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news archive
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2012
Spacecraft Computer Issue Resolved
Engineers have found the root cause of a computer reset that occurred two months ago on NASA's Mars Science Laboratory and have determined how to correct it.
Turing's Enduring Importance
When Alan Turing was born 100 years ago, on June 23, 1912, a computer was not a thing—it was a person.
Virtual Internships in Rising Demand
Virtual internships, in which students work for an employer over the Web, increasingly are being offered at college campuses, with advantages for both students and employers.
Weave Open Source Data Visualization Offers Power, Flexibility
The open source Weave project is a platform designed to make it easier for government agencies, nonprofits, and corporate users to offer the public a way to analyze data.
Europe Goes for Computing Technologies as Driver for Competitiveness
The recent HiPEAC 2012 Conference highlighted the goal of getting energy efficient and low-cost computing technologies into the full spectrum of devices and systems, says the European Commission's Max Lemke.
Google's Very First Employee, Craig Silverstein—Technically, No. 3—Leaving
Google's very first employee, Craig Silverstein, is leaving the company to join the high-profile online learning phenom, Khan Academy.
Texas Jury Strikes Down Patent Troll’s Claim to Own the Interactive Web
After threatening web companies for more than a decade, Michael Doyle and his patent-holding company Eolas Technologies—named after the Irish word for knowledge—may be finished.
W3C Co-Chair: Apple, Google Power Causing Open Web Crisis
The dominance of Apple and Google mobile browsers is leading to a situation that is even worse for Web programming than the former dominance of Internet Explorer, according to W3C group co-chairman Daniel Glazman.
'Cyberspace Requires a World-Class Cyber Warrior'
With growing worries about the threat of "cyber warfare," militaries around the world are racing to recruit the computer specialists they believe may be central to the conflicts of the 21st century.
In Data Deluge, Multitaskers Go to Multiscreens
Workers in the digital era can feel at times as if they are playing a video game, battling the barrage of emails and instant messages, juggling documents, Web sites, and online calendars.
Google Awards $340,000 in STEM Grants
Google recently awarded $340,000 to 26 organizations that provide science, technology, engineering, and math enrichment programs to students in K-12 and higher education. The recipients included 13 organizations in the U.S.,…
Researchers Layer an Electronic Junction Into Optical Fiber
Pennsylvania State University researchers have developed a method for embedding an electronic junction into optical fiber, which could lead to more streamlined optical components.
UA Researchers Developing Network for Emergency Information
University of Arkansas (UA) researchers are developing a communications network designed to maintain power during natural disasters and other emergencies.
Jobs FBI File Notes Drug Use, Tendency to 'Distort Reality'
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a decades-old file it kept on Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs that noted his past drug use and cites interviews with people who say he had a penchant to "distort reality."
Poll: Most Back Obama's Use of Drones
As the 2012 election approaches, there’s one area where President Barack Obama can feel confident he has broad voter support—his military policies and use of drones against terror suspects, according to a new poll.
Let the Robot Drive: The Autonomous Car of the Future Is Here
The object, vaguely pink, sits on the shoulder of the freeway, slowly shimmering into view. Is it roadkill? A weird kind of sagebrush? No, wait, it's … a puffy chunk of foam insulation!
Web Traffic Dips 20% During Super Bowl, Yet 2.1 Million Watch Online
Fun with numbers: For the first time ever, the Super Bowl was legally streamed online here in the U.S. and, according to NBC, over 2.1 million people fired up their Web browsers to watch it. Overall Web traffic, however, …
MIT's New Free Courses May Threaten (and Improve) the Traditional Model, Program's Leader Says
In an interview, MIT provost L. Rafael Reif and professor Anant Agarwal say MITx, a new set of online courses, will be run separately from OpenCourseWare.
Google Unveils 'Secret Lab' for Radical Ideas
Google recently held a private technology gathering for innovators, and plans to share some of the discussions and related materials through the Web site WeSolveForX.com.
Double-Sided Touchscreen Changes When You Fold It
Juergen Steimle, a member of the Fluid Interfaces Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, has developed a range of foldable displays that support novel user interactions.
Engineers Boost Computer Processor Performance By Over 20 Percent
North Carolina State University researchers have developed a technique that combines GPUs and CPUs on a single chip, boosting processor performance by an average of more than 20 percent.
The Future of Hiring: Human Resources, Without the Humans
Imagine a scenario where your next job interview isn't face-to-face, but face-to-screen. There are no questions about your former work experience and office habits. There's simply a computer game.
Scientists Develop Biological Computer to Encrypt and Decipher Images
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a computer made entirely from biomolecules that can decipher images encrypted onto DNA chips.
Hackers Outwit Online Banking Identity Security Systems
After logging in to the bank's real site, account holders are being tricked by the offer of training in a new "upgraded security system."
Burning Man
On his first tour of duty in Afghanistan, Sam Brown was set on fire by an improvised explosive device. He survived, only to find himself, like thousands of other vets, doomed to a post-traumatic life of unbearable pain. Even…
How to Predict the Spread of News on Twitter
Bernardo Huberman and colleagues at Hewlett-Packard's Social Computing Lab have developed an algorithm that can predict how popular new stories will become.
Slow Graphene Down, Speed Computers Up
Astonishing conductivity helped the discoverers of graphene win the Nobel prize in physicsin 2010. Now a way to switch off the easy flow of electrons in this wonder form of carbon is bringing superfast graphene computers closer…
API: Three Letters That Change Life, the Universe, and Even Detroit
Sam Ramji met AT&T chief technology officer John Donovan on a speed date—or at least the tech world equivalent of a speed date.
HP R&D Chief Shows Road to Terabyte Backplane
New technologies will be the key to dealing with the coming flood of digital data, says HP Labs director Prith Banerjee.
A New Question of Internet Freedom
European activists are taking a page from the recent U.S. Web protests to halt the progress of domestic antipiracy legislation, and applying similar pressure to stop the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
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