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 TechNews
Metrorail Crash May Exemplify Automation Paradox
The fatal collision of two trains on Washington, D.C., Metro's Red Line may come to symbolize the core problem of automation, which is the relationship between...
From ACM TechNews
Ibm Aims For a Battery Breakthrough
IBM has announced a multiyear effort to increase the performance of rechargeable batteries 10-fold, with the goal of designing batteries that enable electric vehicles...
From Communications of the ACM
Are We Losing Our Ability to Think Critically?
Computer technology has enhanced lives in countless ways, but some experts believe it might be affecting people's ability to think deeply.
From ACM TechNews
Cifellows Status Report
The Computing Innovation Fellows (CIFellows) Project has received 526 applications for CIFellowships from 145 distinct colleges and universities. The applications...
From ACM TechNews
Report Calls For Grassroots But Comprehensive Changes
A $1.5 million study from the Carnegie Corp. of New York focuses on weaknesses in U.S. math and science education. The report calls for more comprehensive math...
From ACM TechNews
sing Computer Models to Predict War
New York University professor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita has developed a computer model that can forecast the outcomes of international conflicts, and the U.S. Defense...
From ACM News
nderwater Robots Identify Potential Threats in Murky Waters
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University has received $2 million from the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research, to continue...
From ACM News
Rfid Examined as Shoplifting Prevention Technology
Shoplifting in retail outlets is an increasing problem that creates an estimated annual retail deficit of more than $30 billion, but RFID technology can help to...
From ACM News
Reading the Brain Without Poking It
Experimental devices that read brain signals have helped paralyzed people use computers and may let amputees control bionic limbs. But existing devices use tiny...
From ACM News
Toyota Develops Technology For Brain Waves to Steer Wheelchair
Toyota Motor Corp. says it has developed a way of steering a wheelchair by just detecting brain waves, without the person having to move a muscle or shout a command...
From ACM TechNews
Scars, Marks, and Tattoos: A Soft Biometric For Identifying Suspects and Victims
Tattoo patterns are regularly cataloged by law enforcement agencies when booking suspects. Unfortunately, matching tattoos is a time-consuming, subjective process...
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Mull STEM Gender Gap
Studies indicate that although U.S. women have achieved parity or near-parity with men on science and math achievement tests, the top levels of many such fields...
From ACM TechNews
Iranian Protesters Avoid Censorship With Navy Technology
Some Iranian protestors dissatisfied with their government's response to the disputed election are using The Onion Router (TOR), an Internet encryption program...
From ACM News
Intel's Mukherjee Wins ACM Computer Architecture Award
The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Architecture (SIGARCH) presented its 2009 Maurice Wilkes Award to Shubu Mukherjee of Intel Corp. for his contributions...
From ACM TechNews
Community Colleges Mobilize to Train Cybersecurity Workers
Some experts project that the Obama administration's cybersecurity push will expand two-year colleges' role in supplying cybersecurity workers to government agencies...
From ACM News
Nanotechnology Conference Is Full of Big Ideas
From solar panels to electric circuitry, the next big thing may be really tiny. Global leaders in nanotechnology — the science of the very, very small — spent two...
From ACM News
k Looks to Young Geeks to Secure Cyberspace
Britain is hiring former computer hackers to join a new security unit aimed at protecting cyberspace from foreign spies, thieves and terrorists, the country's terrorism...
From ACM TechNews
Safety-Critical Software Put nder Scrutiny
The Centre for Safety-Critical Software Certification, a new global research center based at McMaster University, will be dedicated to eliminating the possibility...
From ICT Results
One-Stop Shop For Grid Computing
From searching for cures for disease to monitoring the Earth's atmosphere, grid computing has become essential to data-intensive research. But accessing limited...
From ACM TechNews