Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM News
Marginally seful
Bitcoin, a purely digital currency, is backed by no commodity and governed by no central bank, but it exists because a small number of humans have chosen to believe...
From ACM TechNews
How to Design an Interstellar Communications System
University of California, Berkeley professor David Messerschmitt is studying the design of end-to-end communications between stellar systems.
From ACM Careers
Yahoo Expands Research Labs in Search of Personalized, Mobile Experiences
There are many conflicting opinions about what troubled Web giant Yahoo must do to turn itself around, but critics and company leaders at least agree on one thing...
From ACM News
A Robotic Hand, This Time with Feeling
A Dutch man who lost his left hand in a fireworks accident nine years ago is now able to feel different kinds of pressure on three fingers of a prosthetic, robotic...
From ACM TechNews
'honey Encryption' Will Bamboozle Attackers With Fake Secrets
Researchers have developed an approach to cryptography that makes it difficult for hackers to determine when they have correctly deciphered a password.
From ACM News
'honey Encryption' Will Bamboozle Attackers with Fake Secrets
Ari Juels, an independent researcher who was previously chief scientist at computer security company RSA, thinks something important is missing from the cryptography...
From ACM TechNews
Not Ok, Glass
PlaceAvoider is software that uses computer-vision techniques to identify potentially confidential or embarrassing pictures taken with new devices such as Google...
From ACM News
A 96-Antenna System Tests the Next Generation of Wireless
Even as the world's carriers build out the latest wireless infrastructure, known as 4G LTE, a new apparatus bristling with 96 antennas taking shape at a Rice University...
From ACM Opinion
How a Database of the World's Knowledge Shapes Google's Future
For all its success, Google's famous Page Rank algorithm has never understood a word of the billions of Web pages it has directed people to over the years.
From ACM TechNews
Neural Nets: Now Available in the Cloud
A new system called N2Sky sets up neural networks in the cloud so their services can be shared like other computing resources.
From ACM News
Experimental Surgery Aims to Revive a Paralyzed Limb
Doctors will attempt to reanimate a patient’s paralyzed arm with a pioneering surgery that involves capturing signals from his brain and restoring movement through...
From ACM News
How Google Cracked House Number Identification in Street View
Google Street View has become an essential part of the online mapping experience.
From ACM TechNews
Ok, Glass, Find a Killer App
A select group of developers have been experimenting with Google Glass for months and have created apps that could indicate where the technology will go in the...
From ACM TechNews
An App-Led Walk Down Memory Lane
The Memoir iPhone app accesses photos and status updates from a user's social networks based on the user's location, what is going on, and who else is around.
From ACM News
An Artificial Hand with Real Feelings
There have been remarkable mechanical advances in prosthetic limbs in recent years, including rewiring nerve fibers to control sophisticated mechanical arms (see...
From ACM Opinion
Diagnosis For Healthcare.gov: nrealistic Technology Expectations
The fiasco with the $600 million federal health insurance website wasn't all bureaucratic.
From ACM TechNews
The Online Dating Engine That Assesses Your Taste in the Opposite Sex (and Whether They Find You Attractive)
A new dating recommendation engine suggests potential dates based not only on mutual interests, but also on a person's likelihood to reply to initial contact.
From ACM News
Stores Sniff Out Smartphones to Follow Shoppers
You've just tossed a jar of peanut butter in your grocery cart when your smartphone buzzes.
From ACM News
Ads Could Soon Know If You're an Introvert (on Twitter)
Trying to derive a person's wants and needs—conscious or otherwise—from online browsing and buying habits has become crucial to companies of all kinds.
From ACM TechNews