Communications of the ACM
Why the Simplex Method, at Age 75, is Still the Go-To Algorithm
Daniel A. Spielman and colleague Shang-hua Teng solved the mystery of the Simplex Method using a technique called smoothed analysis… From ACM NewsAn edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM Opinion
Secrets Become History: Edward Snowden in Citizenfour Wins Documentary Oscar
Citizenfour is filmmaker Laura Poitras' account of the first meetings between herself, Glenn Greenwald, and Edward Snowden.
From ACM News
How Hackers Could Attack Hard Drives to Create a Pervasive Backdoor
News that a hacking group within or associated with the National Security Agency compromised the firmware of hard drive controllers from a number of manufacturers...
From ACM News
If Software Looks Like a Brain and Acts Like a Brain—will We Treat It Like One?
Long the domain of science fiction, researchers are now working to create software that perfectly models human and animal brains.
From ACM Careers
Washington Lawmakers Want Computer Science to Count as Foreign Language
Two Washington state legislators have recently introduced a bill that would allow computer science class (e.g., programming) to effectively count as a foreign language...
From ACM News
Don't Call Them 'utility' Rules: The Fcc's Net Neutrality Regime, Explained
Within a few weeks we’ll have a huge document full of legalese on the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules, to replace the near-200-page ...
From ACM News
Snowden: .s. Has Put Too Much Emphasis on Cyber-Offense, Needs Defense
In an on-camera interview with James Bamford for an upcoming episode of PBS' NOVA, Edward Snowden warned that the U.S. Department of Defense and National Security...
From ACM News
Fbi Says Search Warrants Not Needed to Use 'stingrays' in Public Places
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking the position that court warrants are not required when deploying cell-site simulators in public places.
From ACM Opinion
Baer's Odyssey: Meet the Serial Inventor Who Built the World's First Game Console
Even if you're a devoted fan of video games, there's a decent chance you're not familiar with the name Ralph H. Baer.
From ACM Opinion
Finding an Image with an Image and Other Feats of Computer Vision
"We found that people were searching for squirrels just to favorite them, just to click 'like.' And the same with buses."
From ACM News
Beyond Gaming, the Vr Boom Is Everywhere—from Classrooms to Therapy Couches
When Oculus almost single-handedly revived the idea of virtual reality from its '90s vaporware grave, it chose the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo as the place...
From ACM News
Prepare For the Part-Time Self-Driving Car
Self-driving AI cars have been a staple in popular culture for some time—any child of the 1980s will fondly remember both the Autobots and Knight Rider's KITT—but...
From ACM News
Time Dilation Measured at 40 Percent of the Speed of Light—in the Lab
Einstein is most famous for general relativity, which is really a theory of gravity.
From ACM Opinion
Julian Assange on Snowden, Disliking Google, and His 'inevitable' Freedom
It would be too much to say that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange feels optimistic.
From ACM News
Fantasy Footballers and Coaches Rejoice—nfl Players to Wear Rfid Tags
The surveillance society, it seems, is broadening at NFL stadiums.
From ACM News
New Qubit Design Provides Parity Bit for Schrödinger Cat States
The RAM in our computers is constantly refreshed to ensure that it maintains the intended information.
From ACM News
Massachusetts High Court Orders Suspect to Decrypt His Computers
Massachusetts' top court ruled, in a 5-2 decision on Wednesday, that a criminal suspect can be ordered to decrypt his seized computer.
From ACM Opinion
A Fast Look at Swift, Apple's New Programming Language
If anyone outside Apple saw Swift coming, they certainly weren't making any public predictions.
From ACM News
Scientific Computing's Future: Can Any Coding Language Top a 1950s Behemoth?
Take a tour through the research laboratories at any university physics department or national lab, and much of what you will see defines "cutting edge."
From ACM Opinion
Ios 7, Thoroughly Reviewed
When we reviewed iOS 6 a year ago, we called it a "spit-and-polish" release and stand by that assessment today.
From ACM TechNews