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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.


10 Questions For David Ferrucci
From ACM News

10 Questions For David Ferrucci

Why aren't you letting Watson speak for himself today? Watson is trained to answer questions for Jeopardy! It's not an interactive dialogue system, so it can't...

The New Police Siren: You
From ACM News

The New Police Siren: You

Joe Bader tried setting the two tones of his invention four notes apart on the musical scale, but the result sounded like music, not a siren. Same thing when...

China's Homemade Supercomputer May Be the Most Efficient Ever
From ACM TechNews

China's Homemade Supercomputer May Be the Most Efficient Ever

China plans to launch a new homegrown supercomputer, the Dawning 6000, this summer, and it "could rival even Blue Gene/Q systems for performance per watt supremacy...

Thinking Your Way Through Traffic in a Brain-Control Car
From ACM News

Thinking Your Way Through Traffic in a Brain-Control Car

John Prine wasn’t far off when he sang in "Living In the Future" that "we're all driving rocket ships and talking with our minds." We're still waiting for our...

Retooling Algorithms
From ACM News

Retooling Algorithms

Charles Leiserson and his team are experts at designing parallel algorithms—including one for a chess-playing program that outperformed IBM’s Deep Blue.

Increasing Processor Efficiency By Matching Power with Demand
From ACM News

Increasing Processor Efficiency By Matching Power with Demand

For decades, chipmakers strove to develop the fastest and most powerful chips possible and damn the amount of electricity needed to power them, but these days...

Remapping Computer Circuitry to Avert Impending Bottlenecks
From ACM News

Remapping Computer Circuitry to Avert Impending Bottlenecks

Hewlett-Packard researchers have proposed a fundamental rethinking of the modern computer for the coming era of nanoelectronics—a marriage of memory and computing...

From ACM News

The Next Operating System

Operating systems for multicore chips will need more information about their own performance—and more resources for addressing whatever problems arise.

From ACM News

Wiring in a Wireless Age

Is Intel's Thunderbolt cable a brilliant innovation or a worthless grasp at the past?

Follow the Money: Tiny Transistors Track Cash
From ACM News

Follow the Money: Tiny Transistors Track Cash

Banks have long considered placing silicon transistors on currency for security purposes, but the technology was too chunky and intensive for paper bills. Now...

Goal-Line Technologists Fail Fifa Test
From ACM News

Goal-Line Technologists Fail Fifa Test

Fifa's plans to introduce goal-line technology have suffered a setback after every one of the 10 companies which took part in trials last week failed to meet...

Nasa's Robot May Get Japanese Space Companion
From ACM TechNews

Nasa's Robot May Get Japanese Space Companion

The next launch of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery will carry a humanoid robot to the International Space Station. Dubbed Robonaut 2 (R2), the robot has a helmeted...

World's Smallest Computer Watches You
From ACM News

World's Smallest Computer Watches You

Researchers recently unveiled the first complete millimeter-scale computing system that is about the size of the letter "N" on the back of a penny (or about the...

Calling All Cars: Cell Phone Networks and the Future of Traffic
From ACM News

Calling All Cars: Cell Phone Networks and the Future of Traffic

Ask someone what they think the future of driving is, and the most likely response involves self-driving cars.

Memristors: Pass or Fail?
From Communications of the ACM

Memristors: Pass or Fail?

The device may revolutionize data storage, replacing flash memory and perhaps even disks. Whether they can be reliably and cheaply manufactured, though, is an open...

Evaluating Government Funding
From Communications of the ACM

Evaluating Government Funding

A presidential report asserts the value of U.S. government investments in the cross-agency Networking and Information Technology Research...

Grid Computing's Future
From Communications of the ACM

Grid Computing's Future

Outreach programs and usability improvements are drawing many researchers to grid computing from disciplines that have not traditionally used such resources.

Researchers Store Data in Flash Memory ­nder Low Voltage Conditions
From ACM TechNews

Researchers Store Data in Flash Memory ­nder Low Voltage Conditions

University of Massachusetts Amherst and Texas A&M University researchers have developed a method for writing information to flash memory under low-voltage conditions...

The Secret World of Printing Concept Cars in 3D
From ACM News

The Secret World of Printing Concept Cars in 3D

The work that goes into building a physical model of a concept car is usually hidden behind closed doors, known only to engineers sworn to secrecy and similarly...

Light-Emitting Rubber Could Sense Structural Damage
From ACM News

Light-Emitting Rubber Could Sense Structural Damage

Researchers at Princeton University have built a new type of sensor that could help engineers quickly assess the health of a building or bridge. The sensor is...
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