineering safeguards and built-in ethical principles...

The Computers of Our Wildest Dreams
From ACM News

The Computers of Our Wildest Dreams

One of the first electronic, programmable computers in the world is remembered today mostly by its nickname: Colossus.

The Reality of Problem Solving
From ACM TechNews

The Reality of Problem Solving

A new adaptive importance sampling algorithm can help generate more accurate predictions than a data assimilation algorithm when uncertainty is involved. 

Robots to 'hear Better' With New Microphone Technique
From ACM TechNews

Robots to 'hear Better' With New Microphone Technique

U.K. scientists have developed a new microphone system with the potential to help future robots pay closer attention to what they hear.

Stuck on You: Research Shows Fingerprint Accuracy Stays the Same Over Time
From ACM TechNews

Stuck on You: Research Shows Fingerprint Accuracy Stays the Same Over Time

New research by Michigan State University professor Anil Jain has proven one's fingerprint pattern is persistent over time. 

The Future of Car Keys? Smartphone Apps, Maybe
From ACM News

The Future of Car Keys? Smartphone Apps, Maybe

It' not fun getting into a car when the interior is 130 degrees, but that's a typical problem during the summer for those who live in a city like Phoenix, where...

Collaboratively Exploring Virtual Worlds
From ACM TechNews

Collaboratively Exploring Virtual Worlds

The Pentagon's Office of Force Readiness and Training, Lockheed Martin, and the National Science Foundation are creating a platform for immersive training. 

How Computers Are Learning to Make Human Software Work More Efficiently
From ACM TechNews

How Computers Are Learning to Make Human Software Work More Efficiently

In genetic improvement, an automated "programmer" is written to manipulate the source code of a piece of software via trial and error, to boost its efficiency.

Georgia Tech Researchers Train Computer to Create Games By Watching Youtube
From ACM TechNews

Georgia Tech Researchers Train Computer to Create Games By Watching Youtube

Researchers have developed a computing system that views video game play on streaming services, analyzes the footage, and then creates new sections of a game. 

Will AI Drive the Human Race Off a Cliff?
From ACM TechNews

Will AI Drive the Human Race Off a Cliff?

A recent panel discussion focused on the need to develop policies to prevent artificial intelligence from evolving to the point where it threatens humanity's existence...

Nasa Explains Why June 30 Will Get Extra Second
From ACM News

Nasa Explains Why June 30 Will Get Extra Second

The day will officially be a bit longer than usual on Tuesday, June 30, 2015, because an extra second, or "leap" second, will be added.

Computers Read the Fossil Record
From ACM News

Computers Read the Fossil Record

For a field whose raison d'être is to chronicle the deep past, palaeontology is remarkably forward-looking when it comes to organizing its data.
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