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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.


Google's 'hummingbird' Hatches New Search Formula
From ACM TechNews

Google's 'hummingbird' Hatches New Search Formula

The formula underlying Google's search engine has been overhauled as part of its Hummingbird update, to yield better answers to increasingly complex queries. 

Some Robots Are Starting to Move More Like Humans
From ACM TechNews

Some Robots Are Starting to Move More Like Humans

Roboy is a four-foot-tall humanoid robot with a set of muscles inspired by the human musculoskeletal system. 

When Google Brainstorms, Online World Shudders
From ACM News

When Google Brainstorms, Online World Shudders

Is Google about to do to online privacy what body scanners did to airline travelers?

Some Robots Are Starting to Move More Like Humans
From ACM News

Some Robots Are Starting to Move More Like Humans

Robots usually look rigid and nonhuman, with joints engineered to avoid the elasticity that can make their movements less predictable and harder to control.

Nsa Chief Defends Collecting Americans' Data
From ACM Opinion

Nsa Chief Defends Collecting Americans' Data

The head of the National Security Agency delivered a vigorous defense Wednesday of his agency's collection of Americans' phone records for counterterrorism purposes...

Ctrl-Alt-Delete Defenders Tell Bill Gates It Wasn't A Mistake
From ACM News

Ctrl-Alt-Delete Defenders Tell Bill Gates It Wasn't A Mistake

The news that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates now says it was a mistake to long ago force Windows PC users to type "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" at start-up is getting tons...

Cache and Not Carry: Next Mars Rover to Collect Samples For Return to Earth—someday
From ACM News

Cache and Not Carry: Next Mars Rover to Collect Samples For Return to Earth—someday

Have rover, need payload. That's the state of things for NASA, which is planning to launch its next rover to Mars in 2020.

Harvard Plans to Boldly Go With 'spocs'
From ACM TechNews

Harvard Plans to Boldly Go With 'spocs'

Harvard University is moving beyond massive open online courses to small private online courses. 

Human Robot Getting Closer
From ACM TechNews

Human Robot Getting Closer

Researchers are implementing the cognitive process of the human brain in robots, which could lead to the development of the latest version of the iCub robot. 

Google Introduces New 'hummingbird' Search Algorithm
From ACM News

Google Introduces New 'hummingbird' Search Algorithm

Google Inc has overhauled its search algorithm, the foundation of the Internet's dominant search engine, to better cope with the longer, more complex queries it...

Science Benefits From Diverse Landing Area of Nasa Mars Rover
From ACM News

Science Benefits From Diverse Landing Area of Nasa Mars Rover

NASA's Curiosity rover is revealing a great deal about Mars, from long-ago processes in its interior to the current interaction between the Martian surface and...

Why Space Telescope Mirror Is Most Complex Ever Built
From ACM News

Why Space Telescope Mirror Is Most Complex Ever Built

"You will not be touching anything."

Bringing 'common Sense' to Text Analytics
From ACM News

Bringing 'common Sense' to Text Analytics

Bringing "common sense" to artificial intelligence is one of the biggest challenges in computer science: It entails equipping computers with the shared knowledge...

New Password in a Heartbeat
From ACM TechNews

New Password in a Heartbeat

A new, secure method may dramatically cut the risk that an implanted medical device could be altered remotely without authorization. 

Meet the Machines that Steal Your Phone's Data
From ACM News

Meet the Machines that Steal Your Phone's Data

The National Security Agency's spying tactics are being intensely scrutinized following the recent leaks of secret documents. However, the NSA isn't the only U.S...

Wi-Fi Sniffing Lets Researchers Take Social Snapshots of Crowds
From ACM TechNews

Wi-Fi Sniffing Lets Researchers Take Social Snapshots of Crowds

Researchers have used Wi-Fi probe requests from smartphones to take a social snapshot of large gatherings of people. 

Better Thinking Tools
From ACM News

Better Thinking Tools

A new book calls for human-computer interfaces that better support thinking and learning.

Man Controls New Prosthetic Leg ­sing Thought Alone
From ACM News

Man Controls New Prosthetic Leg ­sing Thought Alone

A man missing his lower leg has gained precise control over a prosthetic limb, just by thinking about moving it—all because his unused nerves were preserved during...

How Engineers Revamped Spitzer to Probe Exoplanets
From ACM News

How Engineers Revamped Spitzer to Probe Exoplanets

Now approaching its 10th anniversary, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has evolved into a premier observatory for an endeavor not envisioned in its original design...

Interstellar 8-Track: How Voyager's Vintage Tech Keeps Running
From ACM News

Interstellar 8-Track: How Voyager's Vintage Tech Keeps Running

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has gone interstellar.
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